1877 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



81 



move the hearts of the people to respond to all 

 all gocKl impulses if we can but get ourselves 

 free from all these iucliuatioDS to be sehish, 

 ;iiul to think everybody else is selllsh and 

 s;raspin{r, while we alone are liberal. We 

 have just built au ice house this week, for that 

 very water tank, and one of the Sunday school 

 boys woi-ked on it nearly three days free of 

 eharge, just bccau-^e he fell in with the idea of 

 supplying thirsty people with pure water, 

 simply out oC kindne?s and nothing else. For 

 H while it seemed a hard matter to find cups 

 that would stand the wear and tear, of pooi-, 

 thirsty, tired and hurried humanity, and I was 

 often tempted to get cross and scold the school 

 ^•hildren when they wasted the water and in- 

 jured the cups, but I prayed for strength to 

 put it away, and to look pleasant while I gen- 

 tly reproved them, or reasoned with the fash- 

 ionable lady who scolded because the cups 

 were chained up, or the stout thoughtless 

 farmer who complained because they were so 

 small. Were there not a great many who 

 grumbled about the way it was managed and 

 yet never paid a cent ? Yes there were some 

 such, but there always will be, and is it not 

 the duty of us who see their errors to pity 

 rather than censure ? My friends, all these 

 things are easily got over if we can only take 

 that low seat the Saviour has tried to tell us 

 about, even though we so seldom listen. A 

 ])air of glass tumblers or goblets would have 

 been much nicer, but the little ones — bless 

 their hearts — would want them too, and they 

 were sure to Ije broken sooner or later, so 

 there was no other way but to use the stout 



in diflercnt stages of growth, etc., and who, 

 when he got only second premium, felt it a 

 pretty haixl task to extend his hand in a 

 friendly manner to the farmer who took the 

 lirst on a couple of lbs. of very nice white hon- 

 ey in a rough, uuplaued wooden box. The 

 temptation was very strong to think the 

 judges had some "spite" against me, and would 

 not have given me the premium anyhow. One 

 of them was one of the best m.en in our church, 

 but as I took a good look at him after that 

 premium business, I almost began to listen to 

 suggestions from that green eyed monster to 

 the etlect that this heittofore good friend of 

 mine had always been a secret enemy, despite 



bis "For shame! For shame!" 'broke in 



that better voice. "Are you too going to place 

 yourself on a level with the man who swore 

 at you and called you a liar, when you as one 

 of the judges on horse trotting honestly de- 

 cided that his horse had failed ?" Do you 

 wonder that I shuddered as I mentally prayed 

 the Lord to forgive my wicked thoughts and 

 to guard me from such miserably wicked feel- 

 ings in the future ? 



"But I won't never take any more honey to 

 their old fairs," would keep welling up, as I 

 with much labor and fatigue got my treasures 

 home after dark as best I could all alone, be- 

 cause everybody had gone some where else to 

 seek their own pleasure. Do you not see that 

 I was unhappy only because I coveted a high- 

 er seat than 1 deserved, and that I could not 

 contentedly take a lower one when the best 

 friends I had in the world had pointed it out 

 to me ? Why could I not put self aside and 



tin cups, with the chains. Pretty soon some pleasantly submit to things as they were, even 

 who did not care to use the cups that were i if they were a little "queer ?" It is quite pos- 

 ■landled by every urchin, procured and kept sible that awards are many times far from be- 



iust within the door, a near glass goblet, and 

 those who were sufliciently acquainted, of 

 course used it. Now if I am not careful I 

 shall get into an argument; on the whole I 

 think I will leave j'ou all to decide what you 



iug just, but it by no means follows they are 

 so iutejitionally. 



After a little looking into the matter I as- 

 certained that it was a very diflicult matter 

 indeed to find those who would serve as 



would do. Strangers of course, could not well I judges, and that if the ones who grumble 

 do otherwise than to use the cups, and while j would be on hand, they would gladly be wel- 

 '->ur brothers and sisters in the streets were comed to take the positions, and then they 

 using the cups daily, should we fall into line, I who saw so clearly the faults of others, would 

 and do just as they did, even at the risk of be- | have the opportunity of meting out eaxict just- 

 lug "poisoned" by drinking after some that i«^. I was astonished to find in our church 

 were more thirsty than cleanly in their habits j much the same state of aflairs ; there were 



and appearance, or get a goblet? Habits, | some who complained in strong, harsh terms 



education, natural sensitiveness, and a thou- j of the way in which certain duties were per- 

 sand other things stand in the way of our tak- I formed, but when the ofikers were to be elect- 

 ing our seats among the lowly and humble, ed, those who complained would under no 

 but oh, I tell you it is a safe place to take, un- I circumstances accept the office themselves, 

 til the voice of the people, ready desire that; If we lake that low seat, that quiet content- 

 we shall step up higher. It may not always ' ed peaceful frame of mind, do you know dear 

 i>e our place to take these low seats, but if we friends, that we shall have lost nearly all the 

 are in such a frame of mind that we are will- I disposition to complain and find fault? Not 

 iiig to take them if need be, how much worry that it is our duty to submit quietly to every 

 and discontent we shall avoid. ; thing, by any means, but that we should make 



When any one gets the first premium at a ' our complaints directly to the person at fault, 

 county or state fair, he is usually quite satis- and in a kind brotherly way. We should also 

 tied, but how about the multitude of brothers be ready to receive complaints of «!»• ways of 

 and sisters that do not get the first premium ? [ doing things, in the same spirit, for we all do 

 licader, did you ever know of any one who was : wrong and selfish things eirri/ one of us. 



My wife wanted the stairs "fixed." A young 

 carpenter was called in and showed what was 

 needed. He came and did the work when only 

 the children were at home, and made a very 

 bad and awkward job of it. I advised that we 

 should put up with it, rather than hurt his 



dissatisfied with the way premiums were 

 nwarded ? But there would be no unkind 

 iVelings, or at least very few, if we were as 

 nnxious in regard to our neighbors' welfare as 

 our own. I know of somebody who carried a 

 whole pile of comb honey, section boxes, fdn. 



