i84 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



fee, but if we load our treasury down with 

 "funds," won't there be danger of our being 

 out-voted in the choice of a good man, by a 

 gang that is after the "boodle?" Look out 

 now, don't get us to going too fast in this 

 direction or the brakes might give out, and 

 then what would become of us? Pay! Well! 

 How much does a man want for being Secre- 

 tary? Why, every time I think of Mr. Hol- 

 termann, I think of him as Secretary of the 

 Great American International Bee Associa- 

 tion. (My, what a name). Isn't the honor 

 remuneration enough? Ought he not to be 

 satisfied if he gets back the money he has 

 paid out for us during the year? Perhaps 

 you had some reason for "growling," for 

 you held the position long enough to rather 

 take off the glamour that naturally comes 

 to most mortals when first filling an official 

 position, and the pay didn't perhaps seem 

 large enough to balance the amount of time 

 necessarily spent in performing the duties 

 of the office. I have done lots of hard woi'k 

 as Secretary that did not pay a cent in cash 

 and still paid well. 



After one has shown himself faithful and 

 efficient during one term it might possibly 

 do to think of giving added remuneration if 

 his services should be again required. 



At first thought, to some, the Bee-Keepers' 

 Union is an unnecessary organization. I 

 have heard it said by bee-keepers that they 

 didn't propose to give their money to help 

 pay the expenses of some one else's lawsuits. 

 Such certainly do not understand the object 

 of the Union, or else are exceedingly selfish. 

 Its object is not to defend persons hut pfin- 

 ciples, in which what affects one bee-keeper 

 affects all others, and I believe as at present 

 conducted, the Union ought to have the 

 unanimous support of all bee-keepers. 



If I should be so foolish as to get myself 

 into a fuss with my neighbors about my 

 bees, I believe I should be allowed to take 

 the consequences of my folly and pay for 

 the results of the same; and I came pretty 

 near just that thing last summer. A neigh- 

 bor's hens were the source of some annoy- 

 ance and I came very near telling them 

 (br/e^)/) that if he, (no, it was she) didn't 

 take care of them I should, but very fortu- 

 nately I remembered that her children had 

 been stung semi-occasionally when killing 

 bees on the flowers, and I "just didn't" say 

 a word, but bought the obnoxious "roosters" 

 and Mrs. M. will make a pot-pie and prevent 

 a lawsuit and lots of "bad blood" being 

 shown, for she, (not Mrs. M.) has an "ow- 

 ful" red head and he an "awful" temper, 

 but neither the head nor the temper has 

 ever disturbed us, but O, my! it makes "the 

 cold chills run over me" to think how near 

 I came to stepping on a "whopping" hornets' 

 nest. 



I am not sure but it would be a good thing 

 to combine the Union, the International and 

 the Exchange and pay the manager a fair 

 compensation. Mr. Newman certainly de- 

 serves a larger reward than he has been 

 getting for the efficient services he has ren- 

 dered the bee-keeping world in the law cases 

 he has been conducting for our benefit. 



AUBUENDALE, Ohio, 



Oct. 3, 1889. 



Discussions at Conventions Preferable to 



Essays.— The Secretary Ought to Have 



Pay, and Everybody Ought to Pay. 



DE. C. C. MILLEE. 



fN THE MAIN, the editorial, in the Re- 

 view, about " Conventions and Associa- 

 tions," is all right. I am not so sure, 

 however, that tlie social feature is the 

 most valuable feature in a convention. I 

 think a great deal of the little hints brought 

 out here and there, perhaps brought out by 

 discussion. Sometimes something of real 

 value may be incidentally mentioned that 

 would never have found its way into the 

 columns of the bee journals. 



Largely on this account I value above all 

 other things the discussions. Say what you 

 will about well-matured thought in care- 

 fully prepared essays, I would give more for 

 one hour of good lively discussion than for 

 two, if not five, of essay reading. But you 

 say the essays ought to be short and to the 

 point, and used merely to introduce discus- 

 sions. Well, now, are they ? Not usually. 

 Indeed very seldom. I have heard long, 

 tiresome essays read without a word of dis- 

 cussion following. One or more pointed 

 questions v/ill open up a subject for dis- 

 cussion more promptly and in a moi"e satis- 

 factory manner than nine out of ten of the 

 essays read. 



As to the membership fee, for the most of 

 those in attendance, particularly at state and 

 district conventions, it is a small matter 

 compared with the remainder of their ex- 

 penses : and when a man spends !|.5 or $10 

 for traveling expenses, he will not care 

 very much whether the membership fee be 

 small or large. At the larger conventions 

 the duties of the secretary are confining and 

 onerous, and the labors by no means light 

 before and after the meeting. It is entirely 

 proper, therefore, that he be fairly compen- 

 sated ; and to meet this and other expenses 

 the annual membership fee should not be 

 stinted. 



And while upon this point I cannot for- 

 bear speaking of something closely allied, 

 that ought not to be tolerated. I mean the 

 common practice of attendance without be- 

 coming members. I know it is looked upon 

 as heresy by many to even whisper a word 

 against such a practice, for bee-keepers are 

 such a large-minded, liberal set, that they 

 would hang out the latch string for every 

 one, but I can see neither justice nor pro- 

 priety in the way things are done at most of 

 the converrtions. Here is one man coming 

 hundreds of miles at an expense of .f.W or 

 f 100, who promptly pays his membership 

 fee with no feeling that there is any hard- 

 ship about it, and righ^ by Iris side sits a 

 man who lives hard by : sits through a part 

 or all of the sessions, imbibiirg all he can 

 that is to be learned, but is suddenly struck 

 with paralysis when those present are asked 

 to walk up and pay their dollar. If any- 

 thing is said to him he may reply : "I just 

 dropped irr awhile to see what is going on, 

 I don't know that I can be here after this 

 session, so it's hardly worth while to become 



