134 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



the different branches that I have been so 

 long writing. Perhaps I may confess to 

 you that I prayed over the matter again 

 and again, asking the dear Lord to give me 

 back the skilled and expert use of that right 

 hand for just a little while. I thought of 

 the little couplet : 



Backward, turn backward, 



O time, in thy fliglit ; 

 Make me a child again 

 , .lust for to-night. 



Will our readers now turn to page 68, 

 Gleanings for Jan. 15? * The broken cyl- 

 inder must evidently have cut short a part 

 of that concluding sentence, and Huber 

 ended it for me, for I had the speaking-tube 

 already in my hand but could get only a 

 faint response. I recalled that in our Me- 

 dina home office I frequently heard the 

 girls listening to the dictaphone when it 

 could be heard plainly several feet away 

 from them; and I knelt down as I told you, 

 and asked the dear Lord to show me how to 

 make the machine speak as plainly as it 

 did back in my Medina home. Some of you 

 may feel inclined to smile at my faith that 

 my prayer would be answered. Perhaps I 

 can make it sound a little more reasonable 

 to you with this explanation. After having 

 prayed over things I often seem to be im- 

 pressed to examine more thoroughly in cer- 

 tain directions that I had failed to notice 

 critically before. After getting up, or as 

 soon as I arose, I felt impressed to get 

 Huber's letter of instructions, and go over 

 it a little more carefully and see if I could 

 not find some clue to the trouble there. I 

 saw now almost at once where he told me to 

 pull a certain lever over toward me Avhen I 

 wanted to dictate. Now, as this lever could 

 not come over toward me because there was 

 a steel post or stud in the way that seemed 

 immovable, I concluded that he must have 

 made a mistake, and he meant to push it 

 from me instead of pulling it toward me. 

 At this time, however, I grasped hold of 

 that little steel post once more, and finally 

 found that I could turn it around; and 

 after pulling a little harder I found it 

 slipped back out of the way. Mrs. Root 

 came over just at this time, and I told her 

 we might rejoice, for my troubles were 

 over. She replied, "Are you very sure?" 



" Yes. I'm sure that my prayer is answer- 

 ed." 



Once more I started up and called out 

 "Helloa! helloa!" and the response came 

 like an echo so plainly that it could be 



* There is also a period in the wrong place on p. 

 67, toward the close of the page. Instead of "He 

 applied to the Savior again and again," it should be, 

 " He applied to the Savior again. And again the 

 Master," etc. 



heard all over the room. Through the dic- 

 taphone I thanked God for having delivered 

 me out of my troubles, and finally ended by 

 singing an old favorite hymn. I am going 

 to give you one verse right here of that old 

 hymn, dear friends. I wish it were possible 

 for you to hear my voice as well as read 

 the words in print. Perhaps it will be pos- 

 sible in time to come, as our good friend 

 Edison is just now at work on something 

 quite similar. 



Oh to grace how great a debtor 

 Daily I'm constrained to bfi ! 



Let thy goodness, like a fetter, 



Bind my wandering heart to thee. 



The words came back full and clear, and 

 seemed like a benediction. 



Two or three years ago our people in 

 Medina sent word to me, while down here 

 in Florida, that they wanted me to employ 

 the best artist I could find and get a good 

 picture of myself to be put into Gleanings. 

 I kept putting it oif, but finally they urged 

 so that I went to work to get a disagreeable 

 duty off my mind. First, I went to a good 

 barber and told him I wanted him to take 

 plenty of time and fix me up in the best 

 style he could so that I could have a picture 

 taken to put in print. He was an English- 

 man, and was (therefore?) in the habit of 

 doing good and faithful work. Then I 

 went to the photographer and told him 

 something the same thing. He took, per- 

 haps, half a dozen pictures, and then touch- 

 ed them up with all the skill he possessed, 

 and submitted one of them to me for my 

 approval. Now, I was gi-eatly rejoiced to 

 find out that he had made a real good- 

 looking man of my poor old self. In fact, 

 it was so much better looking than I am 

 really that my friends and relatives all said 

 that it didn't look like me, and on this ac- 

 count it never was given in Gleanings ; but 

 I ahvays felt bad about it. IMay be I can give 

 it to you yet if some of you care enough 

 about the matter. 



But now in regard to the dictaphone. 

 Mrs. Root declared right away that it was 

 beautifully clear, but that the voice didn't 

 sound like mine at all, and I agreed with 

 her. I told her that I should never know 

 that it was my voice. In fact, I never be- 

 fore was aware that I had a voice of so 

 much volume and strength. Now please, 

 dear fiiends, don't think me presuming or 

 puffed up when I say that, after the kin'd 

 words which have come to me all these years 

 from (he readers of Gleanings in regard 

 to my allotted work in this world, it occurs 

 to me that it might be a pleasure for the 

 readers of Gleanings lo hear my voice. 

 Well, I don't know just how it is going to 



