482 



JUVENILE GLEANINGS. 



Aug. 



day afternoon on horseback, that I thought 

 of my mother's teachings, and of my little 

 prayers that I used to say at night when I 

 was a child, before going to bed. 



It was not many months afterward that I 

 changed my life over, at least in a good 

 many respects. I went to the prayer-meet- 

 ings I had so often ridiculed and found 

 fault with, and stood up and spoke in meet- 

 ing. Among other things I spoke of was 

 the comfort one feels in this world when 

 lending a helping hand, and doing good to 

 others. About this time a little girl came 

 to me, asking for work. I did not have 

 very much work to do then, for I employed 

 only a few hands. I told her that I did not 

 know of any thing that I had that she could 

 do. Finally she came again, and this time 

 it was just after I had spoken at an evening 

 meeting the night before. Her words were 

 a little singular, and attracted my attention. 

 If I remember correctly, what she said was 

 this : " Mr. Hoot, you hmst give me some 

 work." I looked up at her, a little sur- 

 prised to think she would say must. She re- 

 turned my look quickly, and seemed to be 

 in such real earnest that I finally concluded 

 to set her at work at something, at any rate. 

 She was the daughter of an old friend whom 

 I used to know when I was a child, but I 

 was not much acquainted with her when 

 she was grown up. 



Just about that time I was bothered and 

 perplexed about the subscription list of 

 Gleanings. Although there were only 

 about 500 names then, as I kept all the books 

 and set all the type, reading all the letters 

 and doing all "the correspondence, it was 

 quite a little care to attend to it all with my 

 other duties. Without any hope that she 

 could manage it, I told her to take all the 

 letters and all the names, and attend to the 

 whole of it herself. She took hold of the 

 work with eagerness, set the type, and set it 

 correctly, almost at the outset, with scarce- 

 ly a bit of showing from anybody, and in a 

 very little time I thanked God for sending 

 her to me. And I was glad, too, that she 

 spoke with that very importunity ; because 

 if she had not, in my want of faith I should 

 have sent her away. I had just begun to be 

 a praying man then, and I prayed for her as 

 I do' for the rest of our workers, and 

 she at once showed a wonderful aptness 

 for every thing pertaining to letters and peo- 

 ple. She delighted in letters from foreign 

 countries, and soon knew more about the 

 proper postage to all parts of the world, than 

 even the postmaster himself. As Glean- 

 ings began to grow, and the subscription 

 list increased, she showed herself perfect 

 master of the situation; and, to make a 

 long story short, has, during all these years, 

 been one of the main stays of our whole es- 

 tablishment. To really appreciate our friend 

 " Lu," for it is she of whom I have been 

 talking, one wants to get somewhat ac- 

 quainted with her. Through all our work 

 and business she has something of that 

 queer trait that first attracted my attention 

 to her particularly, of telling folks what 

 they must and what they must not do. I 

 have sometimes wished bur customers with 

 Whom she has had a large correspondence 



knew her as well as I do, that they might 

 know what a kind heart stands back of her 

 abrupt and somewhat brief way of talking 

 or writing. 



Well, now, friends, when our new factory 

 was first started, there w^as some talk of a 

 corner-stone connected therewith. Lu, 

 among others, prepared a paper for it. But 

 the whole matter was potsponed on account 

 of sickness among the clerks. Perhaps I 

 should add that the great business of the 

 present year overtaxed her powers, and she 

 is now away from us, with several of the 

 others, to recruit. Well, a few days ago she 

 asked me if I cared to see a paper she had 

 prepared for the corner-stone occasion. 

 And now this same little paper I want to 

 submit to you. If it doesn't give you a 

 friendly feeling toward Jai from now on, 

 even if she should write short, to you, I shall 

 be very much mistaken. 



THE EARLY HISTORY AND LIFE OF GLEANINGS. 



When Novice began to tell 



His experience with the bee, 

 The fctory pleased so well, 



" I'll be an editor," said he. 

 And Gleanings, of ten years ago, 



Was a tiny sheet, indeed, 

 But it soon beg-an to grow 



With extraordinary speed. 

 Tho' "Barney" was a novice then, 



And the " boss " was typo too. 

 And wrote his copy with a pen. 



Still, Gleanings lived and grew. 

 Tlicn the windmill ruled the day. 



Or the press went by foot-power, 

 That there might be no delay 



When Gleanings ruled the hour. 

 All hands were called to " fold " 



When Gleanings went to press, 

 And the " paper-day " of old 



Was one of pasty mess. 

 Soon the type-writer's click was heard, 



And the pen was put in the rack; 

 The windmill flew oflf like a bird. 



And an engine "took the track." 

 The subscription list grew longer, 



And business multiplied; 

 Our Homes made Gleanings stronger, 



'Twas " on the Lord's side." 

 We have garnered golden sheaves 



Which steadily grew in store— 

 The ABC book leaves. 



So rich in bee-man's lore. 

 The spiteful little engine steamed 



And puffed both night and day, 

 And orders, more than we had dreamed, 



Came from regions far away. 

 Two busy years went by, 



And we found our space too small, 

 So we built a factory 



That we thought would hold us all. 

 While an engine, stately, strong, 



Brove an endless line of belting. 

 And the buzz-saws hummed a song 



Whose accents were not melting. 

 From our large new printing-press, 



Which filled so well its place. 

 Came Gleanings in new dress 

 ('Twas worn with smiling face). 



