The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-04-22

derful distfnctness, the notes OF bugie
being finely returned after an interval OF
several seconds. In some parts OF the world
there are echoes which will repeat the same
sounds twenty times in succession. There
is one in Italy which, when visited by Gas
sendi, returned the first line OF Virgil six
times. But the echo is as different from the
phonograph as the reflection of the human
face in water is from its fixed retention in
photograph. The echo returns words only
while you are present to speak them; the
photograph is an echo which will re-
tain tho very tones Of your voice for
hundreds Of years and enable your great
grandchildren, and even their great grand
children, to know how you spoke as aphoto-
graph will tell them how you looked. We
think we render the phonograph Ineligible
to those who have not Witnessed it by de-
scribing it as an imprisoned echo, which
can be released at pleasure. Addisons
pleasant fiction may, perhaps, aid the con-
ception.
The photograph is an American inven-
ton, and one Of the most interesting in the
long list. It is still the fippant fashion
among European writer's who know
little Of this country to underrate
its intellectual attainments. But even
Europeans ought to admit brilliant ex-
ception in the domain of science and inven-
ton. The Americans are the most inven-
tive people in the world. and besides
multitude Of minor inventions of more or
less utility they have contributed more than
their share to those greater conquests OF
man over nature which outrank all the
other intellectual achievements of our time.
Even in the early beginnings OF our history,
at time when our population had not
reached two millions, Franklin's discoveries
in electricity gave him a pre-eminence in
that fruitful branch of science which will
never be eclipsed When he announced
his capital discovery Of the identity of
lightning and electricity the Royal Society
laughed at his theory, but the laughers
were soon subdued by the cogency of his
experiments, and the Royal Society in 1853
made amends by comforting on him, un-
solicited, its highest honor, the Copley
medal. It was thus an American who set
in motion the train of discoveries whose
most important practical result is the cleo
trio telegraph. It was our Morse who made
the final application and established the
first telegraph. It was our Fulton that
made the first successful application Of
steam to navigation. Our Draper
preceded Daguerre in making sun pictures,
although the Frenchman got ahead of him
in turning the discovery to use That most
benefcent discovery of the age. the use OF
anmsthetics in medicine and surgery, is Of
American origin. All the things on which
we have now touched, as we'll as the latest
invention Of Edison, deserve place in the
highest ranks of successful physical re-
search. OF inventions which consist in
purely mechanical applications OF well
known principles Americans have distanced
all competition in multitude, in variety
and in Importance A catalogue even
of the most useful and noteworthy
would be tiresome by its length. To say
nothing of Whitney's cotton gin and other
early inventions enough has been done in
the lifetime of persons still young to confer
luStre Oh American inBenuiSy. 1Ao Sowing
machine, the moving and reaping machines,
the machines for planting seeds and thresh-
ing grain are few among the many which
are as the leaves of the forest for multitude
Without dwelling on achievements which
have gone into history we may safely chal-
lenge all Europe to show an inventive ge-
MUS who deserves to stand by the side of
Edison.