The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1878-05-07
not be picked out in crowd as a iian


whiskerless, his beard has had about FIVE
days growth; his hair is of chestnut
brown, and judge he cuts it himself, for
it stands up in an anxious way all over
his head, with striking tendency for.
ward, and at the crown it stiffiy radiates
like the thorny top of a pineapple. There
is a quid of tobacco in his cheek His
mouth is sensitive the blue veins show
on his hands, and the fingers futter as if
each had an intelligent purpose; but the
only feature that would Immediately at
tract the attention of the stranger as
worth second look is his keen, deep,
eager gray eye, which reveals the inten-
sity OF the man This is Thomas Alva
Edison oeo
h "You have turned out good many
inventions, Mr.. Edison 2" Iga1g
EYES," he answers, with perceptible
western twang in his speech, "Pve made
some machines; but this is my baby"
patting the speaking phonograph and ia
king a chair before t,"and l expect il
to grow up to be big feller and sup
port me in my old age" -
He touches lever with his foot and
shifts narrow belt upon the phonograpt
cylinder, which Is operated through the
floor by large steam engine below
The cylinder is three inches in diameter
and makes some forty or fifty revolution:
minute. 1t is covered with q fresh anG
perfectly smooth sheet of tinfoil.
lotto simple mouthpiece at the sidt
Mr.. Edison speaks, in loud tote o
voice, addressing aSpanish gentleman
who has just been presented: "Baeao
dtas, Senor Como estd ustcdr. To which
the gentleman, taking his place at the
phonograph, Immediately replies 'Setz
judges naenJan fetarad un pe,ya" Thi
exchange of compliments has occupied
perhaps, minute of time.
Edison touches his foot to the leve
and stops the cylinder and turns bacl
the mouthpiece from contact with it,
We examine the tinfoil; at least half o
that which was smooth before is nov
corrugated, creased In lines running clos
together, fifteen to the inch, most of th
creases marked With small and scsrcel
perceptible iudentations; meantime th
cylinder has been removed toward th
right by means OF thread in the bear
ing.
Edison touches the lever again and re
verses the movement, until the cylinder
following The screw thread, has returne
to the point Of starting then he replace
the mouthpiece; starts the cylinder; th
| little stylus, pressed down, again traver
ses the spiral line of indentations, an,
10! the machine talks! From the mouth
piece comes the Spanish salutation, 'Bu
enos, dids, Senor," etc, not more than
quarter as loud as when first spoken, bu
perfect in articulation and injection
even the timbre of the two voices bein
| plainly distirguishable.
Edison then speaks into the mouth
piece: "Mary had little lamb, its fieec
was as white as Jack and Jill went, oh
stop that! shut up!" the last rebukes be
ling sharply spoken. 1t is presently re
peated by the machine with startling ei
fect-but as the cylinder is set back q Ii,
tie too far it laps over upon the forme
speech and out comes, "Fstza d. 'un per
jat Mary had little lamb" etc.
The sheet is not at all injured by th
service, snd can be preserved forever Q
sent anywhere, and whenever laid on
|phonography cylinder will exactly repes
the voice that has been impressed upo
Int. SIS na ar9 95sEe q.
/ The machine can whistle as we'll 9
talk; Edison whistles into the mouth
piece bit of an opera, and it is returne
as clear as bell and apparently withor
much diminution. Tfo as - S
To show its precoeity in dialect, b
shouts in a strident tone: :."Ah-a-a-
observation-disclosures time
Ii, ?" The machine repeats the absur
speech precisely, and its stammers al
very amusing indeed.
| The sheet is now full to the edge, ,wril
killed. and speckled, and Edison tears
of, throws it away and substitutes
fresh one. "Shall We give you song
he asks, and as the suggestion is recei,
ed with applause by the ten or dozen vii
itors be calls an assistant, adjusts a ques
looking double mouthpiece with tw
tubes meeting in one and they sing
"Tramp, tramp, tramp, the boys al
marching''-the assistant singing bs.
and Edison singing the air in deep ba.
voice. ri fs ~rag aylH
He tdfhs back the cylinder, puts c
| steam, and presently the machine begir
J to sing that famous war song-all u
words being clearly articulated, and Il
! two parts being clearly distinct.
"Whatll you have nextf" asks e.
] Eson. "Shakspeare." And the invent,
Egives this to the machine in q solen
, tone:
CHOW is the winter Of our discomfort
Made glorious summer by this son of York,
Aud all the clouds that lowed upon our hou
!, I'm the deep bosom Of the ocean buried"
+ It was returned in tone of voice al
e faccentation almost melancholy, the d
: camation being quite tragic.
i "a dog came along here the other d'
and barked IN the mouthpiece," said E
fison, "and the voice was admirably pr
, iduced. We have hung up that sheet 20
! der, and now we can make him bark
any time. That dog, perchance, m,
: die and pass away to dog-heaven," ad
ed he in blood-curdling tones, and wi
an impressive wave of the hand, s'b
: we've got them-all that is vocal 81
E wives"
"If a. friend Of yours were to speak
here In your absence, would you reco
3 nize it when repeated from the tin foil
/ / asked him.
: "We have tried it, and sometimes c.
tell easily; but the phonograph is
q fyoung thing yet and must be greatly il
fproved before it will do just what
, should Tinfoil is not exactly the thiny
lit wrinkles so easily; and this needle
g too 'scratchy,' Johnson is getting me
sapphire to take its place. Itried sa
phire, and the softest whisper was repr
j duced accurately and the vocal timb
: WAS exactly retained. You could tell Il
voice in minute.
4 "'Two other things T am going to 1
] substitute some sort of membrane {,
, the ferreotype tympanum, and put son
sort of voice chamber over the nout