The Edison phonograph monthly (Mar 1905-Feb 1906)

EDISON PHONOGRAPH MONTHLY. PREACHED HIS OWN FUNERAL SERMON BY PHONOGRAPH. Probably the strangest funeral ceremony ever witnessed was performed at Rideout, Ky., on March 9th, when Rev. Henry C. Slade's voice delivered his own funeral sermon, said the Sunday Press, of Schenectady, N. Y., on April 23d. The Baptist Church was thronged with members of the Rev. Mr. Slade's congregation and with the mountaineers of the Jellico district, who came for miles around to hear the minister preach his own funeral service, direct hymns, and call for prayers from certain members of the congregation. A Phonograph with a large horn attachment stood upon the platform where for eleven years Rev. Mr. Slade stood preaching the gospel of everlasting life to the congregation of mountaineers and miners of the Cumberland Falls district. And where the men and women in homespun and butternut, in the rough attire of miners, bowed their heads, the voice of the dead pastor spoke to them from the machine. The persons who attended the strange funeral ceremony declare it was one of the most solemn and impressive services they ever attended ; and even those who came from curiosity remained, awed by the strangeness of the situation and bowed with the members of the congregation. ******* Last September the "missioner" fell sick. His trouble was B right's disease. He made a trip to Louisville, consulted with eminent physicians, and realized that there was no hope. When he returned from Louisville he took with him a Phonograph and a lot of Records, which he intended using in church entertainments. The Phonograph brought to that remote spot of the mountains the latest music, the best of oratory, humorous selections, the greatest songs, the greatest music, and the church was crowded when, instead of the regular Wednesday prayer meetings, Rev. Mr. Slade announced a Phonograph entertainment. His health failed steadily, and he realized that the end was near, and, by the middle of February, he knew that death was a matter of only a few weeks. Already two acute attacks prostrated him. On the second Sunday in February he announced to his congregation that he had but a few weeks to live. He was unable to enter his pulpit the next Sunday, and, while prostrate in bed, he conceived the idea of preaching his own funeral oration — a sermon which should climax his life's work. Drawing the Phonograph close to his bed and inserting a blank Record, he began, and during that quiet afternoon, while his bare cabin in the Kentucky hills was silent and the snow lay deep over the mountains after a storm, he raised up his voice and poured into the Phonograph the story of his life and his plea for the mountaineers. Mr. Slade died on March 7th, and the funeral services were held in the church on Round Knob on March 9th. To his deacons the minister confided his plans, and they sent out the word that Rev. Mr. Slade would preach his own funeral sermon. The superstitious, all too ignorant members of his congregation spread the word, and it became a thing of wonder in the mountains. The church was crowded. The body of the minister was borne into the church and the coffin laid upon the trestles in front of the altar. Then Deacon Kerens carried the Phonograph to the platform and started it. The voice of the dead minister spoke, saying : "The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away." The voice of him who lay dead in the coffin gave out the hymn, and, half frightened, the mountaineers arose and sang. Then the funeral sermon opened. Plainly, without effort, the voice told of the early struggles of the dead man, of his hopes, his fears, his troubles, his prayers. It told of his coming to the Pine. mountains, of his reception, his striving against great odds. And, as the climax of the sermon, the voice adjured them to be constant in welt doing. Then, suddenly the voice commanded the congregation to rise and sing, and they sang, "Jesus Lover of My Soul." THE EXPERIENCE OF A " OEM." "I believe it may interest you to know of the extraordinary experience of one of your Gem Phonographs," wrote William Ross, of Balham, S. W., on April 5th. "I recently had a fire at my private residence, 18 Ryde Vale road, Balham, S. W., almost everything being burnt out. The Gem machine was right through it, and although the cover was badly scorched, I was surprised to find that the machine played as well as ever. I have been thinking that this might be a useful advertisement for you, and you are at liberty to use this letter as you think fit." AN ODD ERROR, An error was made in printing the advance list and bulletin of May Records that illustrates how easy it is to overlook mistakes in proof-reading. When the May list was first typewritten, Nos. 9000 and 9001 were printed as Nos. 9900 and 9901. This was given to the printer as copy, and although proofs were read by several different persons, the error was not discovered till after part of the May printing had been done. It is probable, too, that few readers of the Phonograph Monthly detected the error. FURNISHED MUSIC FOR A DANCE. Following is a copy of a poster received last month from an Edison Dealer at Covington, Ky. : SOCIAL DANCE! To be given by the Young Men of Fort Covington, In Firemen's Hall, on FRIDAY, APRIL 28, 1905. music furnished by Farquhar's Edison Phonograph. Come and bring your ladies and enjoy a grand old time. The music alone is worth the price of admission. A choice selection of New Records just out. PRICE 50 CENTS A COUPLE.