Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-05-11
How Edison Amuses Himsalf

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Edison, the photograph mani is wretched I'M
eSS ne lnventS half dozen things every day
ne does II for amusement, when regular bust
ness 81, isnn e.. pressing. The other day he went
or walking on one leg so as to rest the other
before ne had gone square.
ne hall hailed milk wagon and told the driver
o! nttle invention that had popped through
his head Just at that moment for delivering
INK without getting out OF his wagon or even
Stopping his horses. A simple force pump,
DO the business. Milk men who dislike to halt
Tor anything in their mad career because il
prevents ,Sa ST. tfem running over as many children
this improvement. Edison isn't sure but that
sausage and pigs feet could be delivered in the
He stepped into the hotel office and obsarv-
ing the humiliationS which the guests encoun-
tered In seeking 70 obtain information from
hgh toned ERIK, he sat down i'm the read
ing ngd room, ana In hve minutes had invented
motel clerk TO work by machinery, warranted
70 stand behind the counter any length of time
desired, and answer all questions with prompt
and pin
Lounglng into the billiard room he was
struck with the needless amount of cushions
required to each table: Quick as lightning he
thought of a better and more ecomfcal pIanN
cushion the balls! He Immediately pulled out
postal card and wrote to Washington apply
Imbiblnga mint iulip in the saloon adjoining
a brilliant idea flashed through his fertile
Drain, and before he left the place he had in
vented an instrument that is likely to revulu-
ilonlZe the entire saloon business Ii is me-
chine SO constructed that when a person who
mas Just been partaking of spirituous be eerages
oreathes into 1t, the action of his breath upon
peculiarly prepared substance (alsO the in
ventlOn OF Mr., EdisOn) made to revOve slowly
Oy means OF a small crank, makes such an inn
preston, that by again applying the lips and
turning me crank the other way, the effects of
the drink can be reproduced as many times as
desired. no matter how great length of time
OF these instruments could prepare himself
with cocktails for long journey simply for the
price OF one drink. Edison christened II the
toddygraph." OF course the saloons will
night against it bitterly, as ii must inevitably
destroy the business of 80 out of 100 of Them
person can mix his drinks just to suit him.
sell and then stock his tOddygraph with a sun
ply of different beverages sufficient to last him
lifetime, And when he has drank himself To
death Will ii his children can bring the instrm
ment out occasionally and revive tender reroi-
lectlOnS OF their parent by turning ttH crank
ana getung Whit OF the old mans breath.
a capital assistant the toddygraph would be
bands let on that they don't drink, could have
one ready to test them with when thew cnme
nome late at night. The genuineness of a
MurpnylteS reformation could also be deter
mined Oy IT, And how easy to expose tho
fraudulent temperance lecturer IL wou,dn,t
an LOT some OF them to get within a QUAR-
III, when n Edison started to out he had to pass
ne sighed to think that with ali his genIns and
creaLlve imagination, he could never hOpa tn
eqi al the Knight of the razor as a IA kim ma
cnlne ms saddened him SO that he went
hoihe ana invented no more that day.