11)07 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



1215 



here that 1 was a very poor writer indeed 

 wht-n 1 I'oiuujeueed at that normal school: 

 but right then and there 1 practiced writing 

 the words "A. I. Root" until people have 

 many times since expressed surprise that I 

 always wrote my name so neatly and plain- 

 ly. Well, one day to vary the monotony a 

 little, the teacher gave us the name of one 

 bright and quite good-looking young lady, 

 ami he asked who in that whole school 

 could write her name the best. This young 

 lady and I had been getting pretty well 

 acquainted just about that time; and after 

 he mentioned her name I naturally looked 

 over toward her desk. I do not know but I 

 might as well confess that I had done the 

 same thing several times before during the 

 winter, even in schooltime. She, of course, 

 was very intent on her book or slate; but as 

 1 began to fear I should not catch her eye 

 after all, she turned her head enough to give 

 me just one glimpse, and I bent all my en- 

 ergies to writing her name. 1 think 1 said 

 to myself something like this: 



"Well, now, old fellow, if you do not 

 succeed in writing her name on a slip of pa- 

 per in better shape than any other one in 

 this school, it will be funny."'* 



1 give this as an illusti'ation to show the 

 way in which our great teacher managed — 

 for, dear friends, he ivas a great teacher, 

 even if some of you who knew him did not 

 realize it. This was only one of the many 

 ways he had for waking us up and stirring 

 up an honest and innocent enthusiasm to do 

 our very best in the various lines of work. 

 A near neighbor of ours who had also heard 

 of Mr. Barnard's wonderful faculty asked 

 him if he would consent to take a child just 

 learning to read. He said he would be very 

 glad to do so, because it would furnish an 

 object-lesson for those who were preparing 

 to teach; and there was a juvenile class of 

 three— two boys and a girl— in that normal 

 school. I think it was understood that the 

 whole school could, if they chose, stop their 

 lessons long enough to hear these juveniles 

 recite. 1 have never, from that day to this, 

 seen children enjoy their recitations and 

 their school as did those three. I think Mr. 

 Barnard enjoyed it too, and the grown-up 

 pupils enjoyed it. It was to me a revela- 

 tion of the possibilities in child culture. 

 You will please remember this was long be- 

 fore kindergarten or such graded schools as 

 we have now with prolicient teachers were 

 known. In lively contrast with such a 

 teacher is one who scolds and frets and nags 

 the uneasy owner of the little hands and 

 feet because they can not keep still. I think 

 the juvenile class of three spent a g<jod deal 

 of their time in the open air when the weath- 

 er permitted, and they made progress 1 as- 

 sure you. 



During the fifty years that have passed 

 sini'.e then, every little while I have come 

 across some of Mr. Barnard's pupils; and 



* After the teacher announced that A. I. liooVs was 

 rather the best copy, if I remember correctly I got 

 another g-limpse of her briy-ht face, that gave me 

 new zeal and inspiration for my studies. 



there have l:.een many reasons to believe, as 

 1 said before, that the drill of that one win- 

 ter, to say nothing of other terms, has left 

 its impress on large numbers of both men 

 and women. The spirit of Judge Barnard 

 has descended on his pupils in much the 

 same way as, in the language of our text, 

 the spirit of Klijah rested on Elisha. When 

 I opened up Ijusiness in Medina, Judge Bar- 

 nard was a particular and intimate friend 

 and a safe adviser. When I began to feel 

 it was my duty to unite myself with the fol- 

 lowers of the Lord Jesus Christ I had many 

 an encouraging talk with him; and when our 

 business became so lai'ge that a better system 

 of book-keeping was demanded, I consulted 

 him; and he not only gave me instruction but 

 started our books in "double-entry" book- 

 keeping; and this same system, or some- 

 thing equivalent to it, is carried on here to 

 this day. 



I suppose there are many whose eyes rest 

 on these pages who have done more or less 

 in the line of teaching some time during 

 their lives; and not only should these 

 thoughts I have been giving you prove to be 

 an inspiration and encouragement to teach- 

 ers, but they ought to remind the publishers 

 of our various periodicals — men who occupy 

 prominent places before the world, and even 

 the fathers and mothers of families — of the 

 way in which they are consciously or unc(m-- 

 sciously leaving their imprint on the rising 

 generation; and it ought to be a comforting 

 thought to our teachers when they come to 

 die that they have been the means, to a 

 greater or less extent, of giving life and in- 

 spiration for that which is good and pure 

 and holy to those for whom they have la- 

 bored; and I think I can imagine no more 

 fitting closing words than the 13th vei'se of 

 the 14th chapter of the book of Revelation. 

 Read it, and see if you do not agree with me. 



"Blessed are the dead which die in the 

 Lord from henceforth. Yea, saiththe Spirit, 

 that they may rest from their labors, and 

 their works do follow them.'" 



WHY WE GET SICK, AND IIOAV TO GET WELL. 



In Health Culture for August I find the 

 following: 



Now, of all the cau.ses of disease, rotting food in the 

 stomach or intestines is the most common and the 

 most dangerous. In fact, it is claimed by somecon- 

 petent physicians that no disease would be possible 

 but for the i>ulrefaction of undigested food. That 

 many dangerous diseases come from this cause there 

 is no doubt whatever. In these cases, and, in fact, in 

 every case where one is in any state other than si)len- 

 did health and energy, the food taken and the circum- 

 stances under which it is taken are matters which 

 should receive careful attention. 



There, friends, we have it. I have been 

 for some years past coming to the conclu- 



