Stevens County tribune. (Morris, Minn.) 1877-1880, 1879-01-30

Cincinnati Sun.

lOlncl0naLl Gun.
Yesterday Sun reporter met gentle
man well 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 dispassionately.
"Have you seen Edison lately" asked the
Sun man.
"Oh, yes" was the reply, "within few
days."
CHOW is he coming on with the electric
light?''
"He isn't coming on at ALL" was the reply.
"He has not made single point 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 as
sistants has been striving to put into prac-
| tical operation the theories of other 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 Sun
reporter, knowing that the gentleman ad-
dressed was q thoroughly versed man in
electrical science, and perfectly capable of
| judging and feeling the Importance of such a
decision, from such a source.
81 know it," was the reply. "He is, to-
| ",
problem than he was two months ago.
But you know tnat the eyes of all the
world are on him now, and if he fails, he
will, as it were, 'go up in the public estima-
tion." +.,-. l.
"Then it will be 60 up sure,'' was the
reply. ~ t1 ~
"Do you not have faith in Edison was
asked.
edison" responded the gentleman, sis a
vastly overrated man, and the newspaper
men in New York in search of sensations are
in the main responsible for it. No inventor
ever took out so many patents of which 80
few were any better than worthless. He
has taken out about 800, and only about
twelve of them are practical and useful and
profitable. He is a hard worker, and his
success of late is owing in a great measure
to the conditions under which he labors. He
is at the head of an institution organized fol
the creation of inventions, so to speak. The
laboratory at Menlo Park is an invention
factory, and by receiving promptly from al
parts of the world the latest and freshest
results of the labors of scientists and inven.
tors. combining and applying the same and
experimenting, Edison, assisted as he is by
such genius as Bachelor and others, is en-
titled to utilize the brains of all the inven
} tors of the ago, and produce results ahead O.
what any single person could do. Tht
! telephone reproducing the human voict
! through vibration of diaphragm by mean
of electricity, suggested the reproduction O
D the voice through the vibration of I
diaphragm by mechanical means. This wa
suggestion that would occur to any studi
: GUS person. MIR. Edison got at it in tn
simplest manner, and anticipated others b.
a few days only. Any ingenious and thought
full man, with the telephone elucidated
could make a photograph. MIR. Edison
planning and organizing and establishing
= such an institution as the invention factor
= !, ct Menlo Park, has shown more genius tha
q he has exhibited in any of his many inven
). tons in the line of the curious and prac
teal"
''But about the electric light" urged on
), reporter: ''that is the important point?"
"Well, Edison has been furnished by tn
r New York Edison Electric Light compan
4 with 100000 with which to prosecute hi
h experiments. He has used, I think, abou
a $4,000 of this money up to date, and ha
d developed nothing but promises, and non
= of them will be fulfilled. You can put
= down that no great electric-light revolutio
q is to come from Menlo Park for fifty year
e at the present rate of progress in the matte
70 there. What is done there will depend, in
: great measure, upon what is the result of q
r the investigation and experimenting goin
on all over the world, all of which is promp
s. ly reported to Edison"