334 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



June 



sentinels. We are lo be faithful, also re- 

 membering the promise to those who are 

 faithful in a few things. There is a prom- 

 ise, you remember, to those who are faithful 

 in so little a thing as a cup of cold water. 

 God sees and remembers. 



A good many times I get letters from bee- 

 men, asking me if X would not advise them 

 to move somewhere else. Now, while I 

 think it is right, and perhaps among one of 

 God's plans that people should move about, 

 and fill up vacant places, and go abroad into 

 new countries, still I have a sort of feeling 

 that there is a good deal of moving about 

 that comes from a longing to lind some 

 easier place, or to get somewhere where we 

 should be excused from responsibilities that 

 now surround us. Many times it comes 

 from a desire to try something different, or 

 to have a change. Several are now talking 

 of going lo Florida. JSiy advice has been 

 asked in the matter many limes. As a gen- 

 eral thing, I don't believe I would advise it. 

 When young people get married, let them 

 go off and start in some new country, and 

 build up a new home, and make the founda- 

 tion for new towns and new railroads, if they 

 choose ; but I don't believe it is well for el- 

 derly people to move about very much. Do 

 you know that such changes are expensive, 

 dear friends? Do you know by experience 

 what it costs to tear up and cut loose in one 

 neighborhood, and commence in another? 

 To those contemplating moving, I would 

 ask, hrst, why do you move? Is it that you 

 may find some place easier for yourself, or is 

 It that you are seeking God and his right- 

 eousness? or, in other words, because you 

 think there is a place where you think you 

 can do more good than where you are? 



You know, friends, I am getting to be a 

 little along in life. By one of God's provi- 

 dences it has been my lot almost all through 

 life so far, to see boys and girls start out in 

 life. Those who came to me years ago, say- 

 ing, " Please, Mr. Eoot, can't you give me 

 some work? " are now, many of them, heads 

 of families, and their children come asking 

 for work in the same way that they did. 

 Many that I have had in my employ have 

 risen to posts of great usefulness. A few 

 have gone down, as it were. One or two fill 

 drunkards' graves. While I say it, I say 

 it sadly. AVhat makes this difference ? 

 I have learned by experience whicli young 

 man or young woman will rise in the world, 

 and occupy posts of usefulness, or, at least, I 

 think I can tell something about it ; and when 

 I tell you a little of my experience here, please 

 bear in mind I do so solely to illustrate one 

 of the truths in our little text of to-day. 

 Those succeed almost invariably, who take 

 hold of the world, and the work and the peo- 

 ple they meet, with cheerfulness and courage. 

 One young man wrote to me some little time 

 ago, and asked me if I could give him a 

 place to learn bee-keeping. When I asked 

 him what wages he would expect, he replied 

 that he was willing to let me give him just 

 exactly what I foinid him worth, but that he 

 would' like enough to pay his board. He 

 was educated and intelligent. I presume he 

 had a purpose of making himself so useful 

 that he would get reasonable pay. I paid 



him about enough to pay his board, for per- 

 haps two weeks. At the end of that time I 

 told him one day that I felt ashamed to pay 

 a boy so little, who could accomplish so 

 much, and gave him about the wages of a 

 man. In a few weeks, however, his pay was 

 increased again, and so it has been from 

 time to time, until he gets now very nearly 

 as much as any man in my employ. One es- 

 pecially valuable trait with this young man 

 was, that he never found fault with any 

 thing or anybody. lie took our work and 

 our people (and your humble servant, per- 

 haps) exactly as tlie woman took the load of 

 crooked stDvewood. In such a factory as 

 ours, with so many people, and all sorts of 

 people, of different ages and 'habits, of 

 course we have many disagreements. One 

 of our greatest causes of disagreement is the 

 matter of pay. A few days ago one of our 

 town boys met me and I'.sked the oft-repeat- 

 ed question,— 



" Mr. Root, haven't you a job for me ? " 



"But, D., you use tobacco." 



" Well, if I give it up, you will give me 

 work, Avon't you ? " 



" Yes, so far as the tobacco is concerned, 

 D.; but there is another thing that comes in 

 our way. When you worked for us last, we 

 couldn't agree about the pay. You were 

 dissatisfied with what we thought you fairly 

 earned. Shall we not have the same trou- 

 bles now with you, or, in other words, will 

 you be willing to go to work for what I think 

 I can afford to pay ? " 



" Why, Mr. Root, it doesn't seem as if you 

 did do quite as well witii me as you did with 

 the others when [ was there last. Of course, 

 I want a fair chance with the other boys." 



You see, friends, there was a difference of 

 opinion. I arranged it in this way : — 



"Look here, D., you know Mr. W., the 

 foreman of the saw-room, and you know^, too, 

 that he is a good, f:iir man, and likes the 

 boys." 



^ Yes, I know Mr. W., and he is a nice 

 man." 



"Well, I)., you are to go to work under 

 him. We will have it this way : I will pay 

 you whatever he says you are worth, and 

 your actions and your work shall fix the pay. 

 Won't that be fair ? " 



" Yes, that will be fair, and all right." 



This fixed the matter pleasantly, you see, 

 for the boy was to let his actions speak, and 

 he was to agree to abide by the verdict of 

 these actions. xV good many times I tell the 

 friends who work for me, when they are 

 complaining that they have not been used 

 well, to make no reply, only by actions. Let 

 their lives do the talking. It they have been 

 wronged, let the lives they lead day by day 

 answer the wrongs, and refute them. 



Many of you have, perhaps, read the life 

 of Mueller. You will remember that quite 

 early in his great work he formed a plan of 

 letting the world pay him what it chose ; in 

 other words, having no salary, even when he 

 was a minister. He asked God daily for 

 things he wanted, but never asked any thing 

 from mankind. In fact, when asked once if 

 he needed money for his work for the or- 

 phans, he declined to answer. Mueller was 

 in the world, and through the world he saw 



