274 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' UEVIEW. 



only those of this class should point out 

 wrongs, but all should remember that pro- 

 voking a man to anger is a long step back- 

 wards in his reform, I do not advise the 

 polishing, and softening of a criticism until 

 the life has been fairly rubbed out of it, but 

 there is such a thing as pointing out an error 

 in vigorous and forceful, yet respectful lan- 

 guage. 



That editors and correspondents have been 

 praising one another simply that they may 

 receive the same in return I don't believe. 

 All the kind things that I have said of oth- 

 ers have come from my heart, they have been 

 honest, and have been uttered with no hope 

 or thought that I should receive praise in re- 

 turn unless I deserved it. Even those who 

 have complained of the great amount of flat- 

 tering things found floating around in the 

 bee journals, have said kind things of their 

 friends, and I have sufficient charity to be- 

 lieve that they were honest expressions of 

 deserved praise. Alack the day, when a man 

 cannot speak well of his friends for fear that 

 he will be accused of self-interest. 



BBO. HEDDON AND HIS JOUENAL. 



Bro. Heddon has now gotten out three 

 numbers of his Quarterly. Each number 

 has been an improvement upon its predeces- 

 sor. Bro. Heddon is an unusually bright 

 bee-keeper ; he is really what might be called 

 brilliant ; I doubt if there is a bee-keeper in 

 the country that can make more clear money 

 out of bee-keeping than he can, and in this 

 journal he is gradually unfolding the differ- 

 ent plans whereby he is enabled to raise 

 honey so cheaply. He also attempts, and 

 succeeds pretty well, in reading the other 

 bee journals and reviewing them. In one 

 sense the Review and the Quarterly are 

 working in the same field, but with this dif- 

 ference, as it seems to me, that the Review 

 makes a specialty of gathering together all 

 of the good things found in the other journ- 

 als, while the Quarterly's forte seems to be 

 that of criticism. If Bro. Heddon could lay 

 aside that style of criticism in which he so 

 glories, that of " handling without gloves " 

 those with whom he does not agree, his 

 journal would be more pleasant reading and 

 meet with more general favor. I think that 

 many of his criticisms are fair, that is, they 

 are deserved, while others I consider entirely 

 uncalled for, but it is the unkind, stinging, 

 sarcastic style in which many of them are 

 written to which I object. Having said this, 



I will go still farther and say what I think 

 has developed this style. Mr. Heddon's 

 natural bent is for argument and criticism, 

 and he has always delighted in flinging at an 

 adversary a choice collection of keen, cut- 

 ting, somewhat sarcastic, and usually un- 

 answerable arguments. Another thing, he 

 invented and patented a bee hive over which 

 there was a long and bitter discussion in 

 which the attempt of some to defraud him 

 of his rights aroused and intensified his com- 

 bative nature. And, last, came this unfor- 

 tunate adulteration matter in which he was 

 given no opportunity to compel his accusers 

 to prove him guilty, and, no matter what the 

 motive that inspired them to the course they 

 adopted, he certainly could not be expected 

 to have for them the kindest of feelings. I 

 have sometimes thought that one of the in- 

 centives to the starting of the Quarterly was 

 the pent up feelings of this character in Bro. 

 Heddon's breast, and to which he could in 

 no other way give vent. If such was the case, 

 it is not to be wondered at, perhaps, that 

 they have overflowed in the style that they 

 have, but my dear brother, you must know 

 that a clear, calm, concise, dispassionate 

 statement of /acf^ will carry with it convic- 

 tion when a sarcastic outburst of righteous 

 indignation will have but little effect. Go 

 ahead, Bro. Heddon, with your criticisms, 

 use vigorous language, but through it all let 

 there shine forth a kind feeling for your fel- 

 lows even if in their errors they may have 

 done you an injustice, and the Review will 

 stand by you and help in bringing about any 

 needed reforms. 



WHY SOME OF THE JOURNALS DO NOT NOTICE 

 THE QUABTEKLX. 



In the last issue of his paper Bro. Heddon 

 takes some of the other journals sharply to 

 task because they do not notice his latest 

 venture. I have given the matter quite a lit- 

 tle thought, and tried to decide in my own 

 mind why some of the journals took the 

 course that they have. Sometimes I have 

 thought that it was because Mr. Heddon had 

 been accused of adulterating his honey. If 

 this is the reason, it does not seem to me 

 that it is a good one. If he has not adulter- 

 ated honey, then this unproven charge that 

 has been brought against him leaves him in 

 a condition deserving of deepest sympathy. 

 If he has been guilty of the practice, he has 

 received a lesson that will never be forgot- 

 ten. He now not only guarantees the purity 



