After a few minutes' reflection he pressed the button, and at once a wave line, traced in ink, appeared on a narrow white fabric band, the latter resembling a telegraph recorder tape. The band which moved rapidly, was unrolled from one reel and rolled up on another. Whenever the inventor wished to "write" down his thoughts, he would press the button, which started the mechanism as well as the recording tracer. (Below is shown the record of a Menograph, the piece of tape being actual size. [Illustration: I N--OLD EN--T I M ES--] Where the wave line breaks, a new word or sentence commences; the three words shown are the result of the thought which expresses itself in the words, "_In olden times_." ...) The Menograph was one of Ralph 124C 41+'s earliest inventions, and entirely superseded the pen and pencil. It was only necessary to press the button when an idea was to be recorded and to release the button when one reflected and did not wish the thought-words recorded. Instead of writing a letter, one sent the recorded _Menotape_, and inasmuch as the Menolphabet was universal and could be read by anyone--children being taught it at an early age--it was considered that this invention of Ralph's was one of his greatest gifts to humanity: Twenty times as much work could be done by means of the Menograph as could be done by the old-fashioned writing, which required considerable physical effort. Typewriters soon disappeared after its invention. Nor was there any use for stenographers, as the thoughts were written down direct on the tape, which was sent out as a letter was sent centuries ago. As was his custom in the evening he worked for some hours in the laboratory, and retired at midnight. Before he fell asleep he attached to his head a double leather head-band with metal temple plates, similar to the one used in connection with the Menograph. He then called for his man, Peter, and told him to "put on" Homer's _Odyssey_ for the night. Peter went down to the library on the 15th floor, and took down from a shelf a narrow box, labeled _Odyssey, Homer_. From this he extracted a large but thin reel on which was wound a long narrow film. This film was entirely black but for a white transparent wave-line running through the center of it. Peter returning to Ralph's bedroom placed the reel containing the film in a rack and introduced the end of the film into the _Hypnobioscope_. This wonderful instrument, invented by Ralph, transmitted the impulses of the wave-line direct to the brain of the sleeping inventor, who thus was made to "dream" the _Odyssey_. It had been known for centuries that the brain could be affected during sleep by certain processes. Thus one could be forced to dream that a heavy object was lying on one's chest, if such an object was placed on the sleeper's chest. Or one could be forced to dream that one's hand was being burnt or frozen, simply by heating or cooling the sleeper's hand.