1016 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Dec. 1 



fork instead of a knife to convey food from 

 the plate to the mouth, I rejected the new- 

 fangled innovation. vSome of the young-er 

 people may smile. I can imagine some of 

 the children who read this Home paper will 

 say, " Why, mother, was there ever a time 

 when people ate with their knives, putting 

 a knife to their mouth instead of using a 

 fork?" 



If the mother is sixty years old or more 

 she will reply, "Yes, my child, I can re- 

 member quite distinctly when everybody 

 put the kuife to the mouth until the new cus- 

 tom came around." 



Well, as I said before, I rejected the new 

 custom because I declared there was no 

 sense nor reason in it. But Mrs. Root said, 

 " Why, my dear husband, there is the best 

 sense and reason in the world for this 

 change. Your knife is used for spreading 

 butter on bread. If a butter-knife is not on 

 the table it would not be ill bred to take 

 some butter with your own knife when it is 

 passed. Would you like to see somebody 

 take his own knife out of his mouth and cut 

 off a slice of butter from the butter plate? 

 Or where there are individual butter- plates, 

 as is usually the case now, would you throw 

 away all the butter left on the individual 

 plates? No'.v, if all those at the table took 

 butter with a knife that had never been 

 placed in the mouth, all the butter in these 

 little plates could be saved, and it would be 

 as good as ever. Do you not see the good 

 sense that prompts this change in the man- 

 ner of eating?" 



I owned up at once, and from that time 

 forward I have carefully abstained from 

 putting my knife into my mouth, using a 

 fork or spoon instead. W^hen the matter 

 was first brought to my attention, I thought 

 the new fashion was like many other 

 "whims," or "style," without sense or 

 reason to support it. Just now physicians 

 will tell you there would be great danger 

 of conveying contagious diseases if every- 

 body followed the practice of taking his 

 knife out of his mouth and putting it in the 

 butter that might be used by some other per- 

 son. 



Now, if the good friends have ever brought 

 forward any sort of reason for the change 

 they propose, or if they have ever shown us 

 that they would accomplish any thing for 

 our physical or spiritual development, I 

 have never yet seen it. They simply say 

 we must do it because God says so. In the 

 first place, God has not said so in his holy 

 word to me. He does say very plainly and 

 distinctly that we are to work six days, 

 and keep the seventh holy. Travelers who 

 have been all over the world will tell you 

 that the world has not been able since the 

 creation to have Sunday exactly in unison 

 the world o\er. They could not have it at 

 the same time, for a part of the earth would 

 be in the darkness of night. And then there 

 might be a discussion that could never be 

 settled as to what day was the one God 

 meant. 



Now please forgive me, friends, if some 



of you think I am a little irreverent in what 

 I say. If the Bible did say. or could be 

 made to say, that it was God's wish that 

 we should keep Saturday instead of Sun- 

 day I should lose my faith in the Bible, and 

 I should lose my faith in God. Do not fear, 

 dear friends. God has never yet said any 

 thing to his children that is unreasonable. 

 The old patriarch Abraham said, " Shall 

 not the Judge of all the earth do right?" 

 And the great Judge did at that time do 

 right, and has done right ever since. I am 

 not a theologian ; but one of the ablest schol- 

 ars in theology that it was ever my privi- 

 lege to have as a friend, said something 

 like this: " The great schools of theology 

 agreed, ages ago, that reason stands back 

 of God." It is the heathen that our mis- 

 sionaries find in the islands of the sea who 

 have rigmaroles of senseless rites that they 

 go through with to appease the wrath of 

 their gods. It is not the United States of 

 America, nor any Chrisiian nation. 



Now, please do not think from the above 

 that I have any but the kindest of feelings 

 toward tho->e who hold these peculiar views. 

 God knows I would not say any thing nor 

 do any thing to hurt their feelings in the 

 least; and I am giad to say that many who 

 hold thfse views are very charitable toward 

 other Christian people. You will remem- 

 ber that I once stopped with a good brother 

 in Florida, who kept Saturday as a rest 

 day. Somebody asked me, before I called 

 on him, what I was going to do about it. I 

 said at once that I should really enjoy con- 

 forming to the custom of these friends I was 

 visiting. Of course, I talked the matter 

 over with my host; and as we finished I 

 said, "Now, friend K., I have joined with 

 you in worshiping God according to your 

 custom. Should you ever come to Medina, 

 which I hope you will, may I not expect 

 that you will go with me to church and Sun- 

 day-school, and unite with us in remember- 

 ing the sabbath day in keeping it holy ac- 

 cording to our custom?" He replied that 

 he would, of course; and later in the day I 

 found that he was in close touch with Chris- 

 tian workers all around him who did not 

 hokl his views. 



Here is another kind letter which I wish 

 to submit: 



Mr. A. I. Root:- As this is my first year]s trial of 

 Glkanings I wish to express my apprec ation of the 

 same I enjoy rtading jour Notes ot Travel, and also 

 Our Homes ; and under the heading of " Remember 

 the sal)t)ath d y to keep it holy," I believe you are a 

 man who is trying to ni ike the world better by vour 

 life: yet I fea'r there is somewhat of a compromising 

 spirit when j ou would encourage Sunday traffic. Now, 

 sir, is it right to do wrong to gain thy l)rother ? I say. 

 no. Chti-t, when he went to ihe I'empte and foui d 

 them buying ami selling, did not siy, " We had tielttr 

 let go for this time for fear we lose our infiueirce." 

 t)ut he drove them out. I believe we must stand out 

 firm against wrong every time, and leave the rt suits 

 in God's hand and ne wi 1 take ciie of his own cause. 

 I probablv take a different view of this matter, as I see 

 so much of the compromising spirit in the church of 

 to day, being so much like the world, having a form 

 of godlini.ss but denying the power thereof. I have 

 fell thankful when re'ading the temperance sentiments 

 expressed in Gi.kanin(,s: and may the I.ord bless 

 you in your good w ork on this line. I am almost a be- 

 ginner in bee culture; but I have learned at least some 



