THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



I2l 



the soil, and adopting the latest, up-to- 

 date methods, perforins miracles on his 

 land, making himself and his family 

 comfortable and happy, and at the same 

 time enjoying his work and increasing 

 his knowledge. 



Many instances could be given of able 

 artists who have gained considerable rep- 

 utation in this country, as well as abroad, 

 but have been sidetracked because they 

 have failed to adopt the new methods of 

 color-scheine and drawing, as thev have 

 come into vogue. They have clung to 

 the old methods, refusing to change, and 

 have been left behind in the onward 

 march. We know of one old artist who 

 has gained a good reputation by his 

 method of careful detail in finish. He 

 was proud of the fact that even a magni- 

 fying glass could scarcely detect his 

 paint. He prided himself on erasing the 

 traces of his efforts. His pictures were 

 really wonderful in their correctness of 

 detail; but, when the impressionism of 

 the new school became the fashion, he 

 fought it with all his might, refused to 

 adopt the "newfangled" method, de- 

 nounced the impressionists as defamers 

 of true art, and was compelled to face old 

 age in provertj- and comparative obscur- 

 ity. He had been sidetracked because of 

 his failure to adopt up-to-date methods. 



A young man going into a profession 

 or business, to-day, should spend con- 

 siderable time ^o/;/^ about from office to 

 office, store to store, or factory to factory, 

 (Italics mine. — Ed. Review.) according 

 to what he intends to take up, in order 

 to study the secrets of the successful men 

 in these various lines of human endeavor. 

 He will find that old methods, old ma- 

 chinery, old styles, are being discarded 

 everywhere by the most successful; that 

 those who cling to outworn theories and 

 antiquated ways of doing business are be- 

 ing practical Iv sidetracked. He will rec- 

 ognize that unwillingness to adopt new 

 and intelligent ideas, no matter w hether in 

 law or medicine, theater or pulpit, store 

 or factory, is an indication of paralysis, 

 the signboard that points in the direction 

 of hopeless mediocrity or failure. He 

 will see that those who attain the high- 

 est success are the most progressive, the 

 most aggressive and up-to-date in every- 

 thing. 



We are all of us prone to get into a rut, 

 to keep along in the same old way, un- 

 less something happens to rouse us. 

 Even obstacles and ditTiculties, if con- 

 fronted by the right man, are an advan- 

 tage — they rouse him to action. As I 



have said before, the main feature of the 

 bee journals in the past has been that of 

 telling bee-keepers how to do things. 

 Perhaps it will remain such in the future, 

 but the bee-journal that arouses bee-keep- 

 ers and sets them to thinking will have 

 performed a most important act. I don't 

 mean to insinuate that bee-keepers are 

 dullards, nothing of the kind, they are 

 as bright as other folks, but the great 

 mass of them seem content to allow a few 

 to do their thinking for them. I say, 

 don't blindly follow this man or that. 

 Hear what they ail have to say, then do 

 some thinking for yourself. Think en- 

 ergetically and s)'stematically. There is 

 such a vast difference between allowing 

 the mind to simply meander here and 

 there in an aimles^sort of way, and that 

 of concentrating it upon some one point 

 and holding it there hour after hour. 

 One who has never tried the latter course, 

 will be surprised at the results. When 

 the mind becomes tired, let it rest, but, 

 when it is rested, put it in the harness 

 again. After awhile an idea will pop 

 into the mind that will surprise the 

 thinker. It is a seed thought, so to 

 speak. The rest is easy. Simply ma- 

 ture it, and train it, and develop it. I 

 read all of the books and journals that 

 I can secure that have a bearing upon 

 my business. Not only the bee books 

 and journals, but those on advertising, 

 typography, or printing, photography, 

 etc., and the leading papers and maga- 

 zines, simply to get these seed thoughts. 

 There is very little that I follow out lit- 

 erally, but all of these things rouse me, 

 set me to thinking, keep me out of the 

 ruts — keep me up with the times. If I 

 were a bee-keeper I should read every 

 possible bit of literature that I could find 

 on the subject of bee-keeping. I should 

 take all of the journals, and get all of the 

 books on the subject. 



Some have said that of all the factors 

 in bee-keeping, locality is first, then 

 comes the man, then the hive, etc. I 

 say that the man is first every time. 

 You may say that no matter how good 



