Daily Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1876-1884, 1878-03-01
The Talking PhonogrRph On FIX.
hibifton.
scientific American.

lSc1entiho American
Mr.. Thomas A. Edison recently
exhibited his talking phonograph
before the Polytechnic Association
of the American Institute in this
city. This was the first public
showing of the instrument, and,
although much yet remains to be
done to make it fulfill the design Of
the inventor, its capabilities have
already been considerably advanced
beyond those which it possessed
when displayed to us in this office
shortly after its origination. The
mechanical construction, that is,
the rotating sliding cylinder, the
Migratory membrane and the tin
foil strip which receives the inden-
tatiOn and in turn transmits the
puisations to the receiving dia-
phragm, have not been materially
modified, but by the use of reflect
ors Mr.. Edison has succeeded in
magnifying the sound so as to ren-
der the same quite audible through
out a large apartment. The scieu-
phonograph manifested genuine
establishment, and the instrument
itself, apparently on its good be-
havior, did its best to
strengthen the impression. 1t
proved it's capacity as u lin
guiSt by repeating sentences spoken
to it in English, Dutch, German,
French, Spanish, and the Hebrew.
1t initiated with marvellous fidelity
the barking of dogs, growing of
cocks, etc, and then taking Sc
we're cold, coughed and snet zed and
wheezed until the physicians in
the audience inst;nctively began to
write prescriptions. After the ill
ventor had exhibited its reproduce
ton of his remarks, his auditors
wanted the machiue to initiate
theirs also, and for long time the
apparatus was the recipient proba-
bly, OF all the different sounds that
the human voice could produce or
scientific ingenuity devise. 1t
withstOod the test triumphantly,
and remained in modest silence
whi'e praises We're lavished upon
it and suggestions iuuumerabie
made as to it's future uses. AnuJh-
er proposal was to reproduce fig
ures Of popular speakers in life
size-electrotype Mr.. Beecher,
for instance reproduce his speech
in tin foil, put phonograph, run
by clock work, inside OF him-the
statute, not the mainland stand
him Oh II platform to repeat the
new lecture on the "Wastes and
Burdens of Society" Another sug-
gestion WAS, that public speakers
might repeat their speeches to pho
nograph, and then twenty-four
hours later have the phonograph
repeat the words to them. they
could thus prevent themselves
from making rash or overheated or
silly remarks. An irreverent indi-
vidual "didu't see but that now,
with the talking phonograph and
singing telephone, clergymen and
choirs were out of date. The phos
nograph could repeat service every
Sunday and run of old sermons
with wonderful accuracy; while. by
having enough telephones, one
choir would supply music to all
the churches in the city, An
dIleuuultul W thio Wdo tlic ou 6ScS-
ton to use only the photograph be-
cause it could sing IN well rs speak,
and thus it might do the duty of
both preacher and choir. An indo-
lent listener to the fore
goihg wanted to know If
photograph could not be COM
bined with q clock so as at the
proper times to remark, ~ O'Clock,
time to get up;' "l2 o'clock, go to
dinner" and so on. The audience,
some of the members of which were
at first rather doubtful as to the
foundation for all we had said re-
garding Mr.. Edison's invention,
left we'll convinced as to its Won
derful capabilities. Meanwhile the
inventor is relaxing no effotts to
improve it, and we shall be much
mistaken if before many months he
does not astonish us with ma
chine able to do much greater
things than those already accom-
plished.