Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-04-08
while his father was and is Democrat of tn.

extreme type.
Chow about religion, Mr.. Edison?''
"That is a matter have studied somewhat,
but haven't been able to get the first clew
to any first cause. or any hereafter. I do not
dogmatize about ii, because I do not know.
But I may add, that / am strongly inclined
to think that nobody knows any more than
do about IT. / have never found that guess
| work paid,
Here is story characteristic of his meth
DDS: In the development of the automatic
telegraph. it became necessary to have solu-
ton that would give chemically prepared
paper upon which the characters could be
recorded at speed greater than two hundred
words minute. There were numerous
solutions in French books, but none
OF them enabled him TO exceed that
rate. But he had invented
machine that would excetd it, and must have
the paper to match the machine. 81 came in
one night, Johnson, an associate of Edison
says to the Graphic, land there sat Edison
with pile of chemistries and chemical books
that were five fleet high when thev stood on
| the floor laid one upon the other. He had
ordered them from New York, London and
Paris. He studied them night and day. He
ate at his desk and slept in his chair. IN six
weeks he had gone through the books, writ
! ten volume OF abstracts, made 1000 expert
ments on the formulas and had produced
solutlon-the only one in the world-that
would do the very thing he wanted done
| record over 200 words a minute on wire
250 miles long. Ee has since succeeded in
recording thirty-one hundred (3,1O0) words
minute. This statement will be doubted
by the lncredulous, but have seen it DONE,
those who have worked with him believe
that he can evolve from bis own brain any
invention required
"Does he know what is IN those 1000
Walls on his shelves?' inquired the Graphie.
'Ihat ne does, was the reply. ''He bought
them all himself. Whenever he hears of any
new compound he Immediately orders it, for
ne does not know how soon he may need it,
Edison has studied astronomy also. and.
IN conjunction with Prof. Langley, of Ale
)ghaney university, is now engaged in dey1s-
ing improvements in the telescope.
You may say this for me-" says Edward
q. Johnson, an associate of Edison, "after
long and intimate acquaintance, | allepe that
Edison Is one of the fairest and squarest men
ever knew. He is perfectly honest, and the
men who are trying to avail themselves of
MS ingenuity by slandering him will be ex
posed and beaten.
Thomas A. Edison was born in Milan, Erie
county, Ohio, February II, 1S47, and there
fore is now only 81 years of age.
"How many patents have you taken out?''
l asked him to-day
II don't exactly know he said and went
to his bookkeeper to ascertain
"Ihat one received to-day said that
functlonary, ''makes 157 patents, and II
more have been applied for and are pending
in Washington
"You understand said Mr. Edison. "that
not more than one III ten of these is of any
real practical value. The rest are obtained
1or tne purpose of protection. Not more
than ten or fifteen of my patents are worth
anything except to prevent somebody from
stealing the rest. This photograph, for in
stance-I shall have to take out a dozen
patents to defend it. I shall get a patent on
every kind of photograph can think Of
When Edison is in the throes of invention
he scarcely sleeps at all. Sometimes he does
not go to his house for four or five DAYS.
though 1t Is within thirty rods. They send
hlm his meals at such times, for he has not
yet discovered any method of getting along
without any food. 'For ten years. Mr..
johnson says, she has averaged eighteen
hours a day. I have worked with him for
three consecutive months, all day and all
night, except catching little sleep between
6 and 8 IN the morning.
MI. Edison is the originator of the cleo
tro-motograph, for which he received the
eighth patent issued by the United States
for original discovery; and is the inventor of
the American district telegraph 0he messen-
ger service), the stock reporter, the automatic
system, the chemical recorder, the Roman
letter printing telegraph, the celebrated
quadruplex system, on which the Western
Union pays him large royalty, the speaking
telephone, and the electric pen for duplicat-
ing letters and circulars. of which 1900 are
now in use.