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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 15 



JtOMLS 



byAJ,ROOT 



All tilings work together for good to them that love 

 God.— Rom. 8:28. 



In meeting the readers of Gleanings as I 

 travel about the country I frequently find 

 people who say, "Mr. Root, your little pray- 

 er, 'Lord, help,' has been my prayer for 

 many years past," etc. Well, I told you 

 some little time ago that I had at times 

 changed that prayer, especially when I felt 

 discouraged, to "Lord, help me up and let 

 me stand." You remember the hymn that I 

 learned at that Bingham Sunday-school. 

 Well, just recently an unusual number of 

 cares and , perplexities have assailed me, 

 and so many distressing events — that is, from 

 our point of view— that I have gotten hold 

 of another prayer. It is this: "Lord, help 

 us to learn the lesson thou art striving to 

 teach us " This comes in line with our text 

 at the head of this talk, and with many other 

 of God's most gracious promises, i have 

 been referring to this idea several times of 

 late, particularly when I mentioned our diffi- 

 culties in finding hired girls, especially those 

 who love babies and like to work in a home 

 where there are babies and small children. 

 I told you this difficulty with all other seem- 

 ing difficulties was simply God's etTort to 

 teach us lessons we ought to learn, and that 

 we need not be discouraged or disheartened, 

 nor feel like giving up if we will just keep 

 it in mind, or, better still, keep it right before 

 our eyes, that these perplexities are simply 

 reminders that we are at least in some way 

 in the wrong, and that God is troubling us, 

 even as he troubled the children of Israel in 

 order that they might stop and consider the 

 error of their ways and turn about and get 

 into the straight and narrow path where God 

 would have them (or us, if you choose) tread. 

 Now let me tell you how my little prayer 

 worked during one short week. 



Mrs. Root and I had been talking all sum- 

 mer about a trip to the cabin in the woods; 

 but we both were needed so much here at 

 home that it was put off till peaches began 

 to get ripe. We have a little peach-orchard 

 in our northern home; and they have great 

 crops of apples, peaches, and other kinds of 

 fruit in the region around Grand Traverse 

 Bay, Mich. We were waiting the time 

 when they should be ripe, and finally re- 

 ceived from a neighbor the following: 



Mr. Root: — Your yellow peaches will he ripe next 

 week. Can you and Mrs. Root come out? or what 

 shall I do with them? Shall I can some for you? 



Mrs. Anna Hbimfobth. 



Bingham, Mich., Sept. 7. 



Accordingly our plans were made, our 

 grip-cases were packed, and we were within 

 two hours of train time when Helen Maude's 

 mother had a sudden attack which the doc- 



tor said might result in pneumonia, and he 

 advised us to postpone our trip for at least 

 24 hours; but as my arrangements were all 

 made, and I knew those peaches had to be 

 cared for, I decided to go on without Mrs. 

 Root. After the doctor made his statement 

 Mrs. Root said, "Well, what shall we do 

 nowV I decided it would be best for Mrs. 

 Root to remain with the week-old baby and 

 the sick mother. 



At Toledo I found that I could get a fifteen- 

 day excursion ticket to Traverse City and re- 

 turn for only $7.65. Before taking the ticket, 

 however, I told the agent I must visit Manis- 

 tee as well as Traverse City; that I was well 

 aware that that low-priced ticket would take 

 me to either of the above places and return; 

 but could it be so arranged that this one tick- 

 et would enable me to visit both places and 

 return? After examining the folders and 

 rules and regulations he said I could get off 

 at Baldwin Junction, and go over to Manis- 

 tee and come back to Baldwin, providing I 

 was gone only one day. He thought that 

 possibly I might be away for two days. He 

 said I could get over there one day, sure, if 

 that would answer my purpose. I replied, 

 "I think I can make one day do very well, 

 and will, therefore, take a ticket providing 

 the railway company will permit this and no 

 mistake." He said there could be no possible 

 mistake if I stopped off at Baldwin, because 

 that was the junction where I would have to 

 change cars any way, so I took the cheap 

 ticket. When I arrived at Traverse City I 

 showed my ticket to the ageni there, and 

 told him under what condition I had purchas- 

 ed it. To my surprise he said I could do no 

 such thing He replied, " I do not care what 

 the ticket agent at Toledo or anybody else 

 told you. The ticket in your hand reads 

 plainly, 'no stop over,' etc." 



All the difference it made to me was that 

 I should be about five dollars out of pocket, 

 besides the loss of a day's time. It compel- 

 led me to purchase a ticket from Traverse 

 City to Manistee, and back again to Traverse 

 City; but as there seemed to be nothing more 

 to be said in the matter I let it drop, but 

 made up my mind that the contradictory 

 declarations of those two agents should be 

 reported to headquarters. Let me digress a 

 little right here, friends. 



It is right and proper to complain of the 

 railway companies or anybody else when 

 they do not stick to an agreement; but at the 

 same time it is not only unchristianlike but 

 certainly it is unwise to be making a fuss 

 continually about a few cents, or it may be 

 even a few dollars. Our constant aim in 

 these busy lives of ours should be to do right 

 before God and before our fellow-men. We 

 should strive to take such a course as will be 

 most likely to win all mankind to Christ 

 Jesus. 



I went out and purchased supplies to sus- 

 tain me in my lonely cabin home without 

 Mrs. Root's presence and company. As I 

 had but little idea how many peaches there 

 would be, I purchased a few such crates as 

 the express company advised, in order to 



