The New York herald., 1879-12-31

so he might feel the music going fright down his
back"
But during the playing man with crumpled
felt hat white silk handkerchief at his throat his
coat hanging carelessly and his vest half butoned
came silently in. and with his hand 10 his ear sat
close by tho glass blower. who. wrapped up in his
music, was back perhaps in his native Thuringia
again.
That's NICE" said he. looking round 1t was
Edison.
The glassblower played on. and the scene was GU
rious. Standing by blazing gas furnace he had
lighted Van Cleef with bare folded arms. listened
else shifted the hot irons with his pincers. but
he did it gently. Edison sat bent forward. The
others who had tr'rr u tool or another moved
them slowly. Far bac ugh the halfdarkened
shop young Jehl might be lifting the heavy
bottles of cleaning quicksilver at the vacuum
pumps. ind the soft music delicately thrilling
through it all. 1t was the wedding of spirit and
matter. and impressed me strangely.
EDISON AND THE BOWED DOWN HEART.
"Can you play The Heart Bowed DOWN." said
Edison. suddenly.
"No. cannot"
"Here. whistle it some of you" Five or six
whistled. and Bohm shook his head.
'Can't play it? Well. Crosby what's that other
tune?'
my poor heart is sad with Its dreaming. SAID
Crosby.
''Yes. play thatr
"I cannot"
'Play anything" said Crosby. "it's all the same
to him and u.s." Bohm played Edison seemed to
be fdgetting about "The Heart Bowed Down." He
took writing pad from his pocket and scratched
rapidly with pencil on 1t for some minutes. He
peckoned to Bohm.
"Can you blow that?" He handed him rough
drawing.
''Yes." said the boy. "you mean that for circle?
Yes; that will be better"
In minute, either and glass blower gone,
and they took all the dreamy spirit of fatherland
with them. The concert It was about
half-past ten. Conversation turned scientific
topics. roaming wide aelds. tho boyish assist
ants breaking in here and there like young
colts. Bachelor turning round now and
again from his minute study Of finished
carbons to declaim with more than ordinary en-
phasis particular points. Owing to Edison's
slight defect of hearing naturally spoke rather
loud. and that conversation would have sounded
oddly in any strangers The acuteness of
Edsous perceptions was what struck me most and
often desultory as our talk seemed. he struck off
keen observations that surprised me. felt rather
in doubt whether I ought to go down to my
sleeping place remain, and about eleven O'Clock
asked Edison IL he was going to work or going home.
1--WE WON'T GO HOME TILL MORNING."
'That's just as it strikes him." said one
in ordinary voice.
'Ars you in hurry?" said Edison. 'Im not"
"Id like to sec some of your platinum lamps"
said. "if it's not troublesome"
"Come over here" and he led tho way to a glass
in the corner. where medley Of contored glass
globes and tubing lay upon cotton wool. He took
some OF them out and explained them-how low the
resistance of pl1tinum was compared with carbon,
and so on; how he coated the fine wire with almost
nfusible oxides to insuate it, that in nine feet
it reoled around o bobbin the electric fluid would
have to run along the entire length of it.
II ransacked tho world" said he. "for scarce
metals, and spent lots Of money in reducing ores.
I havo little bottles here that cost me acouple OF
hundred dollars"
EDISON SCIENCE.
"Dfdn't you find the text books and authorities
save you great deal of time in these mattersY"
They're mostly misleading." said he sturdily.
sT ga5.s.nad with myself when think have be-
nsved what was SO learnedy set out in them"
"What," said. aghast. ''are the books wrongY'
"Il tell you what mean; thero more frauds
in science than anywhere else. There arc two
classes Of them-irst. the puro scientists without
practical knowledge and next the practical men
without any science. You take the pure scientist
mind you. I don't speak OF such men as
Faraday. Regnault or Bunsen. such mon
as Maxwell. Sir William Thompson: what
they say is is SO. because they proved
it before they said SO; but take o whole
pilo of them that can name and
you will find uncertainty If not imposition In half
Of what they state scientific truth. These mon
did not work for money. and they had only reputa-
ton to work for. They have timo and again set
the way experiments that they never did and upon
which they founded so-cslled scientific truths. 1.
have been thrown of the track often by them, and
for months o. time. You great name and you
believe in it. Try the experiment yourself and you
find the result altogether different"
"Can you name some Of these so-called truthsy'
Eyes, plenty. tell you. to earnest inquirer
books detriment.s. Say. Van Cleef." said the
bold young man raising his voice. bring me the
Dictionary Of Solublties.'"
HOW DOCTORS DISAGREE.
1t was brought up from some recesses down stairs
Look here" ho continued; with common things
that nobody wants to test they'll serve you well
enough. An! here.' he pointed to an oxide of
baryta; .look: ono says. 'insolublo IN water.
another 'sparingly soluble in water SO
it goes. You will find hero sometimes
fifty authorities. all giving different statements
about thing. Do you that name. there. given
as an authority? That man wrote book on tho art
Of scientific discovery. and he never made but two
or three little bits OF discovery In hts life. Now,
you'd think platinum pretty well known. but
tho books say 1t is infusible except in an oxy-
hydrogen flame. Why" and he laughed. "I can
melt it in the flame of candle. Como here; I'll
melt some in that gas jet"
THE KxPERrMRxTER DECIDES.
We crossed the laboratory aud he took up spool
Of very fno platinum wire. b-oke of about nine
inches of it and held 1t in the gas jet. 1t shrveed
up, but held together. I looked at HIM incredu-
lously.
''Hcy. Francis. bring me that microscope"
Francis in due time appeared with large instru-
meut. green with verdigris. Edison laughed ~
looked at it.
"Oh," said he. "we keep things here for use.
That cost $500. but I've had ten times its value out
of L. uacckel. Eyolutioniat uaeckel. You knou.