Woman, as introduced to us at the dawn of history, was held in very low esteem. In the Greek family she was practically on a par with the domestic slaves whom it was her duty to oversee; in the later Roman family she was kept in almost Oriental seclusion. Although the literatures of these countries sometimes give exquisitely beautiful portraits of ideal womanhood, still the general tone of the literature betrays a deep contempt for woman.

In the Middle Ages the conception of woman must have changed radically, for it was always the beautiful woman for whom the chivalrous knight was risking his life in the fierce tournament. In our own age, strenuous and neurotic, we see her coping successfully with man in all the offices which she undertakes.

If there is anything which tends to impede the further advance of woman, it is the limited number and the nature of the occupations which she regards as her vocation. The typewriter, the sewing-machine, and the various other indoor sedentary employments which she seeks all tend to lower her physical tone, and, being chiefly mechanical, possess very little of an uplifting nature. The opportunities which are open to women in our progressive day, which tend to lift her to the place she ought to occupy as mother of the nation, are numerous. It is our purpose here to discuss only one-beekeeping.

Bee-keeping For Women

From what we have gathered from women who visit our apiaries, they seem to regard bees as miniature monsters which can be approached only by the bravest, and by them only with the greatest caution. As we always demonstrate to the curious who visit us, this is an entirely misleading notion; for while we have not yet discovered a stingless bee that can be profitably kept, still by breeding from select strains we now produce a bee that can be handled by the smallest child with perfect safety.

To every woman whose soul is pregnant with that love for nature which characterizes the true woman, what occupation can be more harmonious than bee-keeping? Substitute for the distracting click of the typewriter the melodious hum of the bees; for the close office air the warm summer breezes which come whispering in one's ear; for the rounded shoulders, pale cheeks, and tired, worried look, the beauties which mark the child of nature, and the physical benefits will be obvious.

A neatly kept and well arranged apiary

A neatly kept and well-arranged apiary is an attraction to any home, and a source of pleasure and profit.

There are very few phases of apiary work which a woman can not alone manage-the lifting of supers of honey, for instance; but these do not appear every day; and when they do, some physical aid can always be procured. The ordinary every-day work of the apiary, however, is especially suited to women-the gentle handling of combs, clipping and caging of queens, and every phase of queen-rearing. How many beautiful queens are killed in the process of grafting, in the handling of cells, when clipping and when caging, because they are clumsily or nervously handled by a man who is addicted to tobacco and other nerve-wrecking vices!

As to what woman will achieve financially from beekeeping will depend, as in all walks of life, upon how much energy and interest she puts in it. I know a woman in the South who started bee-keeping about five years ago with only a few colonies; but she loved her bees, and, although the mother of a large family, always found time to work with them. To-day she supervises four apiaries, aggregating about one thousand colonies. A young lady who thought so much of her bees that once, when she was starting an out-apiary, she accompanied after nightfall each trip of colonies that was made, a distance of about five miles, and has been hardly less successful. On the other hand I have known a few instances of failure caused from lack of intelligence or application. True, man has achieved much in the beekeeping world; but the average man is too phlegmatic to know very much about bees. It takes that keen susceptive mind of woman to probe into and discover the mysteries of the hive.

Beginners in bee-keeping, men and women alike, are more susceptible to stings, for the reason that they handle the bees roughly and are nervous, than experienced bee-keepers. However, by using a smoker, veil, and gloves, one is thoroughly protected from stings. In a few months the fear of the average woman is substituted by intimacy; and what she once regarded as almost unapproachable monsters are treated like pets.

It is necessary for the woman who contemplates keeping bees to have at least an elementary knowledge of bee-keeping. Without such knowledge her work will be much harder than it should be. All information can be gathered from the standard publications of the day; or, if a thorough knowledge be wanted, take a correspondence course. A good course deals with every phase of the subject, including apiary appliances.

There certainly is a great scope for the young woman who is desirous of making her way in the world, but who detests indoor work, in the apiary. The "mater familias" who spends one or two hours each day in the apiary with nature will be very much better fitted to do the other duties incumbent on her: and the poor girl worn out with work of a sedentary nature will find that the color will return to her cheek after she has breathed God's pure air for a time.

What we, as a nation, are losing physically, mentally, and morally by shutting off ourselves from Nature and her treasures can hardly be imagined. " Nature is man's teacher; she unfolds her treasures to his search; unseals his eye, illumes his mind, and purifies his heart; an influence breathes from all the sights and sounds of her existence." E. J. P.

A minister's wife keep bees

"A minister's wife keep bees? Why not? The work is far more ladylike than others."