1892 



GLKANlNdS IN HKECULTUKh 



74.1 



watcf U) slowly seep liiitniuli lo Uccp ilic t'lolli 

 \v(>t: ami ihc cvapoiaiidii of this walcr in tlu' 

 hrt'c/i' mal<<>s the contents cool. Wherever 1 

 fonnd an ola suspended orstaniliiiK in tli<' shade, 

 I was always sure to gr\ a nice drink. It tool< me 

 some time to he convinced that well water theic 

 was n(n-er rold. One day when out on the 

 desert several miles we t-ame to a ramdi where 

 a new oomer iiad just demonstrated that he 

 could raist> alfalfa. In order to got (/ri;iA/>i(/- 

 water he had dug a W(>11 tlirough tiio sand and 

 gravel, 70 feet deep. I lool<ed down from aliove 

 and saw the water shining so far below that I 

 felt sure I had tinally found a well deep enough 

 so the water would be cool. While I was labor- 

 ing to pull up a bucketful, the owner and my 

 brother came around. Tliey laughed at my 

 disgust in tinding water just warm enough to 

 be fair disiiwat(>r: and then the owner took us 

 into the house and gave us some that had cool- 

 <'d otT. Tile porch in front of liis house was 

 niadeof some queer-looking ribs. I first thought 

 it must be some sort of whalebone: but our 

 host explained that they were ribs from the 

 giant cacti. They were about as hard as 

 whalebone, and so stiff and strong, that, al- 

 tliough scarcely larger than your two fingers, 

 they held uj) the roof of a heavy porch. 



OURSELVES AND OUR NEIGHBORS. 



Unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly 

 al)ove all that we ask oi- think, according- to the 

 powei- tliat workoth in us, unto him be glory in the 

 chuicli by .Tesus Carist tliroughout all ages, world 

 without end. Amen.— Eph. 3: :iU, 21. 



In my talk to-day I wish to call particular 

 attention to the words. "Above all that we ask 

 or think." In my last I did not mention the 

 wheel and the new lease of life it has given me, 

 at ail. In fact, I feared I had said a little too 

 much in ray talk a month ago, and I thought 

 it best to wait at least a little longer before I 

 added any thing further. Well, about four 

 weeks have passed since I spoke to yon those 

 <-arnest words; and my feeling now, in thinking 

 about that earnest prayej', is e.xpressed in the 

 words I have just quoted — "Above all that we 

 ask or think." The thought is. that, when 

 41od does see (it to answer our prayers, or, if 

 you choo.se, when we have put ourselves in a line 

 with his work and wishes, so that he can 

 answer our prayers, the answer comes, "Above 

 all that we ask or think." You know a great 

 deal is said nowadays about people wearing 

 themsiilves out by being overworked. Perhaps 

 they do sometimes wear themselves out by 

 overwork: but I am led to believe that it is not 

 so much oveiwork as it is working in a single 

 line or single channel. If I have interpreted 

 God's answer aright, it is to the effect that we 

 are to exercise not only all our mental powers, 

 but all of our muscles. Re intended that we 

 shoukl be rounded cut and developed: that we 

 should go out into the world among our "neigh- 

 bors "and get acquainted with them, instead 

 of settling down to narrow and contracted lin(^s 

 and limits. Since I wrote you I have been tak- 

 ing longer and longer rides out into the coun- 

 try. I have again and again exerted my 

 strength until it seemed as if I had got to the 

 utmost limit. In climbing hills I have had the 

 muscles and bones and joints of my legs ache 

 until it seemed as if I could stand it no longer. 

 Had I not been working for several weeks right 

 along on the line of testing and developing my 

 muscles I should have feared the consequences. 

 Yes. I have panted and blowed. and had my 

 blood heated up to such an extent that I should 



have feared rupturing a blood-vessel, or some- 

 thing of that sort, had I not known from cr- 

 p('r(<'/i(T that it would not- luirm me at all. liy 

 the way, isn't there a mistake somc^where in 

 this matter of overexertion that we hear so 

 much about? In my own ex|ierience there has 

 not been one single failure, .\fter using my 

 musch's and lungs and circulation in the way I 

 have told you, and after perspiring until I was 

 about as wet as if I had been dipped in water, I 

 have (tlirays ex|»erienced this strange phenom- 

 enon which wheelmen call "second wind." It 

 is there, and 1 reach it every lime. 



One day during this present week I rode 2'y 

 miles between seven in the morning and noon. 

 Of course, this is no feat at all for an average 

 wheelman: but it is to me sometliing wonderful 

 to think of for an invalid — or one who was an in- 

 valid—a pefect wreck, in fact, as my physician 

 in I'ortland. Oregon, told me. in the way of 

 nervous exhaustion. This ride of 25 miles was 

 also over the hilliest and roughest roads, per- 

 haps, in our county, (^)uite a part of it was 

 climbing great hill's, and then going down into 

 great valleys, first one and then another. In 

 coming home, some of the worst hills stood 

 before me at just about (eleven o'clock. This is 

 the hour of my forenoon nap, as you know% and 

 I felt strongly inclined to stop somewhere and 

 beg the privilege of lying down. I also f'T'lt 

 somewhat hungry from my violent exercise. 

 In Older to test the thing, however, of which I 

 am writing, I decided to push on. In climbing 

 great hills, for perhaps l.i minutes longer, the 

 muscular exertion was so great that I was liter- 

 ally full of pain. I knew, however, from past ex- 

 perience, that, after reaching a certain point, this 

 would give way, and it did, I'"or the last half- 

 hour, going up and down the hills was simply a 

 pastime, and the enjoyment was some of the 

 keenest I ever knew. Now. this is to me simply 

 wonderful. It is like going through the un- 

 explored regions of Mammoth Cave— yes, ever 

 so much moj'c wonderful, because it is exploring 

 storehouses of strength in my own body— a 

 storehouse of Intent strength, if I may use a 

 chemical term, which 1 feel astonished every 

 time to find that God Jias placed there for some 

 good and wise pur pose, l-^-a 



Permit me to mention a queer feature of this 

 matter of latent strength. My muscles seem to 

 have become so accustomed to the motion and 

 the exertion of power that they do it almost in- 

 voluntarily. When I got oft' once to adjust 

 something about my machine I was so stiff and 

 sore that I could hardly walk. After getting 

 on the wheel again, and taking up the regular 

 motion of the treadles, no p^,in. inconvenience, 

 nor stiffness was felt at all. The nerve forces 

 seemed to liave worn a channel along the line 

 of propelling the wheel. I might almost imagine 

 some other power than my own had come in as 

 a reinforcement. Doubtless others have gone 

 tlirough a similar experience. Hut now here is 

 anoth(!r strange thing: When I got home and 

 sat down to dinner I felt stiff and soic. After 

 dinner it -was with great diflicully that I could 

 climb the stairs at Jill. I tried hard not to let 

 my friends notice it, because they would scold; 

 but I really could not walk without making it 

 appear that I was cripjiled and used up. I 

 imagine' I can hear some of you scolding and 

 protesting. Wait a bit. I knew by experience 

 that this would Ix; gone in two or three hours. 

 About two o'clock 1 went over to the house and 

 took one of my accustomed naps. When I 

 awoke, the stiffness and soreness were all gone, 

 I walked more easily than usual, and I was full 

 of strength and vim. No reaction followed at 

 all. Of course. I took pain- not to catch cold. 

 I was so thoroughly wet through by perspira- 

 tion—underclothing and all— that I slept inside 



