98 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUKE. 



Feb. 



what I have told you, you can well see that 

 the reports of our newspapers would be the 

 worst thing such a person could possibly 

 read. How was his life as a Christian at 

 that time, do you ask? It was by no means 

 in keepingwith the sentiment of our opening 

 text. But I am glad to tell you, that by the 

 influence and prayers of kind friends he was 

 made to see his error, and afterward died 

 the death of a humble, patient, trusting 

 Christian. Reader, when you see a friend 

 die a quiet, happy, honest death, don't ever 

 more repine. Bear in mind, there are other 

 calamities sadder than this. 



Let me tell you another little story. One 

 who stands very high now as a scholar, and 

 has plenty of offers of places with a salary 

 up into the thousands, told me but a few 

 days ago that he once passed through a very 

 great trouble while in his studies at college, 

 because his mind became affected in a queer 

 way. He seemed, right while enjoying good 

 bodily health, to lose the power of mental 

 effort. In trying to describe the sensation, 

 he said it seemed as if his brains had been 

 ''scooped out," and the cavity filled up with 

 mud. The prospect before him of becoming 

 an imbecile, and dragging out a weary life 

 of say fifty years or more, in some infirmary 

 or asylum, was more than he could stand, 

 even if he was a Christian, and studying for 

 the ministry. Any thing but such a fate, in 

 place of the bright ambitions of youth. Aft- 

 er a season of the worst real trouble he had 

 ever known, and a long hard struggle to say, 

 " Thy will, not mine, be done," he finally 

 got down to where he could tell God he was 

 willing to be an idiot all his life, if there was 

 no way of averting it, and then he was saved. 

 Feelings of joy and peace came instead of 

 worry and despair, and this in itself was a 

 wonderful help in the Avay of recovery, as 

 any physician will readily understand. I 

 tell you, my friends, rebellion against God 

 is one of the worst sins a mortal can commit. 

 This man gave up his studies, and, with the 

 calmness of a little child, went home to 

 work on the farm. In a short time he was 

 back, and all right ; but he had received a 

 lesson that will last him through life, and 

 he has been the greater man for having had 

 this lesson. That vain ambition of his boy- 

 hood is gone, and, no matter how high he 

 may rise now, he knows that it is all in 

 God's hands. 



He had been taught, l)y a very plain lesson, 

 that it is not only the very breath we draw, 

 but that even the very thoughts we think are 

 in God's hands ; without his permission we 

 could not even think at all; but with his 

 permission, we are permitted to choose be- 

 tween good and evil, and submission or re- 

 bellion. The will power lies in our hands, 

 and it is in this that we are created in his 

 own image. 



Now, dear friends, when I speak of the 

 dead, it is with reverence and respect ; and 

 in pointing out to you the moral of this sad 

 lesson, I do it with a feeling that, if my 

 friend Albert were present, he would tell me 

 to do it for the sake of the youth yet living. 

 By turning back to the extract in the open- 

 ing of this talk, you will see he closes with 

 these words : — 



I have lived a quiet country life on my father's 

 farm for twenty years; but that life is at an end 

 now, and time is precious. 



Beware, boys, how you ever let an idea 

 creep into your mind that you are above the 

 station wherein God has placed you. The 

 young minister was rebellious at the thought 

 of leaving his studies and going back on the 

 farm ; but when his rebellious feeling was 

 put down, and he could say. Though he slay 

 me, yet will I trust in him, there came a 

 great flood of happiness in upon him, and 

 he took a great step up toward God and 

 heaven. I talked with Albert several times 

 about this ; but he insisted that if he ever 

 did any thing in this world it must be some- 

 thing large. He once wished he was rich ; 

 but I told him that money left to him, that 

 he had not worked and earned by hard labor, 

 I should fear more than any thing that 

 could possibly happen, to one like himself. 

 He smiled at my strange ideas, and said he 

 would like to try" it. 



I talked to him freely in regard to the mat- 

 ter of suicide, and told him, one evening, 

 while we were alone, that one who should 

 commit such an act was for ever lost ; that, 

 in the nature of things, he by the act gave 

 himself into Satan's power. 'J'his, of course, 

 could not apply to one not responsible. His 

 reply was either evasive, or he made no re- 

 ply. He seemed pleased with his work, and 

 with his shopmates, and he rather enjoyed 

 heavy muscular work. When the rest of 

 the hands were carrying bags of seeds up 

 stairs, one bag at a time, lie would toss two 

 bags on his shoulder, and march up stairs as 

 though he enjoyed it. When he indulged in 

 his gloomy moods it always seemed to drive 

 him away from his religion, and there seem- 

 ed to be with it a sort of rebellion against 

 God. He seemed to be quite a way off from 

 the spirit of " though he slay me, yet will I 

 trust in him." His brother and I urged him 

 to take part in our young people's meetings; 

 but we did not succeed in getting him to do 

 so until he went to Oberlin. 



I believe his countrymen are, as a rule, 

 noted for their energy and indomitable will. 

 It is this energy and will that has hewn 

 down forests, and tunneled through moun- 

 tains ; but the will must first be under 

 proper subjection, and be taught obedience 

 to proper authority, or it is like the fire that 

 warms your homes; without restraint, it 

 ends in death, instead of being a life-giving 

 power. Albert had a will of his own ; but 1 

 fear it was not a very submissive one, even 

 when in his right mind. I told you he used 

 to ship goods for us. After he had made a 

 good many mistakes, I told him he must not 

 send out any more, without bringing them 

 to me to inspect. I soon found he let them 

 go as before. When I remonstrated, he said 

 he knew they were right, for he went over 

 them several times. As mistakes were still 

 reported, I finally told him he must not send 

 out an article, until I had seen it. He kept 

 on, and, when questioned, was stubborn and 

 silent. I sat down and talked with him 

 about it, made him smile, and made him 

 talk. He gave as a reason for refusing to do 

 as I wished, that, when it got so he could 

 not put up goods witjiorjt somebody to look 



