306 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUEE. 



Nov. 



word spoken, tells one way or the other, and 

 eventually, you begin to see that almost every 

 body is tending either to worse or better. It 

 may take some time to see which way they 

 have determined to follow, and many there are 

 who seem to waver one way and then the 

 other ; but very little things many times give a 

 practiced hand an insight into the governing 

 motives. If the young man in question is 

 always consulting his own comfort and pleas- 

 ure, and seems to think it his first duty to takp 

 care of No. 1, before any body else, you will 

 very soon perceive it; if, on the other hand, he 

 would rather be right than to be president of 

 the United States, you wi'l very soon see that 

 principle showing itself. One is bold, when 

 diflicult questions come up, and says " who 

 cares ! " The other is slow and careful in mat- 

 ters of conscience, and says by his actions 

 that he fears to do wrong. I can scarcely 

 think a person can be found, who would not 

 choose the boy who is careful in little matters. 

 To gD a little farther, what effect would it 

 have on you, if you should hear the boy utter 

 an oath when amouir his playmates? I pre- 

 sume many among you will say at once that 

 the matter scarcely admits of discussion, for 

 no one would feel as safe with a boy who 

 swears, as one who does not. Is such really 

 the case? Then why do so mani/ of our boys 

 swear? I do not know of a boy who does not 

 want good wages, and who would not do a 

 great deal, for the sake of getting better pay 

 than he now gets. Have they ever been told 

 by their employers that it weakens their value 

 as a ha.id V A prominent lawyer of our place, 

 a few days ago, in speaking of the youni» man 

 who came out of the jail and is now •:>.t work 

 in the mission Sabbath schools, made the re- 

 mark that he admired and respected our work, 

 and although not a believer in the Bible, he 

 would gladly help us any way in his power. 

 Said he, 



'• When I can give you any assistance, call 

 on me, and if there is any thing I can do now, 

 just tell me where and what it is." 



" My friend, you can give us great help, and 

 perhaps in a way that no other person can so 

 etiectively. Help us to get the boys on the 

 streets all about us, to stop swearing. A word 

 from you, will do more than many from any 

 of the rest of us." 



He looked down a moment, then promised 

 to do all he could, and started ofl' with his 

 habitual long strides; but he wheeled about 

 all of a sudden and came back, 



" L >ok here, ray friend, you have got me in a 

 tight phice. I am in the habit of swearing 

 myself." 



Ah yes ; there is where a great part of the 

 trouble comes in. We are asking the poor 

 boys who do our work, to do something we 

 ourselves do not, and demanding that they be 

 honest, when we are not. 



Instead of swearing, suppose the young man 

 has a cigar in his mouth ; you need not an- 

 swer the question aloud, but simply think it 

 over. Suppose he has none of these habits, 

 but speaks slightingly of the subject of relig- 

 ion, and says he does not believe in the Bible. 

 We are not ar.guiug now, but simply hunting 

 out a young man that we can trust. 

 Onr Bible class in the jail yesterday, was 



quite a large one; and among the number, was 

 one who refused to take a lesson paper, a 

 hymn book, or to kneel with the rest in prayer. 

 After the lesson, he made some apology, for 

 not joining with the rest, but said he did not 

 think as we did, that he did not believe in the 

 Bible, miracles, &c. 



When questioned somewhat be said be had 

 been "through the mill;" that he had been 

 converted twice. 



" My friend when you were converted yon 

 were a good honest boy, were you not ? " 



" Yes, as good and honest as any boy coulrl 

 be." 



" And you were then on a safe track ? " 



" Yes, but," hesitatingly, " I am on a safer 

 track now." 



The latter part of the sentence referred to 

 good morals, which he had been talking of 

 pretty fluently, aside Irom religion. The boys 

 were all gathered about us, listening intently, 

 and as it dawned on my mind that a jail could 

 hardly be called a safer place than a revival 

 meeting, I suppose it came to the minds of the 

 others also, for as he began an excuse for be- 

 ing there, the rest burst out into a loud laugh 

 at the incongruity of his system of philosophy. 

 I afterward learned that he was put in jail for 

 beating his mother, while under the influence 

 of liquor. A pack of cards lay on the table, 

 close by my Bible. As I picked them up, I re- 

 marked, 



" Please do not use these to-day, will you 

 boj's ? This is the Sabbath, and we are re- 

 minded to keep it holy. Now will yon not, 

 out of respect to what your mothers would 

 wish, if nothing else, let them alone, at least 

 during the Sabbath ? " 



No one replied, except our young moralist, 

 and he to the effect, that they had just finished 

 a game, when I came in. 



How anxious we are to have good honfest 

 queens. That is, if we pay our money for an 

 imported queen, we want just that, and noth- 

 ing else. Supposing when you sent me the 

 money for an imported queen, I had just sold 

 the last one, but having a very fine daughter 

 of one on hand, should reason thus: "This 

 queen is a much finer looking one than the 

 imported, she is tested, and her bees are beau-^ 

 tiful; I am sure my customer will be even bet- 

 ter pleased than with an imported, and I be- 

 lieve she is every whit as good. In fact / 

 would rather have her. I believe I will let her 

 slide just this time." 



Is that the kind of honesty we want in bee- 

 business? No, I think not. If there is one to 

 be found who is honest to a fault, he is just 

 the chap we are after. If there is a man to be 

 found who cannot sleep nights unless he gives 

 every man every copper that is justly his due, 

 he is the fellow we want to import and to rear 

 queens. I will give you a little idea of the 

 dilficulties. An imported ([ueen was intro 

 duced to a colony all right; a few days after, 

 she was laken out, and sent off to fill an order. 

 In due time a card came saying she was re- 

 ceived in excellent condition, and was quite 

 satisfactory. In 10 days, I went to cut out the 

 queen cells, but behold there was a laying 

 ((ueen, a darkish queen, precisely like the one 

 introduced; and stranger still, the eggs and 

 larvae showed plainly that she had been laying 



