Januarv, 1920 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



45 



you, for it \v;is my riylit hand. It was pret- 

 ty hot, hilt 1 thought 1 couhl stand it, and 

 proceeded to take my bath. Probably the 

 pain ceased at about tlie moment I put that 

 hand in tlio hot water. 1 used Cntieura 

 soap that night in order to be sure of using 

 nothing tliat might do harm. The doctor 

 said the Cuticura soap would be all right; 

 so by the time I got thru bathing, the suf- 

 fering linger got a pretty good soaking 

 with soap and hot water; but it did not oc- 

 cur to me at the time that taking a bath 

 had anything to do with stopping the pain, 

 for just before taking the bath, 1 had soak- 

 ed tlie hnger a long while in hot water. Let 

 me digress again: 



Some of you may say I have admitted 

 that my praj'er had nothing to do with my 

 speedy recovery. In fact, you may say I 

 bad brought it about myself by accident all if 

 getting the water too hot in the bathtub. 

 Yes, perhaps I did. But now see how nice- 

 ly our second text comes in here: 



" Before they call, I will answer." 



When I got that water too hot in the 

 bathtub, may it not be that I, unknowingly, 

 was really answering my prayer, or helping 

 to answer that prayer, even before the 

 prayer itself had been uttered? and it 

 did not spoil my faitb a particle when I 

 traced up how all that prayer came to be 

 answered almost instantly. All I cared for, 

 and care for now, is for speed}' and prompt 

 answers. " Give God the glory." 



As I want this Home paper to be help- 

 ful, both bodilj' and spiritually, I want to 

 say a word more about the use of hot water. 



When Gleanings was printed (years ago) 

 by windmill power, in putting up the ma- 

 chinery I fell and sprained my ankle. The 

 pain was so severe that T could hardly 

 kee]) from screaming outright. There was 

 a doctor next door — a particular friend of 

 mine. I sent a " rusb order " for him. 

 When he came in I said : 



" Doctor, please g-ive me some cliloro- 

 form or something else, for 1 can't live 

 very long with this awful pain." 



Perhaps I exaggei-ated a little, but T was 

 glad t« hear him say, '' Mr. Root. I can 

 stop your ]iain almost instantly without 

 any chloroform if somebody will bring me 

 a kettle of hot water." 



There was a fire in the furnace. T was 

 then a manufacturer of jewelry. The 

 steaming kettle was quickly at hand. He 

 called for a pail i)artly filled wilb cool 

 water. Then he poured in the hot water 

 until he thought it was just right by put- 

 ting bis hand in. 



'•Here," said he; "put your foot in that 

 hot water." 



" But, doctor, tliat is too hot. T can't 

 stand it." 



" Yes, you can. It may be a little pain- 

 ful. But you are to decide which pam is 

 the worse — that of the hot water or that 

 from the spi-ain." 



In about a minute I began to laugh; and, 

 as I was a very busy man, in two or three 

 minutes more they bi-ought me a pile of 

 letters, and I went on with my work. The 

 doctor directed that I should keej) the ket- 

 tle there and fill up with hot water occa- 

 sionally in order to keep the temperature 

 high enough. I had no more trouble with 

 the ankle after that. Whenever the pain 

 came on I resorted to the pail of hot water 

 again. 



Years afterward 1 had an attack of 

 acute inflammation of the neck of the blad- 

 der. A hurry call was sent to a doctor; 

 and I do not know but I said the same 

 thing to this doctoi*. I was glad to hear 

 him respond much as the other one did — ■ 

 " Mr. Root, I am glad to tell you that I 

 can relieve your pain almost in an instant 

 without any medicine whatever. Just get 

 into your bathtub and fill it up pretty well 

 with Avater as hot as you can stand it." 



The remedy worked exactly like the oth- 

 er. I did not take any medicine, and have 

 had but very little of that trouble since; 

 and during the years that have passed T 

 do not know how many times I have been 

 able to relieve suffering — in fact, stop it 

 almost instantly — by suggesting the use of 

 hot water.* 



A little while back I had an article en- 

 titled, " Stop, look, and listen." Now, when 

 you get into trouble, not only " stop, look, 

 and listen," but remember what I have 

 said about hot water — a remedy that costs 

 nothing, and does not do any injury like 

 the use of drugs and medicines, mind you. 



Besides the hot water, do not forget to 

 call to the great Creator who made us, and 

 l)laced us here, in his owm image. Ask 

 liim, as I did, to give you grace to bear the 

 pain, if it is bis will that you should bear 

 it. and to sharpen your intellects in your 

 effort to find out the cause of your trouble 

 and the best and cheapest way out. 



*Many doctors seem to have the idpa, or at least 

 in times past they had the idea, that when they are 

 railed to treat a patient the patient may think the 

 doctor ha-s not earned his money unless he gives 

 medicine of some kind. Sec page f>09, September 

 issnc. Now, I have felt for years past that I should 

 very much rather pay a doctor for advice without 

 any medicine — tliat is. if no medicine is really need- 

 ed — than to pay him for some powders, tablets, etc. 

 In the two cases .-ilove mentioned, the doctors gave 

 no medicine at all: and I wa.s exceedingly glad to 

 have them show nie how to perform a quick cure 

 without anything further than hot water — some- 

 thing that is always, or at least generally, right at 

 hand. 



