THJL Ji±:E-KJLEPERS REVIEW. 



277 



an agnostic and at the time of his death, 

 was President of the Canadian Secular 

 Union, an orj^auizatiou for the propagan- 

 disin of SooulariiSin in Canada. He was a 

 frequent contributor to the organ of the 

 Union, a weekly journal known as " Secular 

 Thought." He was an able controversialist, 

 always displaying the courage of his con- 

 victions, courteous and fair to opponents, 

 but rather iuclin«d to obtrude his views on 

 occasions when they were somewhat out of 

 place. I make this last remark with special 

 reference to certain bee conventions at 

 which I deemed it my duty to object to the 

 introduction by him of subjects which 

 it was impossible to fully discuss on such 

 occasions, but reference to which led to the 

 utterance of sentiments by him which 

 could hardly be allowed to pass without 

 challange by those holding strong convic- 

 tions opposite to his own. 



In this connection I wish to put myself on 

 record as recognizing Mr. Pringle's trans- 

 parent honesty and sincerity. These wore 

 among the most marked and conspicuous 

 features of his character. No one could 

 discuss points of difference with him in pri- 

 vate conversation, as I did repeatedly, with- 

 out being deeply impressed with the fact 

 that, however mistaken you might consider 

 him in any of the views he held, they had 

 been reached along the road of conviction. 



He was also broad-minded and liberal, 

 incapable of deceit and guile, unswervingly 

 loyal to what he considered truth and duty. 

 Immense injustice is done him in an article 

 on page 217 of the Review, which I deeply 

 regret he did not live to answer, by a writer 

 totally incapable of measuri g a man of 

 Mr. Pringle's breadth, who set out by say- 

 ing: — " If Mr. Pringle had manifested a 

 better spirit, and kept somewhat near the 

 truth, I should just let the matter pass. " 

 Mr. Pringle's spirit was always admirable, 

 and he was scrupulously particular not only 

 to keep near the truth but to hit the very 

 bull's eye of the target of truth. His in- 

 competent critic on the occasion referred to 

 belongs to a little clique of Canadian bee- 

 keepers who, had they lived a couple of 

 centuries ago, would have drowned witches, 

 imprisoned Quakers and burnt martyrs at 

 the stake. The little band of Canadian 

 bee-keepers who thoroughly sympathized 

 with Mr. Pringle's liberality and breadth 

 have reason to feel most deeply bereaved in 

 the death of one who was a tower of 



strength and a bulwark of defence against 

 hypocrisy, intolerance, and self-seeking in 

 every form. They were similarly bereaved 

 in the comparatively recent death of Mr. 

 Cornell, and as 1, now past three score and 

 ten, look at our broken and shattered ranks, 

 I cannot refrain from asking who will take 

 the places of the two noble men who have 

 gone from us to join the silent majority ? 

 Believing, as I firmly do, that death does not 

 end all, and that men of Mr. Pringle's 

 stamp are too valuable to the universe of 

 God to be annihilated, not all the narrow 

 theologies of the world can deprive me of 

 the hope that we shall meet again in a 

 brighter sphere, and that "We shall know 

 each other better when the mists have rolled 

 away ! " 

 GuELPH, Can. Aug. 19, 1896. 



A Word of Reply to Mr. McKnight 



K. F. HOLTEKMAN. 



njHE controversy re the Ontario Bee- 

 \I/ Keepers' Association has become an 

 extremely delicate one, owing to the sad 

 and sudden death of Mr. Allen Pringle. 

 Under the circumstances there is only one 

 point to which you will I am sure give me 

 space to reply. It is not the first time that 

 Mr. McKnight, in order to score a point, 

 has dragged family relations into public 

 discussion. He says I " dragged my aged 

 mother from her fireside and hustled around 

 to get her a vote with which to put myself 

 in office. " A gentleman — a man, will 

 generally leave a man's mother out of such 

 a controversy, even if he could temporarily 

 score a point thereby. Permit me to say 

 my mother kept bees successfully for many 

 years at Fisherville, Ont.; the testimony of 

 neighbors in her vicinity, and Mr. Mc- 

 Kuight's too, would, I will guarantee, show 

 that my mother has been a more successful 

 bee-keeper and obtained more honey per 

 colony than Mr. McKnight. Why, then, 

 had she not right to take an interest in and 

 attend the convention V She attended 

 several sessions other than that of the 

 election of officers. 



Again, to show that votes were not so 

 urgently needed let me say, Messrs E. L. 

 Goold— .John Muir, and W. H. Shapley of 

 our company, who paid their membership 

 to the society in recognition of the honor 

 done Brantford, were within ten minutes' 



