Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-12-28
A PAPER THAT TALKS.
New York World

| When only few years ago Thomas a.
Edison announced that he would bottle
up the human voice, so that at any future
| time it could be uncorlied and heard to
! speak again, there were many who re-
| ceived the statement with open sceptic-
| ism. Now, if Mr.. Edison were to an
nounce that he could talk with persons
on the planet Mars, it would be generally
credited. The Wizard of MenlO Park has
not quite accomplished that much, how
| ever, but he proposes to do something
almost as wonderful in the near future.
The modern newspaper as eXemplitied
by the World is a triumph OF the creative
| power of man. But Mr.. Edison proposes
to revolutionize journalism by starting a
newspaper which can be appreciated by
the blind and even by the illiteTate. To
obtain the news of the day from Mr.. Ed
ison 5 proposed newspaper, all that one
will have to do Will be to turn n crank and
| listen. The newspaper will read itself to
| him.
Some inkling of this marvellous pro-
! ject of the great inventor having reached
the World, a reporter went out to Mr..
Edison s laboratory at Orange, n. J
| W p
prised that any hint of his new invention
had got abroad, and at first was 10th to
talk about it. 1t is simply one of the
practical uses to which the photograph,
in its full perfection can be put. The
scheme is still in embryo, but with the
rapid progress now beng made i'll the
perfection of the photograph and the
marvellous resources of Mr.. Edison s in
ventive brain, it is safe to say that the
talking newspaper will be as well known
as the telephone is in the near future.
1t is not generally known to the people
at large that Mr.. Edison has succeeded
in turning out what he calls correspond
ence phOnOgrams. These phonOgrans
are of a peculiar waXy composition and
can be folded and put in an envelope the
same as an ordinary letter. When the
message has been traced upon them by
the photographic needle is to be made
audible they are wrapped around the
photographic cylinder and by Il revOlU-
ton of the motor emit the sounds of the
voice which originally talked to them.
These correspondence phOnOgrams can be
multiplied TO any extent by wonderful
process, the details of which are yet to be
made public.
1t was stated at the laboratory yester-
day by one in the secret that, if neces-
sary &c, 900 or more copies of the same
cylinder could be turned out in one hour.
They can be adjusted to any photograph,
so that 20 900 or more of the "talking
machines can repeat the same sentence
at given moment.
The possibility of this suggested to the
inventor the plan of utilizing 1t for the
benefit of those who wish to keep abreast
of the news of the day, but who from
failing eyesight or from other causes are
not at present able to read the news
papers. The Edison Talking Newspaper
COmpeny will supply its patrons with
monographs at an annual rental of a
small sum. These monographs can be
used the same as any Others to reproduce
singing, piano playing, whistling, band
music and elOcutiOn. But they will be
especially designed for the correspond
ence phOnOgrams.
The latter will contain each day all the
latest news in a condensed form and will
cover each subdivision, such as the cable
and Geographic, political, dramatic com
mercial, monetary, etc. Each phOno-
gram will be plainly marked so that the
reader, or rather the nearer, can choose
for himself which one he cares to use
first. If q new opera
has been produced the night
before he can listen to an able but
concise criticism of it and enjoy the novel
sensation of having repeated to his de-
lighted ears the choicest passages of the
music precisely as they were rendered at
the theater.
If an important congressional debate is
going on the subscriber viii be treated to
the most eloquent portions of the speeches
=, - 90, 1r
even the applause or laughter which
greets his bon mots will be faithfully re-
produced.
In short, any matter of news which
embraces the speaking of one or more
people can be reported so that the sub
scriber can shut his eyes and imagine
himself present and listening to them.
The purely descriptive items of news will !
be given in crisp, terse and pungent |
language by trained takers.
1t is not probable, however, that this |
miraculous newspaper will at once |
achieve all these grand possibilities. At |
first it will be only designed, as has been |
stated, to furnish Il synopsis of the daily |
news, and for this purpose the first edi- |
tions of the regular newspapers will be |
read, condensed and repeated to the re- |
ceiviug monographs, multiplied on the |
corresponding phonograms, and delivered |
by carriers to the subscribers homes. |
In this way the subscriber will be able to |
learn all the news as he sits at his break |
fast table, and not only he, but each
member of his family can listen to it
at the same time. By the time he has
eaten his breakfast he will know all that
has happened worth recording from the
four quarters of the globe,Sduring the
preceding twenty-four hours.
There will be, howSer, when the pro-
jeut has been thoroughly established, sv-
eral editions Of. the talking nSwspapq. I
Some of them viii be ELABORATE and .win
give in full reports of the most iinpor-
tant happenings.
1t was suggested by the reporter that