1877 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



51 



§m f /)/p^. 



UEE WATS ARE WATS OF PLEASANTNESS, AND Xhh H ER 

 PATHS AUE PEACE.— ^rUOVEKBS, li : 17. 



SOME ladies were f^peakina: of a towu in 

 our cotiiity wh^re Siibhath bruikinfj and 

 inlempcrauce pvevailcl to such an exti'ut, that 

 it was rtiilly ahiiiniiig. I ciKjuirtci a little 

 aud was told that iiiatt-ers had be«n growing 

 ■worse for some years, and it rtally stemed 

 nothing could be done. Was there no Sab- 

 liath school there, I etquircd V There had 

 been none for several years, and the nearest 

 one was very fast falling away. This was at 

 ti general dinner table at a conference meeting. 

 It was almost the flrst time I had attended 

 i>uch exercises and 1 had been announced to 

 address the children that evening. I snggest- 

 -id that a Sabbath t-chool be started in that 

 Axry town, and that the i.ower of kindncf-s be 

 tried with ihe people. 



"And since you have advised such a mea- 

 >iure, are not you just the one to do it?" 



"I should like the work, above all things," 

 was my reply, and almost before_.l knew it, in 

 2iict before I had stopped to count the cost,_ I 

 had promised to try. 



Evening came, and two ministers lalke*^^ ^o 

 the children, before my tuin came; it was 

 .■^ome1hing I was quite unused to, and as I re- 

 ararkcd the easy self-possessed way in which 

 they spoke, 1 became more and more eiistuib- 

 4 el and nervous, and began to wonder how it 

 lame about that any one ever thought me ca- 

 pable of doing such work even tolerably. At 

 la.'^t my name was called, and in my anxiety 

 1o do well before so large an audience I lear I 

 iriecl to talk something as ministeis talk to 

 ehildren, forgetting that God alvyajs wants 

 Just our own simple selves just as we are 

 without a particle of any adelition of any kind. 

 Tlie consequence was that I fo]got nearly all 

 T had proposed lo say, anel became so embar- 

 raS'Sed anel contused that even the points I had 

 marked down en a bit of paper, became unin- 

 telligible in my worried anel troubled state of 

 miriei. My mind kept luuniug on the Sabbath 

 sehcol 1 had piemJsed to open, anel without 

 proposing to do so, I again publicly committtel 

 myself, so that there leally seemed no backing 

 out. 



I beg leave to digress a little here. When I 

 Hist IduiKl myself in sympathy with the 

 churches and Sabbath schools, 1 lelt it a duty 

 to publicly recall many things I had been liv- 

 ing and teaching, anel I askeel for a few mo- 

 ments at one of cur Sunday evening union 

 meetings. During those first days of the new 

 lile, I had been learning to look for guidance 

 in nearly every act in life, but in this case, 

 strangely enough, I forgot the "paths" that 

 Avere ^^roving so peaceful, so far as to think I 

 could write something "myself,'' that would 

 be just the thing. Accordingly I "wrote," anel 

 went to meeting with the "precious paper' in 

 my pocket. Almost as soon as 1 was seated, 

 I began to feel that I had made a mistake. 

 "What 1 had written, was tco much after the 

 >1yle of sermons, and would rc<iuirc the skill 

 ot a minister to bring out, even if it were 

 worth bringing out at all. 



"Get up and go out," whispered a voice. "If 

 you are not present, no one will think but 

 that you are sick, or something of the kind. I 

 would not make a laughing stock of myself for 

 anybody." 



"Such refuges might have answereel a few 

 months ago," replies a quiet voice, "but now 

 you are enlisted under other colors, and you 

 have [)romised to face trial*;, and humilatious 

 if need be." 



"But you have made a nnstake, and if you 

 go ahead, you will make a woi-se fool of your- 

 self than you ever did before; your friends 

 will })ity. while others will smile in ridicule 

 and derision. Can you submit to this, is it a 

 duty r" 



"All this and even more, should it be the 

 will of your Master. Peihaps this is Just the 

 lesson you need for your spiritual growth, and 

 with your new found Friend near, you need not 

 be afraid to risk the ridicule of all the kings 

 and princes of earth." 



During the half hour I sat still, I was pret- 

 ty well disciplined, and when called for, I 

 arose humble, anel ready to be led, wherever 

 or to whatever duty, that quiet voice might 

 lead. As I stepped out among the people it 

 seemed to say "fear not," and as I thought of 

 the paper the same voice bade me to let it rest 

 securely, and words would be given me to 

 speak. Quietly and simply, I told them of my 

 new life, and how much I regretted that I had 

 so long held aloof from that new found Sav- 

 iour ; I assureel them that if any cared to talk 

 with me in future, in regaid to the subject, I 

 would most gladly help'them all I could. As 

 I passed back to my seat, can you imagine the 

 feelings of Joy and gratitude with which I 

 thanked that strong Friend, who had led me 

 safely in "paths of peace V" 



Now we are ready to go back — or rather 

 forward — to that Sabbath school. After the 

 address to the children, I at first resolved 

 I would stay at home hereafter, and work at 

 something 1 could do tolerably ; but I only felt 

 more uneasy after this decision. When I de- 

 cided to kt the Sabbath school matter drop, 

 hoping every body woulel soon forget it, I felt 

 still more, that my path ahead was getting to 

 be anything but one of "pleasantness anel 

 peace." Thereupon, 1 decided lo go straight 

 back to the coulerence, on the morning of the 

 seconel day, and when I was once seated in my 

 buggy. It oeeured to me for the flrst time that 

 1 might visit the town of the proposed school 

 on my way and thus keep mj^ promises good, 

 both in letter and spirit. Alter I had turned 

 my horse's head in that direction — it was 

 about the first of May '7G— I was about as hap- 

 py — as one usually is alter they have wander- 

 ed a little out of, the path of duty, and found 

 it again. The biids sang, the trees and fields 

 wore a brighter green, and all nature seemed 

 trying to make my "path" a pleasant one. 



"A Sunday school in our village I" saiel the 

 first individual to whom I mentioned the mat- 

 ter, "Why we are away past things of that 

 sort ; you certainly can not be in earnest V 



I assured him I was, anel asked for the 

 trustees of the school house. One of them 

 was found in one of the saloons, but when 

 made to understand the object of my call, re- 

 plied that he never heard of Sunday schools 



