The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-05-23

This new invention of the great inyen.
tor Edison is briefly described as follows:
In tho ceiling Of his private Office,
concealed from view, with the exception
of n small, ear-shaped funnel, Of dark
color, he has fitted between tho rafters
and the floor above one of his double.
recording and speaking machines. In
the room above q portion Of the machine
rises through the floor, and attached to
it Is small wooden box, and TO contain
the coils of the pipe of the trumpet, the
bell or mouth of which opens through
one sides and is made of the new sub.
stance discovered by Mr. Edison. With
the exception Of the box, all other por-
tions of the machine are open to inspec.
ton. Every word uttered in the room
below is repeated in the room above,
with about treble or quadruple the vol.
ume of sound, (although it can be ar
ranged in vast excess Of tbis,j while 1T
the. same time it is being recorded on the
matrix-plate for future reference and
preservation through the eiectrotyping
process. The effect produced by the
auraphone is not only comically weird,
but, in many ways, alarming. Sending
al assistant to the room below in order
to test its capacity for catching whispers,
the orator, directed by Mr.. Edison, bent
down his ear to the litt's boz only to be
deafened by the inquiry, "What do you
think of the auraphone?" shouted in
tones that almost made the house rock,
followed by inugh so mockingly hid
eous and uneaithly as to make the blood
curdle with horror. This We soon dis
covered to be one of peculiar jokes Incl
dental 10 nn introduction to the aura
'phone, always hugely enjoyed by the in
ventor and his attaches. Subsequent
experiments proved the exquisite sensi-
liveness Of the machine. The faiu.esi
whisper, the ticking of clock, the roll.
ing of lead pencil over the desk, the
tearing of small piece Of newspaper, 9
sigh, q tune hummed in the lowest reg
ister-all were 'successively delivered ir
the room above in exaggerated volume
4: night, when the 1uiet i5 uioTe pro
found, Mr. Edison Informed US that b,
could plainly hear the purring of his ca
in the Office below.
The effects TO be produced by the in
PRODUCTION of the auraphone will b,
wonderful. When all walls have ears
literally, what ID to become Of our con
fidences7 With the spy ever in wait TO
us, not only to repeat them, but to alst
manufacture their indisputable proc
for transmission and preservation, whe
are we TO do? Will society becom,
thoroughly honest, virtnous. and good
or will it be torn aaunder by dissentior
and .relegated to savagery7 When
mans sons nre popping up In judgmen
at all times and places; when man /
forced to 30 through the world with
window, as it were, in his bosom, will
longer DO pleasant or even an endur
able place to live in2 And yet to fac
this actual contingency We are brough
The subject for contemplation is q
In its nature, that we may we'll shrinl
from considering It's more serious as
poets, in view Of its almost boundles
possibilities and results. But there il
happily, no shade without sunshine
and it is not without its comical
though not less vexatiouy sides.-
Fifty or sixty dollars, at most, My
Edison issoFmed lis, would cover til,
expense of placing one OF these ma
chimes, or mechanical ears, IN the cell
ing of any room, 30 nicely concealed o.
TO escape observation, aud capable 0
being so nicely adjusted that "the drop
ping of pin upon the carpeted foo
could be heard III the room aboye."-
just think of Paterfamilias up stair
with such trap set, while Auastatii
and Alphonso are cooling in the parlo
Selc- i! Keeping tally OF the signs ant
Weighing the intensity Of each caress
and all this with two turtle doves II
blissful ignorance Of any supervision
Think Of the gay deceiver in breach O
promise case suddenly confronted il
Court with half dozen witnesses, who
though absent personally, heard the de-
sired proposal, each armed with stereo
typed plate upon which every vow, every
murmur, every "swish" of the embez.
zled kisses is indelibly stampede Think
of Old Bullion's clerks and Mrs. Clear.
sides servants under tho espionage oil
the mechanical earl Indeed, it looks
now as though people will scc:; have to
regret Mr.. Edison's birth having taken
place at so late period in history, and
that they will be apt to grow much more
charitable toward those sensible old an.
cestors vino always had stake or chop
ready for people who knew too much.