, 1884-09-25
THOMAS AZ EDISON
oivos HIS Reasons why BE Prefers
Being q Little Deaf
Sounds which He Doesn't Want 20
Hear One Organ Makes Up
for tlie Loss ON
Another.

Time ago there appeared In a St. Louis papel
an account Of an invention by Mr.. Lee
Ehrlich, the former secretary OF the Humane
-ociety, designed u enable deaf per
IONS TO hear. Mr.. Enrich thought b.
had accomplished a great work foi
humanity. and had sent a sample T.
Edison. A correspondent Of Tue Sun, VIII
had read a description OF the invention, wrots
20 ask what Mr.. Edison thought OF II, anh h
ordsr TO lind out what Mr.. Edison thought o
II Il Sun reporter mounted six flights Of stair
in the laboratory Of tho Edison Electric Light
ompany, at Avenue b and Seventeenth
street.
Mr. Edison was found amid a mara Of
telegraphic, telephone, electrical nluIninat
ing and other apparatus In a big room smell.
ing strongly Of acids He has grown u little
tout since be came 70 Now York TO live, and
his always good-natured face looked even
jollicr tLAn when he used TO scream joke
INTO tho photograph to hear them echoed
by the turn OF q crank
Il came 10 ask how you like the invention
OF Mr.. Enrich, said the reporter.
swell. 10 tell you the truth, l have NOT had
time to try it."
Not timei Why, l should think you
would be in II hurry 10 remedy your deaf
nesAH
a-A94 NA4AN yka - 49, $1,000
don't want TO be cured"
DON'T want to be cured CT deafnessi"
Certainly not l wouldn't b cured foI
$1,000"
do sou naan to ray in earnest that you
prefer 70 10 dsaff'
Exactly. You zee I In not very deaf.
There are Ion Of things l don't want 10 hear.
Now / don't have 10 hear 'em-H
what for instancef7
-Weli, cara u carts and licensed vender
in the morning. Thsy don't trouble mo at all.
Ny poor wife used 70 be kept awake all nigh
when we moved 70 New York The confirms;
With III, quiet Of Msnlo park was very great
Sho never got arcustomed to the rumble Of
wheels. But as f-r me, 1 coalI sleep soundly
through 1. all"
Anything ell o you don't want to heart"
Lots Of EN-. 1t Is wonderful when you
-oms to sum It up how much there Il that l.
not worth hearing"
what elsef
aBoreA"
"Rsportersi"
aNot always; hut some people will talk or
and on. Now, It IL 80 hard TO ak to me
that they get tired and stop. That Is a great
advantage"
@Bu you cannot hear the voice OF any one
through the telephone, can your
Don't want to Did you ever talk through
the telephonsi Then you know what IL Is.
So do L send some other fellow 10 do my
talking. and l don't need 10 sit half an houI
at a time saying, 'Hslloar Whats that
'Who ure your Keep your ear there, and
all that sort OF thing. II wasn't denf they
would keep me at it. Now they KEEP sciu,
other fellow at 1t"
But can you hear tho click Of a tels-raphic
Instrument
~Yos; that Is a sharp sound, and 1 an used
- IT, Lean boar all | want }
Anything Gle you don't Mnnt to heari'
AwoI, 1 mix u very poor juror. You SEQ.
cannot hear the evidence, and don't get
summoned o the jury. Then l sh0uld be
Exempt from the draft IN case OF war
eouldn't hear the orders Of the COMMANDING
odloer. Scot"
How about the theatreif'
There | comics tharu is a little d!sauvan-
tagc. cannot hear a word Mary Anderson
ays. All plays ars specuic.es to me But the
advantages are 70 great that 1 eau stand tie
,isa1vautG geA"
ANY other things you Rre relsvod nom
learingf
-Yes. political speoch9A"
ANY other unwelcome sounds excludedT'
@Yes; cats They may hirt all night and
not disturb my rest | don't have " was;"
any bootjacks or bottles on them"
ANY other advantage
ayes; plenty. | Gnl my eyes ara mucL
stronger. | have worked twenty years u
night and not hurt my eyes. Compensation,
you see. Ons organ makes up Tor the loss on
another
I IN you think some one ought to invent
something To mako people doaff"
Just a liltls deaf-As deaf ash am-so
that they can hear when they want to heal,
and not hear what they don't wish to hear.
For instance. ! nesl not hear u man when be
wants to borrow money.
What Is the latest thing Ia the application
OF electricity, Mr.. Bdisonf'
tho funnisst Is tie new process OF max
ing lncandes sent whisky"
whats that
swell, that is whisky, as my friend Amoe
Quinn .ngs would say, with the h.vor taken
Jul OF il"
allow do they effect that with electrIcityf
-Why, | am told that they let down the in
canes ent light intn a luriel Of whisky, anu
In sixiy-iour hours they get all tie flavor u,
lid whisky. The light and beat seem TO &C
On the msrl oil somehow. l am told tile,
MAKE an excellent Lrmd Of whisky cut .,
rot gut"
-Hava you tried itI'
MA"
What IA the most ceriouI electrical pbc
nomenun Of later
That is hand to say. there arc ~ mann
Ono OF them Is a live ilsh swimming IN II tn.
OF clean water, having swallowed a bait con'
listing of a Little incandescsnt lamp Whei
tlr current 1. turned on the tsh is lighted NJ
% you can zee throuy "a him AMI observs th
circulation of the blood.
What do you propa-s 70 show At the Phil
adelphiH Eiectrie expouitionf
"unly about 10 per cent Of my stuif-bui
enough"
Did you ever know Of any practical U.s.
for the ~phonogrAphf
No. except a. a curiosity. About all tb,
colleges nave them. ! had 70 give Il up foi
tie electric light, wberr the field IS ~imnnen~e.
And you are In earnest when you say 80,
do not want TO be cured OF Your deafnsssf"
Il am. and you may say ! don't thlnk It l.
human " make Tolls hear everything"