The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1877-11-13
IN. Y. World, 7th inst.
A Singular Invenlien.

In Q late number OF the Scientific
American an is described al
the invention Of Mr.. Edison, of New
Jersey, by means Of which the words Of
man may. be audibly reproduced. at
will years after they have: been uttered.
As is the case in Mr.. Edison's speaking
telephone, the tones are propagatedfrom
3 vibrating metallic diaphragm, but in
the phonograph, as the new contrivance
is called, the vibrations of the plate are
recorded by indentations in a strip of
paper which, by a simple piece of mech
anism, may after wards be made to com.
municate the original vibrations to an.
other diaphram, and thus bring out the
words as they we're at first heard. Hit
shall ever be possible to reproduce the
quality of voice, upon which the rec
ognilion of speaker largely depends,
the phonograph will place it in our pow,
er TO- listen to the voices of the dead
long after the lips which uttered them
shall have crumbled into dust Even
now mannerisms of speech through
which friends Enthusiastically recognize
each other even when the voice of the
speaker is disguised, and which are
therefore most intimately connected
with personality, can be echoed-at
least in plausible theory-by means of
this instrument, through which any man
may IL he choose make for himself q
Cnmtean sort of immo rtality which at
any moment may be quickened at the
pleasure Of his survivors. This, how.
ever, he might do as effectually by sim.
ply committing his precepts to writing,
chirography being quite as characters
tic as peculiarities of diction We i'm.
agine that it will be long time before
we shall be able to preserve the voices
of our ancestors in our beuses, as the
Egyptians kept the mummied bodies -ol
theirs; but the promise and potency oil
the phonogrsph point to day in which
there shall be faint approach to the
unlocking Of that vast library, the air,
of which Charles Babbage said that i,
contained in indelible characters all that
'man has ever said or woman whispered
People who wish TO put themselves or
record will have only to breathe into tbs
picnograph, and then when theys ars
dead they may be made to speak as, i
they we're actually in the flesh, only tha
they must be content with repeating al
and originating nothing. ,.zi
A further development In the repro
duction OF men whose bodies and for
ces have been dissipated in varioul
forms of energy and matter will be thei
presentation before our eyes as they
looked when living Possibly this de
sirahle object might be accomplished, by
taking great number of life-size pho
tographs Of the subject from differen
points of view, coloring them preperl,
and then reproducing them in relief, b,
means of mirrors, whereupon. the maj
would appear to US as he did in life
and since one set of photographs nigh
be rapidly or gradually changed 70
Others, bodily movements might he rep
resented which would be quite as natura
as the tones of his voice resoundin,
through the phonograph in keeping will
Itne movements of the phantasmagory
The production OF historical plays il
which the phantoms oflthe real actor
of the scenes depicted should walk th
stage and speak with the very echo o
the voices of the long dead would h
easily possible, provided only that il
life they had suited the action to TIL
word and the word to the action in th
presence of skilled photographers an
artists of the camera Great men, un
less also they were very good men will
heart for the future entertainment an,
instruction OF The race, might refuse I,
mouth their words before the phono
graph, but when once one of them ha,
been induced to do 80 all the rest woul,
: fellow, and the giants among US woul
, be reproduced forour children's 8 cbildrel
unto many generations There seem
10 be nothing absolutely impossible i
q this notion, but we can conscienliousl
say that we trust it will never be mad
lreal. sBs- Yi.s e9