90 LIFE OF SIR JOHN LUBBOCK ch. 



reading the service to the family at home. His 

 guests were at liberty to be present or not, as 

 they pleased. But family prayers I had never 

 known there. 



The explanation of the " speeches " I had 

 overheard is indicated in the diary towards the 

 end of 1896 : " Set up a phonograph, which 

 promises to be useful." What was really taking 

 place was that Sir John was opening his morning's 

 letters and dictating into the instrument his reply 

 to each, as he read it. The reply would be taken 

 off later in the day by his Secretary setting the 

 machine going, and typed and brought to him for 

 signature. It was one of his many devices for 

 time-saving. 



The editions of the Use of Life, other than 

 those in use in the English-speaking countries, I 

 find him noting, at this time, to be as follows : 



France (7 Editions), Germany, Holland, Poland, 

 Bohemia, Spain, Italy, Greece, Arabic (5 Editions), 

 Marathi, Gujerathi, Japanese (6 Editions), Danish, 

 Russian, Armenian, Esthonian, Greece. 



It is rather a wonderful record. And this was 

 a less popular book than the Pleasures ! 



It is easy for the person of superior culture to 

 tilt a somewhat scornful nose at these, which are 

 admittedly, and of deliberate intent, compilations, 

 but surely to treat as of no human importance the 

 volumes which have diffused so widely specimens 

 of the best thought that humanity has produced 

 must argue rather a false sense of perspective 

 and of values. 



A singular testimony to the popularity of 

 those books which he specially intended to be 



