296 John Bacliman. 



and a half dictating to his wife, who wrote his ser- 

 mons for him : he became so accustomed to her 

 writing, that he could read it better than his own." 



When his faithful amanuensis lost the use of her 

 right hand from a fall, a daughter's hand was used. 



After dictating a sermon, he appeared perfectly 

 fresh, and would sometimes dictate a second and 

 shorter one for the afternoon. His habit was to 

 select his text on Monday, to make his notes during 

 the week, and to write out his sermon or sermons on 

 Saturday. Sometimes the afternoon sermon was 

 extemporaneous. 



He dictated rapidly, seldom changing a word ; but 

 on Sunday morning, he would rise at day-break and 

 go over his sermons, sometimes curtailing or adding 

 to the same. 



His delivery was clear and impressive, and his 

 mind filled to overflowing with his subject the 

 amanuensis was often surprised at the happy illus- 

 trations interspersed, which were not contained in 

 the written sermon. 



The habit of dictating we trace from 1827, when 

 the nerves of his eyes were affected by the fever 

 contracted on the Western Lakes which so nearly 

 proved fatal to his life. Dictating had its advan- 

 tages to him. It not only saved him from exhausting 

 mechanical labor, and from bending over his desk, 

 but from something, with his temperament, even 

 worse from working alone. The wholesome in- 

 terest created in the mind of his first amanuensis, 

 spread itself to all the members of the family. Even 



