I found in the Quaker City an old man who had made speech defects
almost a life study. He knew more about the true principles of
speech and the underlying fundamentals in the production of voice
than all of the rest put together. He taught me these things, and
gave me a solid foundation on which to build. True, he did not
cure my stammering. But that was not because he failed to
understand its cause, but merely because he had not worked out the
correct method of removing the cause.

It was this man who first brought home to me the fact that
principles of speech are constant, that they never change and that
every person who talks normally follows out the same principles of
speech, while every person who stutters or stammers violates these
principles of speech. That is the basis of sound procedure for the
cure of stammering and I must acknowledge my indebtedness to this
sincere old gentleman who did so much for me in the way of
knowledge, even though he did but little for me in the way of
results.

After leaving Philadelphia, I visited Pittsburgh, Baltimore,
Washington, New York, Boston and other eastern cities, searching
for a cure, but did not find it. I was benefited very little.
These experiences, however, all possessed a certain value,
although I did not know it at the time. They taught me the things
which would not work and by a simple process of elimination I
later found the things which would.

Finally, however, having become disgusted with my eastern trip, I
bought a ticket for home and boarded the train more nearly
convinced than ever that I had an incurable case of stammering.