96 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mak. 



I, and when examination revealed that his 

 watch had not broken the spring after all, 

 but simply a pin that would be wortli about 

 a dime, I felt almost as if the chance given 

 were providential. He called for his wat^h, 

 and took out his money. The good and bad 

 angel were debating the matter. 



'"What a fool you are," said one. "You 

 told him the price would be $1.50, and he 

 expects to pay it. There is nothing wrong 

 in your taking it, in any case." 



''You are thinking of tiiking money for 

 which you have rendered no fair equiva- 

 lent," said the other. ''If he cheated you in 

 times past, it rests between him and his 

 God; do not sttiin your soul, by doing what 

 has even the apoearance of evil." 



I looked at him while the conflict was go- 

 ing on. He had grown much older and sad- 

 der looking in all these years; his shiny hat, 

 and tine clothes, had given place to a rather 

 shabby suit, and his face showed traces that 

 strongly betokened intemperance. No, no, 

 my friend, I do not want your money. May 

 God forgive you all the wrong you did me, 

 as freely as I forgive you this moment. 



"The mainspring was not broken; only a 

 pin," said I, as I pushed back the money. 



His countenance lightened up in an in- 

 stant. 

 "Have you taken pay enoughV" 

 "Plenty, thank you." 

 "I am very much obliged, indeed," said he 

 as he went out with a far brighter face than 

 he had when he came in, and I, as I went 

 about my work, was better and happier all 

 day, from having resisted temptation. 



My friend; which is the safer way for a 

 young man just starting out in life? Which 

 way, in the end, would probably win money 

 faster? We often criticise those in public 

 offices; which side of the question would you 

 prefer them to take? 



I would, by no means, advise letting ev- 

 erything go, but I would talk over the mat- 

 ter pleasantly and try to have it fixed. If 

 this did not succeed, and nothing could be 

 done in the way of arbitration, if the matter 

 were worth it, it might be best to go to law; 

 otherwise, I would "forgive it, and let it go. 

 Many can get along with money matters, 

 ■who can not overlook offenses of another 

 kind. The following incident illustrates 

 several points I wish to touch: 



Two soldiers in onr late war, were inti- 

 mate friends, and faithful Christians. We 

 will call them M. and F. Although their 

 Christian zeal, and brotherly intimacy was 

 proverbial among all the boys, some misun- 

 derstanding occurred one day, and F. called 

 M. a " hog." Of course M. talked back, and 

 they parted for the first time in anger. M. 

 had done nothing, and so he went his way, 

 feeling for several days unconcerned in re- 

 gard to the matter. Finally, one evening, 

 as he sat in his tent alone, he began consid- 

 ering, and at last started up with a determ- 

 ination of going to F., and asking i)ardon 

 for the harsh words he did say, after the in- 

 sult he had received. He soon found him, 

 and going straight up to him, he put out his 

 hand and said, 

 ••F., will you forgive me?" 

 "Wliy my friend //OK have done nothing! 



nothing at all; it is I who should ask for- 

 giveness." 



At this he burst into tears, and — can we 

 not say that Satan got out of his heart in 

 "double quick?" /, am inclined to think 

 he did not so much as stop to look behind 

 him, for he knovvs veiy quickly when there 

 is no sort of chance for him to hang round 

 any longer. The two friends never had any 

 trouble afterward, and ere many days, F. 

 was gone to that last home. M. told it in 

 our young men's Bible class yesterday morn- 

 ing. Do" you think he has ever since felt 

 any unkindness toward F. because he yield- 

 ed to Satan in an unguarded moment? and 

 can you not imagine hovv fervently he thanks 

 God, for putting it into his heart, to go to 

 F., even if F. had never thought of coming 

 to him? 



There are three points illustrated in the 

 above little incident, that I wish to notice- 

 One is the idea of using the term Satan, as 

 if he vvere a personal being. I knovv from 

 the letters I receive, that many of you, al- 

 though you agree in the main, with my 

 Home papers, object to this kind of what 

 you may term, superstition. You agree in 

 regard to the results, and most heartily ap- 

 prove of the fruits of missionary work and 

 reform; but you are very much inclined to 

 ridicule the idea of a demon of evil follow- 

 ing one about, just to get him into mischief. 

 But a little time since, I made all sorts of 

 fun of people who were so behind the age as 

 to encourage and try to teach such ideas, 

 and so I can very easily sympathize with 

 you. Now let us see if we can not vievv it in 

 a light, in whicli we sliall all agree. In the 

 above little story, where I have said Satan, 

 supply the term, "evil impulses," and you 

 can if you choose, use "good impulses," 

 where I said God. 



If I should make the statement that a per- 

 son who commences to yield to evil im- 

 pulses, will find himself drawn stronger and 

 stronger, the farther he goes in a downward 

 course, you would all assent, for we see the 

 statement verified all about us. It was giv- 

 ing way to evil impulses that made the 

 trouble between the two friends, and it was 

 turning about and heeding good impulses 

 that brought about the reconciliation. Sup- 

 pose we terra prayer meetings, schools of re- 

 form, or meetings to encourage each other 

 in developing all good impulses, and dis- 

 couraging all evil impulses. If prayer meet- 

 ings are not kept up for this purpose, 1 

 would not call them prayer meetings at all. 

 Suppose you were to organize a temperance 

 meeting in the midst of a people almost 

 ruined through the evils of drink; suppose 

 that you discovered also, other heinous sins 

 and crimes all about and among this people, 

 making temperance but one of tlie many 

 things to be talked about. You go about 

 among them, and gather up those who feel 

 the need of reform, and hold a meeting. As 

 parents are often anxious about their child- 

 ren, when they are lost almost beyond hope 

 themselves, you would probably succeed in 

 getting a room full of the children, if noth- 

 ing more. The children would i)robably 

 come with cleaner faces than they liave on 

 the streets, and better dressed. They in- 



