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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Nov. 1 



must not be two-sided; and if you come to 

 look into it I think you will admit that em- 

 ployers are continually paying more than 

 they agree to pay. As soon as a man is dis- 

 covered who is persistently and steadily do- 

 ing more than he agrees to, his pay is usual- 

 ly raised; and not, only that, I know of many 

 employers who, when a man has done an ex- 

 tra day's work, recognize it by giving him 

 extra pay. Just a few days ago we wanted 

 our reservoir cleaned out; and on account of 

 the muddy water it needed to be done when 

 the machinery was not running. Two men 

 volunteered to stay at home during "fair 

 time" (when all the machinery was shut 

 down) and do the work. I was along with 

 them a great part of the time, and they got 

 covered with mud from head to foot. There 

 was nothing said about extra pay when they 

 agreed to do the extra work, and I am sure 

 that they did not expect it; but I told the 

 clerk to give them a dollar apiece in addition 

 to their wages. 



During a dry time a Florida bee-keeper 

 came pretty near having his apiary burned 

 up. By working, however, until they could 

 hardly stand up from exha,ustion they final- 

 ly put out the fire and saved the apiary. 

 If I am correct, it came pretty near being a 

 close tussle with the devouring element the 

 greater part of one afternoon. The boy who 

 helped the owner subdue the flames, even at 

 the risk of getting pretty well scorched, re- 

 ceived five dollars for doing more than he 

 was paid to do or had any reason to expect 

 he would be called on to do or endure; and 

 I do think, since you suggest it, friend H., 

 that employers, both men and women, should 

 be exceedingly careful to be on the watch to 

 see when their helpers have done an extra 

 day's work or taken unusual pains to look 

 after their employer's interests and reward 

 them accordingly. I know by repeated ex- 

 perience that it is not so much the money 

 received as it is the reminder and evidence 

 of personal interest in the affairs of the em- 

 ployer. The man who hires help and does 

 not go near that help to give encouragement 

 to see whether the work is done right or 

 wrong, and know just how much is being 

 done for the pay received, will usually have 

 trouble, and he ought to have it. The reason 

 why I used the expression, "the only reme- 

 dy," is because I have not been able to find 

 any thing in an experience of more than six- 

 ty years of business life that will induce hu- 

 manity to love its fellow-men like the gospel 

 of Jesus Christ and the teachings of the Bi- 

 ble. I wish you would all read the chapter 

 from which I have taken my text. The 

 mother of those two, disciples wanted them 

 to have the best places. She was an ambi- 

 tious woman. She wanted them promoted 

 above the other ten. No wonder the ten 

 were moved with indignation. Then the 

 dear Savior kindly talked to them. He said 

 that among the gentiles, or heathen world, 

 it is the fashion for princes to rule and exer- 

 cise dominion; and those that are great, to 

 use authority; but he says to the little band, 

 "It shall not be so among you." Then fol- 



low the words of our text, "even as the Son 

 of man came not to be ministered unto, but 

 to minister." I rejoice not only in being 

 called a servant but in feeling in my own 

 heart that 1 am a servant— a servant of the 

 Lord Jesus Christ; and, as a consequence, a 

 servant under him to all humanity. My 

 greatest happiness and enjoyment in this 

 world is in helping somebody — especially 

 some one who does not seem able to help 

 himself, and do all in my power to give him 

 help that perhaps nobody else would give. 

 From my age and experience I frequently 

 know how to do things in a way others have 

 never heard of. When I first got up this 

 morning Mrs. Root said she wanted to give 

 the bedroom where we sleep a good " house- 

 cleaning" before we take our trip to Flori- 

 da. I urged her first to have a woman come 

 over from the factory. But she has notions 

 of her own; and when things are to be done 

 she always has ways of her own; one of these 

 ways of her own is of working until she gets 

 tired, and then let every thing stop until 

 she can lie down and rest. If she had a wo- 

 man she would have to keep right by her to 

 keep things going. Then I suggested that 

 she get a man; but she said she did not want 

 a man either, until she was ready to have the 

 carpet whipped. I arranged my work so I 

 could be around just about the time she got 

 started. I helped her to get the heavy fur- 

 niture out of the way, and pulled the tacks 

 out of the carpet myself, and got it out on 

 the line. We have only one carpet in the 

 house that is tacked down All the rest arc 

 rugs I want to tell you I greatly enjoyed 

 the work. I have worked for a good many 

 people in my life, but I rather think I enjoy 

 being a "servant" for Mrs. Root more than 

 anybody else I know of in the whole wide 

 world. I felt quite glad to think that I had 

 helped to save her strength, and at the same 

 time let her have the pleasure of enjoying in 

 her own way the house-cleaning. 



Now, it is certainly a good thing— yes, a 

 grand thing — to help our wives; to put our 

 own work aside and help them bear their 

 burdens; but if we are followers of the Lor<l 

 Jesus Christ it devolves upon us to love all 

 mankind in the same way, or much the same 

 way, that we love the members of our own 

 family. More than that, the dear Savior has 

 enjoined us to love even otir enemv s, and to 

 do good to those that hate us and despiteful- 

 ly use us If we will try to do this how caa 

 there be any trouble? 



Friend H., I heartily agree with you on 

 some of the points you make. For instance, 

 there was a statement in the papers a few 

 days ago to the effect that one person in the 

 United States held two and a half million 

 acres of land. Now, I do not know exactly 

 what is wrong or where the wrong is; but I 

 feel sure that no man ever ought to have con- 

 trol of that amount of land. That is quite a 

 contrast, is in not, to the chapter in our to- 

 mato-book in regard to supporting a family 

 on a quarter of an acre. I saw another clip- 

 ping to the effect that, at a recent conven- 

 tion of liqoor-d^alers in Harrisburg, Pa., a 



