The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1878-11-06
Edi-on au VVorIe.

The following is from an article in
Scribncr for Nov mber, entitled A
Night with Edison
There is uow here such another ingeni-
Gus mind, but there Is also nowhere such
woi kcr. " men On search of some
special object he allows himself absolute
~ no rest. At Newark he mounted to
the left of his factory with five men. on
the occasion OF the apparent failure of
the printing machine he had taken a
contract 10 furnish, and declared he
would never come down till IL worked
1t took sixty hours OF continuous labor,
and then he slept for thirty. The
routine of his day is routine of grand
processes and 'ennobiug ideas
Nowhere else probably would such a
day be possible. There are not fortunes,
II there were capacity, % carry ON the
business OF pure scientific research on
such scale His whole great establish
ment Is occupied not in manufacturing
nor primarily in projects for profitable
returns, though these follow, but i'm new
reflections; new combinations, IN
Wrestling from nature, inch by inch the
domain she would have kept hidden.
letters. lie overiooks his men and the
experiments OF his assistants. The ele-
ment OF hazard enters into these some
what There are great number in
progress-th action of chemicals upon
various substances or upon each other, or
the phenomena of substances subjected
to the various forces at command. Strips
OF ivory for Instance, in a certain oil in
SIN weeks become transparent. A glob-
ule of mercury i'm water, then with a lit
tie potassium added, takes various shapes
tor the opposite poles OF the battery, re-
tires coquetishiy or is attracted, forms in
whirlpoOis, changes color, or becomes
lmmo5ile. There is no use at once for
these results, but they are recorded in
volumiuous note books. When the
proper time comes they are borne in
mind; some one Of them may form the
connecting link in the chain OF an inval-
liable discovery. Then perhaps he tests
for the thousandth time his carbon tele-
phone for new perfections, and then goes
on carrying forward a step each of the
works in progress, or becomes wholly en-
crossed, according TO his mood, in one.
In spite of the fact that the motive Of
his retreat to Menlo Park was in good
part 10 escape them, numerous visitors
arrive. 1t Is the Mecca of continuous
pilgrimage Of scientists, reporters for
the journals and curiosity hunters.
Yesterday troop Of one hundred and
seventy five persons brought by n gentle
man who had asked the privilege of
presenting a few trieuds-to-morrow a
special train of visitors from Boston is
announced. lie received all aiIably
submitting himself and his invention to
be gazed at without reserve. One won
ders, next to his photograph, at his good
humor
"Still, l shall blow up somebody
yet" he says, laughing. Il am consid-
ering the idea of fixing wire connect
ing with a battery that knocks over
every body that touches the gate"
He sits down at the monograph fixes
double mouthpiece to it aud summons
one of his assistants, while another
places himself at an organ in the cor
ner. They sing in two parts John
Browns Body" As the souorous music
rises and fills the long apartment, one
gazes musingly, yet with a secret thrill
1t is like assisting at some strange new
rite-a martial chant Of rejoicing in the
greatness of new era full of sublime
promise and the dissipation of mysteries.