Enjoying Inventions

Not long after John had made a record player he succeeded in making a radio. It was an ugly contraption and we could only get one channel. But we didn't mind since it was the local Country station.

Evenings after supper we would hurry upstairs right after devotions and sit on John's bed where we listened to Lia as she talked to people and played all the latest hits. We were always carefully alert to any sounds from downstairs and once we heard Daddy turn out the gas lamps we knew it was time to shut it off and go to bed. John always removed the one wire so it couldn't be turned on accidentally.

I felt slightly guilty about listening to it since I was already a member of the church and would have to make a confession if anyone ever found out about it, but being able to enter the world of music for a few hours every day made the risk worth while.

Spring came, and since John had, had his 16th birthday that winter and wanted to join the youth group he had to start instruction class to join the church. Before the first Sunday of instruction classes Mom and Daddy got a big garbage bag and held it open saying "Okay, John. Anything you shouldn't have in order to be baptized bring and throw them in the bag.

David, and Mahlon were at school, and I sat at the table to watch as John went upstairs to his room. He brought a big armful of records down and placed them in the bag. Mom and Daddy asked what he used to do with that so he set up his player and we all listened to Tom Sawyer for one last time before Daddy broke the record in half and without bothering to listen to the others he broke those in half as well before putting them back into the garbage bag.

John made another trip upstairs and this time the radio was demonstrated and then destroyed and put into the garbage bag for Daddy to burn. I was relieved that John didn't tell them that I used to listen to it on a regular basis too.

Evenings seemed kind of bland for a while with out any music to listen to, but we soon returned to enjoying reading books, playing games and other fun family things.