Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1879-01-16
EDISON.
mcredulity as to His Electric Light--An
UnfaYOrable View of the Inventor.
Cincinnati Sun, Jan. ?

Yesterday Sata reporter met a gen.
tleman we'll known in electrical science
himself, and possessed of intimate and
lifelong knowledge Of Mr.. Edison, his
abilities, and his achievements, and
capable of Judging him fairly and dis
passionatelY.
'Have you seen Edison lately?" asked
the Sun man.
ooh, yes" was the reply, "within a
few days"
''How is he coming out with the cleo
trio light?"
He isn't coming out at ALL" was the
reply. ''He has not made singlepoint
beyond what has already been done by
other men. He has merely gathered
together all that has been achieved by
scientists and workers all over the world,
and in company with his assistants has
been striving to put into practical oper-
alton the theories of othe. labOrers and
the results of their Investigations. In
this he has not succeeded up to date,
and there is not the least prospect that
he will"
"Do you really think that?" said the
San reporter, knowing that the gentle
man addressed was thoroughly Velsed
man in electrical science, and perfectly
capable of judging and feeling the i'm
portance of such dicision, from such a
source.
81 know it," was the reply "He is
to-day, not one whit nearera solution
of the problem than he was two months
ago."
"But you know that the eyes of all
the world are on him now, and if he
fails, he will, as it were, go lp,' in the
public estimation"
"Then it will be go up are" was
the reply.
"Do you not have faith Edison,"
was asked.
Edison" responded the entleman,
lis vastly oyerrated man and the
neWspapermen of New York in search
of sensations are IN the mai RESPONSE
BILE for it. No inventor eve took out
so many patents of which SC few were
any better than worthless. lie has tax
ell out about 800, and only abut twelve
Of them are practical and Useful and
profitable. He is hard wrker, and
his success of late is owing n great
measure to the conditions uder which
he labors. He is at the he'd of an in
stitutiOn organized for the reation of
inventors, SO to speak. Theaboratory
at MenIO Park is an inventio factory,
and by receiving prOmptl from all
parts of the world the latest ad freshest
results of the labors of scientists and in
ventors, combining and applying the
same and perimenting, ,dison, as
sisted as he is by such agenius as
Bachelor and others, is entitled to uti-
| lize the brains of all the invators Of the
age, and produce results ahad Of what
any single person could do The tele-
| phone reproducing the hman voice
| through vibration of diahragm, by
means of electricity, suggaed the re-
production of the voice thrugh the vi
bration of a diaphragm bvmechanical
means. This was a suggestion that
would occur to any StUlious person.
Mr.. Edison got at it q the simplest
manner, and anticipateCothers bv a few
days only. Any ingenios and thought
full man, with the telephne elucidated,
could make a phonograp. Mr.. Edison,
| planning and organizingand establish
ing such an institution asthe invention
factory at Menlo Park, hs shown more
genius than he has exhibited in anv of
his many inventions in he line of the
curious and practical"
| "But about the electriClight," urged
our reporter; "that is te important
| point?"
"Well, Edison has beerfurnished by
the New York Edison lectric Light
Company with 100000 ith which to
prosecute his experimets. He has
used, [ think, about $1,000 of this
money up to date, and Is developed
nothing but promises, anQone Of them
will be fulfilled. You carput it down
that no great Observation-Disclosures is
to come from Menlo Parkor fifty years,
at the present rate of IogresS in the
matter there. What is dae there will
depend, in great measu,, upon what
! is the result of all the invaigation and
experimenting going onall over the
world, all of which is promptly reported
to Edison"
TEXAS expects to gain iftee1 repre-
sentatives in congress aer the next
census, but Senator Macy says that
ninety-nine voters out every hun
dred are opposed to dTsion of the
state, their aspiration beil to make of
! Texas a great commonw.lth, bearing
the same relation to the slth that New
York does to the east.
"What riles country stmistress is
to have a postal card comto the office
written in French or Shorthand"