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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



June 1 



And I feel convinced that I have a message 

 to-day of great importance to the readers of 

 Gleanings. The possibilities God has plac- 

 ed in my hand to fight this giant are flowers 

 grown in the open air; chickens in the open 

 air, of course: bees always in the open air, 

 and all similar industries. Sometimes my 

 conscience has troubled me for deserting 

 business where I might lie of such great help, 

 and spending my time in fussing with flow- 

 ers, chickens, bees, etc.; but I have been so 

 blest in the work — such great thrills of hap- 

 piness have come — that I could not doubt it 

 was God's hand. When I talked with the 

 physician I have mentioned. Dr. McClarty, of 

 Manistee, Mich., I said, "Doctor, I think I 

 know my sister, her disposition, and tastes, 

 better than anybody else. She has always 

 been fond of flowers and gardening. I know 

 she would like Ijees and chickens. She may 

 not have much strength; but if she could be 

 persuaded to use that little strength out in 

 the open air, in something she is deeply in- 

 terested in, I think she would gain an appe- 

 tite and pick up quicker in that way than 

 any other." 



His reply was something as follows: 



"Mr. Root, what you suggest is the very 

 best thing in the world. Furthermore" (and 

 he laid his hand on my knee to add empha- 

 sis), "what you say is not only the best thing 

 in the world, but it is almost the only thing." 



Now, this physician is well up with the 

 times. He knows about all the new discov- 

 eries and inventions that have been made for 

 the cure of tuberculosis. He is not only well 

 read, but he has traveled; and if ever a doc- 

 tor was unbiased, this one is. He, like 

 myself, is bound to leave no stone unturned 

 to save that mother and sister. God helping 

 me, this gentle, kind, and loving sister of 

 mine who has all her life cast her bread on 

 the waters so unsparingly, shall yet, God 

 helping her, find at least some of it before 

 she dits. God called me off into the woods, 

 perhaps to save my own health and build me 

 up for the work he has for me to do. just as 

 he called Moses (begging your pardon again, 

 dear reader, for so much assumption), just as 

 he is calling all of us. There never will be 

 in this world of ours too many who honestly 

 believe they are called of God, as was Moses 

 and David and Joseph, and thousands of 

 others. The call may include dropping bus- 

 iness, perhaps going down to prison, or off 

 into the wilderness. The question is, "Are 

 we ready to go? Are we ready to quit lay- 

 ing up treasures on earth and devote our 

 time and money toward helping afflicted 

 humanity, and thus lay up treasures in hea- 

 ven?" Visions of that aftlicted sister follow 

 me day and night. 



Some of you may say it is not all of us who 

 have time and money to spare But, dear 

 friends, it is not often that it is time and mon- 

 ey that are needed. There is scai'celyone of 

 you who lives more simply (and I may add 

 as cheaply) as I do when off alone in the 

 cabin in the woods. During the past week 

 my menu was a big li>af of nice bread well 

 baked, so that the crumbs would drop off all 



over the table-cloth when the loaf was cut; a 

 frame of honey made by the Caucasian bees; a 

 quart of milk that I got from one of the neigh- 

 bors, and some nice butter. Bread and but- 

 ter and "milk and honey," no cooking, al- 

 most no dishes to wash — and yet I never en- 

 joyed my daily food more than I did then, 

 and my health was perfect. The open door- 

 way to health, and escape from all of these 

 ills, is plain simple food— not big dinners and 

 lots of servants. If we were to live something 

 more as did John the Baptist in this land of 

 our that can easily be made to be "a land 

 flowing with milk and honey," the expense 

 is very small, and there is very little hired 

 help needed. 



Now in closing let me touch on one other 

 point that is as important (or more so) as 

 the food we eat. In crossing Lake Erie I oc- 

 cupied an upper berth in a little stateroom. 

 When I retired, about 9 o'clock, I opened 

 the transom over the door and pushed down 

 the blinds so the May breezes could come in 

 freely. Nothing but a sheet and a thin cot- 

 ton coverlid was over me. Some time in the 

 night the occupant of the berth below com- 

 plained of a lack of covering. I told him to 

 put his heavy overcoat on the bed: but he 

 did not seem to want to do this, but called 

 in the steward. This oflacial was quite an im- 

 portant personage, with his fine uniform, 

 brass buttons, glossy cuffs and collars — a man 

 who had chai'ge of the sleeping-apartments 

 of one of our finest lake steamers worth 

 toward a quarter of a million of dollars 

 This steward shut the transom over the door 

 and raised the glass sash so as to make the 

 room tight, and then started out. I had just 

 rubbed my eyes open, and caught on, as he 

 was about to'leave Said I, "My dear sir, I 

 can not consent to sleep in this little room if 

 you shut the windows up like that." 



He turned to me in surprise and said, 

 "Why, you are surely not too warm when 

 this man here complains of being cold?" 



The man who could not sleep with such 

 covering as I had, was a big stout young fel- 

 low, weighing toward 200. I weigh only 126, 

 but yet I was quite comfortable and happy. 

 Well, now, this steward, this great official of 

 that great steamer, could not comprehend 

 that anybody should want a window for any 

 other reason than that he was too warm and 

 wanted to be cooled off. Do "you see the 

 point? We are a nation of consumptive peo- 

 ple just because we sleep, so many of us, in 

 rooms as tight as a bottle with the cork push- 

 ed down in securely. This sister of mine 

 says the windows are always open in her 

 bedroom; but, dear friends, this is not enough. 

 If you are strong and well it may do. When 

 I was in feeble health I tested the matter 

 thoroughly. One who is ailing, especially in 

 troubles with the lungs, should be exceeding- 

 ly careful not to breathe the same air twice 

 — especially the air that other people use. I 

 had inflammation of the lungs when I was a 

 child. I had an attack afterward, almost 

 every winter. The doctors expected me to 

 die all through childhood; but my good 

 mother would not let me die. Now I have 



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