32 
THE HONEY-MAKERS. 
idler, — a useless member of the bee-family ; and 
so far has this injustice been done to the little 
insect, that we apply the word* “ drone ” to all 
idlers who live lives of luxurious ease at the 
expense of others. Thus an English physician, 
in a beautiful poem on bees, says of the drones, — 
“ Their short proboscis sips 
No luscious nectar from the wild thyme's lips, 
From the lime’s leaf no amber drops they steal, 
Nor bear their grooveless thighs the foodful meal; 
On others’ toils in pampered leisure thrive 
The lazy fathers of the industrious hive." 
The drone does not work, simply because he 
can not work. He has no tongue suitable for 
gathering honey, no baskets for carrying food, 
and no implements for wax-making. Shall he 
be censured for not using those things which he 
does not possess, for not performing labors he 
was never intended to perform ? He faithfully 
fulfills the objects of his creation, and interferes 
not with the labors of others. Should we all 
accomplish as faithfully the work God has given 
us to do, our lives would be one continual testi- 
mony to his glory. 
