724 



JUVENILE GLEANINGS. 



Nov. 



do is to meet liLtn— simply to meet him — 

 not half way, for yon have only to turn, if 

 you are not his already. Thus far your back 

 has been from him. Ke has been pleading 

 in vain ; he is pleading now. Will you not 

 turn to him now ? will you not meet him 

 while he comes to you with outstretched 

 arms? Will you not believe that he wants 

 you among his followers ? that he wants you 

 to turn right where you are this day, this 

 hour, and this minute V 



For the Son of man is come to save that which was 

 lost. — Matt. 18: U. 



§,ebam€ Column. 



fAM much interested in the Tobacco Column in 

 the JuvENitiK, and have much sympathy for 

 ' " those persons who, after having become habit- 

 uated to the use of the tllthy weed, are making an 

 earnest struggle for freedom. I had chewed tobac- 

 co ravenously, and smoked an old pipe, for fifteen 

 years, until every fiber of my body had become sat- 

 urated with nicotine; but as yet I had no conscien- 

 tious scruples on the subject of the use of tobacco. 



In the latter part of the summer of 1869 I some- 

 times read in the Bible, and began to conclude I was 

 a sinner; and as hell did not seem to be a desirable 

 country to take my family to, I cast about for a safe 

 way out of the dilemma, and began to pray for par- 

 don. Sometimes I addressed my petitions to God 

 the Father, and sometimes to Jesus Christ, as I did 

 not know which one held the pardoning power. And 

 it so happened, that on a day when it rained contin- 

 uously and hard (as I could not well do work on the 

 farm), I got do.vn on my knees in my house, while 

 the family was occupied with household duties as 

 usual. And as I was praying with vehement desire, 

 and was not sure there was a God. a man who was a 

 stranger in the country, and had lust his way on the 

 prairie in the rain, entered the house to make in- 

 quiries as to his whereabouts; and seeing my dis- 

 tress he kneeled beside me for one moment, placed 

 his hand on my head, and said some words, whether 

 to God the .Father, or to Christ the Son, I do not 

 know, as I did not see the man, neither did I hear 

 what he said, except his last words were, "It is all 

 right." And instantly I was deluged in heavenly 

 Hght. and filled with the Holy Ghost. All my guilt 

 and fears were gone; the man was gone; and from 

 that day to the present I have had no use for tobac- 

 co or pipes. Oh but it was easy to quit the use of 

 the vile stuff, when God as Father, and God as Son, 

 and God as Holy Ghosi, lent a helping hand ! Would 

 it not be a happy day for the world, if all the capital 

 and labor now Invested in tobacco were turned 

 around, so as to produce "fine flour and honey and 

 oil" (Ezs. 16:19)? 



I received the SI, 00 queen, and was successful in 

 introducing her into a colony of high-strung bees. 



Pana, Ills., Sept. 19, 188:?. H. A. Simpson. 



I know, friends, the above account sounds 

 a little singular ; and, if I am not mistaken, 

 there are some among our readers who will 

 be tempted to make light of it. For all that, 

 oiu- good friend S. brings out a great and im- 

 portant truth. When we once turn fully and 

 earnestly to the business of seeking God and 

 his righteousness, it is easy, oh how easy I to 



break off from any sinful habit. I wish I 

 had the eloquence and power to impress this 

 great fact, that the reason why we suffer 

 and are tormented by the temptations of old 

 evil habits is because we are not submissive ; 

 we have not fully yielded, and we are still 

 in the bondage of selfishness. It seems very 

 strange indeed to think our good friend was 

 so intent in considering this matter of his 

 sinful life, and God's mercy, that he did not 

 even look up to speak to the stranger who 

 came in ; but I am sure he tells us ttie facts 

 truthfully. I have given his simple letter a 

 place here, because it may lead some other 

 poor soul to go down on his knees in just 

 that earnest, honest, child-like simplicity ; 

 and when he does this, I am sure his burden, 

 like Christian's burrlen in the Pllgiim's Pro- 

 gress, will tumble off of itself, and he can rise 

 up a free man— free from tobacco, and free 

 from other similar weaknesses ; free, so long 

 as he is obedient and faithful. 



I received the smoker you sent me in July, all 

 right. I haven't smoked any for the last 5 months, 

 nor do I ever expect to again. We are using the 

 "Golden" hive, but have not had any honey since 

 July 3. Hannah Harrison. 



Fisher's Point, Jackson Co., W. Va., Oct. 15, 1883. 



The smoker is at hand. I received it with great 

 pleasure, and think I am duly repaid for quitting so 

 vile and filthy a habit. May God bless you in all 

 your undertakings. G. H. Gross. 



Tower Hill, 111., Nov. 8, 1883. 



ON AN EXCURSION. 



A VISIT (?) TO THE HOME OF THE HONEY-BEES. 



fiRIBND ROOT:— After having read Gleanings 

 four or five years, and the ABC, and having 

 ' become pretty well acquainted with you, at 

 least by reputation, I had a great desire to visit you 

 and your factory, see how you carried on business, 

 and last, but not least, to take by the hand a man 

 who has the courage to carry his religion into his ev- 

 ery-day business; who makes an effort to reform his 

 fellow-man by actual effort instead of mere talk. 

 So, last August, when the C. L. & W. R. R. announc- 

 ed an excursion to Cleveland, I thought that was 

 my chance, as excursion rates suit my pocket-book 

 exceedingly well; but when I got aboard the train, 

 and found I should have to stand up, as I did until I 

 got half way to Medina, I began to think that the 

 fare suited me much better than the accommoda- 

 tions. In common parlance, "you bet" I was tired, 

 and I kept a sharp lookout for Medina, which I ex- 

 pected to recognize by your factory building, which, 

 I understood, was near the railroad. So when we 

 came to the little lake, I believe they call it "Chippe- 

 wa," I knew that we should soon come to Medina- 

 As the train had been stopping at all the large 

 towns, I supposed it would stop also at Medina; but 

 in that I was mistaken; for our long train of sixteen 

 coaches thundered past your place at such a rate 

 that T could scarcely see the stone bee-hive, or read 

 " A. I. Root," " In God We Trust," etc., above your 

 office window. I was somewhat disappointed, but 

 concluded to go on with the rest of the tired, dusty, 

 thirsty people to Cleveland. Instead of taking a 

 trip out on the lake, which was ijicluded in the ex- 



