1907 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



917 



which are the laying hens, without the ex- 

 pense and trouble of trap-nests, etc. ; but the 

 ■ Maine Experiment Station has carefully test- 

 ed the matter, and they decide that there is 

 no truth whatever in the so-called Potter 

 system. Just a few days ago I met some 

 poor hard-working people who had sent their 

 money in good faith in order that they might 

 tell which hen laid the most eggs, etc. My 

 impression is, there are more swindles going 

 on at present along this line in the jjoultry 

 business than in any other rural industry. 



Now, friends, when you are tempted to in- 

 vest your hard earnings in some valuable se- 

 cret, just send me the advertising matter 

 and I will purchase the secret for you, and 

 let you all have it free of charge. Of course, 

 I realize that many times those who have ex- 

 perimented and worked hard have some- 

 thing valuable to communicate; but let this 

 information be given in a decent-sized book. 

 If you have discovei'ed something valuable 

 that the world does not know, your book 

 will meet with a ready sale, and you will get 

 your reward in a legitimate way. 



In regard to the discussion as to how large 

 a book one should get for 50 cents or $1.00, I 

 would suggest that such books be compared 

 in size and finish with those offered by the 

 O. Judd Co., who have for years past been 

 giving us valuable information in regard to 

 all rural industries through their ri;ral pub- 

 lications, and new ones are constantly com- 

 ing out, giving full details clear up to date 

 of the progress being made in all rural and 

 outdoor pursuits. 



Temperance. 



THE STAINLESS FL^G. 



On page 1594 for last year I made a brief 

 mention of Dr. Chapman's celebrated address 

 at St. Louis, entitled "The Stainless Flag." 

 Let me go over it again briefly. I heard the 

 same address first in Columbus at the Ohio 

 convention; but I was more impressed with 

 it at the second hearing in St. Louis than at 

 the first. Before he finished and waved the 

 stars and stripes above his audience I felt 

 that it was a second declaration of indepen- 

 dence — a declaration of independence from 

 the rum power. Somebody said the speech 

 must be printed, and placed before the peo- 

 ple of the United States. At this saying, 

 away back in the audience, a gentleman arose 

 and said that a lady near him would sub- 

 scribe $100 to have it printed, on condition 

 that her name be not mentioned. Others 

 followed, and I felt that I could no longer 

 stay in the background. I thought of our 

 new $3000 printing-pi'ess just installed, and 

 thought it might be made to help disseminate 

 this wonderful address. I made some hasty 

 figures mentally, and then announced that I 

 would furnish 100,000 copies if the Anti-sa- 

 loon League would see to it that they were 

 put into tne hands of people who would read 

 them. There were bursts of applause and 

 clapping of hands when the lady donated 



$100; but when I made my announcement the 

 applause almost frightened me; and when 

 Dr. Howard H. Russell got up and said my 

 offer represented something like $1000, the 

 applause was deafening. I meditated for a 

 while getting up and saying that I had made 

 a blunder, but you can readily understand 

 what a predicament I should have been in. 

 1 said to myself, "Well, old chap, you have 

 'put your foot in it' this time, sure, and 

 there does not seem to be any help for you. 

 You might just as well sit still, take your 

 medicine, and trust in God to help you out 

 as he has done a thousand times before, and 

 look pleasant and happy." In just a very 

 few minutes $2500 was subscribed, including 

 my gift; and before adjournment arrange- 

 ments were made to have what what we call 

 "Stainless-flag Sunday," to be observed all 

 over the United States on the sabbath before 

 the 4th of July. At the present writing we 

 can not tell just what has been done on 

 Stainless-flag Sunday; but we have a lot of 

 copies "of this patriotic address ready to send 

 out to anybody who has not seen one. Just 

 tell us on a postal card that you want one, 

 or say how many you can distribute where 

 (hey will be read, and they will be mailed 

 from our office free of charge; and may the 

 Holy Spirit follow them wherever they go. 



Just one word more. On the front page 

 of the pamphlet is a pictui^e of a boy holding 

 up an American flag. Now, by some strange 

 chance the picture of that boy is as correct a 

 likeness of my grandson, Wynne Boyd en, as 

 any thing that photography can furnish. I 

 do not know where they found the boy, nor 

 where he lives; but the picture alone ought 

 to stir up patriotic feelings in the heart of 

 every father and mother in this land of ours. 



TEMPERANCE PRACTICABLE ONLY IN "UN- 

 CIVILIZED COUNTRIES." 



For many years the friends of temperance 

 have been inviting saloon-keepers and liquor- 

 dealers to come out in the open and present 

 their cause; but so far I have never heard of 

 one who would stand before an audience and 

 make a plea for his business — that is, a viix- 

 ed audience. Of course, we have liquor- 

 dealers' conventions, etc. But it seems I am 

 in better luck. The friend who writes the 

 following letter not only pleads his side of 

 the question, but he addresses me as "Dear 

 Editor." 



Dear Editor:—! wish you would take my advice and 

 keep your magazine clean of such rotten, objection- 

 able church and temperance lectures as you have 

 been giving, as we all know that temperance is prac- 

 ticable only in uncivilized countries, while in a civiliz- 

 ed nation like this it is of no value to a certain extent. 

 If you are so anxious to push such lecturing, why 

 don't you start a special temperance culture and keep 

 your good bee paper free of such unnecessary sermons 

 and temperance bosh? If all friends of bee culture 

 were so unreasonable as you were to the Leader, and 

 not tolerate such uncooked temperance matter in 

 th^'ir journal that is evidently a prohibition periodical 

 hidden by a good name in order to get a sale— let him 

 that is without sin cast the first stone at T. Q. Solo- 

 mon. May the Lord keep church and bee culture 

 apart is my prayer. Wm. A. Scheiffeb. 



Merrimac, Wis. 



Friend S., if it is really true, as you state, 



