JANUARY 15, 1913 



on the table of my seeretaiy. Aud, sure 

 enough, this perniitted a part of the whole 

 shaft to come off. Then was revealed a 

 larger screw that could be turned out, let- 

 ling the whole thing come to pieces. My 

 prayer was answered. 1 very soon found 

 the trouble with the machine, and the rea- 

 son why it would not move the cylinder. 

 There was a little screw that was not turned 

 up tight enough. 



Let me pause a little right here. In this 

 day and age of wonderful progress, every 

 one who is at all desirous of being up with 

 the times must have more or less to do with 

 this new and comj^licated machinery; and 

 whether it be the automobile, the mowing- 

 machine, reaper, or even the up-to-date 

 ilictaphone, it behooves us all to know if 

 possible in regard to these wonderful labor- 

 saving implements; and it behooves us also 

 to be able to undertake to remedy minor 

 ditticulties. Now, after many years of ex- 

 perience let me give you a few suggestions 

 before you try to take any complicated 

 machine to pieces, whether it be an automo- 

 bile, mower, or reaper. Be sure that you 

 have all the available tools gathered to- 

 gether that you will need. Then get a clean 

 piece of paper or newspaper, if nothing- 

 else is handy, and lay your tools on this 

 paper; and when you commence taking the 

 machine apart, lay the different parts, as 

 you take them off, down on the paper where 

 they can not be lost, misplaced, nor dropped 

 in the weeds. When you are at work with 

 agricultural implements out in the field this 

 is especially advisable. Some farmers have 

 a fashion of having the handles of their 

 tools painted red so that, if they are laid 

 on the gTound or in the grass, they are more 

 readity discernible because the bright red 

 Cjuickly catches the eye, and I have found 

 this to be an excellent suggestion. But, 

 no matter how much you are hurried, do 

 not under any circumstances get into the 

 fashion of dropping nuts or bolts down in 

 the gi'ass, weeds, dirt, or rubbish that may 

 be around Avhere you happen to be making 

 rejjairs. I have seen quite exj^ensive de- 

 lays caused by this piece of carelessness. 



Not long ago a skillful mechanic was 

 called upon to repair a reaj^er, and he was 

 obliged to go out by the roadside in the 

 grass and dirt. He did his work in a work- 

 manlike manner, and the owner of the ma- 

 chine started oft' with it; but after he had 

 been gone some time we found in the grass 

 and weeds several important washers which 

 had been laid down and carelessl}^ forgot- 

 ten. It often happens that a good mechanic 

 may do more harm than he does good ; but 

 it is seldom that you find a man or a firm 



67 



who is willing to pay for such loss by stu- 

 pid, careless, or heedless workmen. 



Let us now go back to the dictaphone. 

 A washer slipped out of my clumsy and 

 tired fingers, and it went jingling down on 

 the floor under my secretary. It was al- 

 ready after my bedtime, and I was nervous 

 and fidgety. But while I was hunting on 

 hands and knees, Mrs. Root called and 

 wanted to know what progress I was mak- 

 ing. I had to tell her of the loss of the 

 washer. She got up immediately aud came 

 and helped me. We looked all around the 

 secretary, moved the rugs, shook them out, 

 and went as far from the table as we 

 thought the little washer could possibly 

 have rolled, but without success. I was 

 tired and worried, and almost ready to feel 

 vexed and impatient, and finally that little 

 short prayer of mine rang out, " Lord, 

 heli^." In an instant Mrs. Root came up 

 before me with her face shining, and held 

 up the little washer that had made so much 

 trouble. It was put back in place, and the 

 machine was apparently all right. Now all 

 tliat we needed to wait for was the mouth- 

 piece and rubber tube. The next day, it 

 was not until evening that I got time to test 

 the machine once more. Almost with trem- 

 bling hands I put every thing in the proper 

 position and waited anxiously to hear it 

 talk back. But again I was doomed to dis- 

 appointment. There was no word, no sound. 

 I talked louder, but with no avail. Mrs. 

 Root was over at the neighbors, and I knelt 

 down again and asked the dear Savior to 

 instruct me once more and help me out of 

 my trouble. Then I got up and tried it 

 once more, and shouted " Hello !" until I 

 feared I might disturb the neighbors. In 

 response to this my heart was rejoiced by 

 a faint " Hello." Then Satan or somebody 

 else tempted me to think that I was too 

 deaf to use a dictaphone any way. What 

 did it mean? If the dear Savior had help- 

 ed me the night before, was it possible that 

 he should disappoint me in this way when 

 I had gotten so far along? Then I remem- 

 bered the blind man who was healed, and 

 replied to his friends that he saw men 

 walking about as trees. He applied to the 

 Savior again and again. The Master touch- 

 ed his still imperfect eyelids, and then he 

 went his Avay rejoicing, because he could 

 see plainly his friends and neighbors and 

 beautiful trees. I knelt down once more 

 and said, " Lord, I believe. Help thou my 

 unbelief." I then remembered that other 

 text about the friends — how the Savior gen- 

 tly remonstrated with his followers because 

 they could not understand or comprehend 

 after the repeated miracles they had wit- 



