The Arkansaw traveler. (Little Rock, Ark.) 1882-1???, 1888-06-23
THE TERRORS OF THE
PHONOGRAPH.
The Globe.


photograph, we shall be disposed to
contemplate its general introduction
with very mixed feelings. There are
certain possibilities attaching to it
which fill US with anxiety, not to
say dismay. Impulsive utterances,
whether oral or written, are sources
of sufficient trouble already, without
being kept on this vocal file for the
delectation, it may be, Of future gen.
erations of critical or unfriendly
turn of mind. Many people feel that
when they have rushed into print they
have committed folly enough for one
lifetime; but there is likely to be lit
tie in common between the deliberate
way in which a man hands in his care
fully considered copy to the printer.
and the unguarded impulse with
which, in the privacy of his chamber,
he will unbosom himself, to the inno-
cent-looking wax cylinder. For our
selves we must confess to feeling of
weird apprehension toward that pa
tient and mindful listener; and we
fear that the "uncanny" creature is
destined to fill the social world with
wars and rumors of wars.
There are men and women who are
prone to favor the world with pieces
of their mind, whose very souls will
lust for the possession of a phono-
graph In order to pour into its atten-
tive ears their opinion of their friends.
If the instrument were furnished with
patent "Comstock" detector of things
regrettable or harmful, and self-ad-
justing, bottomless pit for their re-
ception, we should feel less hesitancy
in our welcome of it but its motto,
if it has one, is "ReSurgam," and its
crest boomerang.
One advantage it has over the ordi-
nary listener of gossipy turn of
mind, and only one. We can burn it
after we have unburdened ourselves
into its covetous ears, but if we do not
do so at once, we are probably lost.
This piece of soft wax is harder than
adamant in some respects. 1t will not
permit us to alter word, to with
draw an expression, or to soften tone,
and SO well does the little cylinder
conceal its identity when detsched
from its machine, that no mortal eve
can detect on its surface the diff
ference between a requiem and a
wedding march, or between a favorite
sermon and the choice flowers of
rhetoric immortalized by Messrs.
VOORHEES, and Ingalls,.
The possibilities of error in hand
ing out the wrong cylinders are bound
less, and awful in contemplation.
Victor Hugo has explained graph
ically In one of his works the deviltry
of a mounted gun carriage which had
broken loose on board ship, and other
writers have dwelt upon the conster-
nation wrought even among tried
troops by round shot striking ma
sonry and rebounding from point to
point, breaking off in its course hun
dreds of pieces of stone, and convert
ing them into missiles, all endowed
with its own diabolical fury; and in
our own time we have seen what
demoralizing effect the suspicion of
dynamite will have upon brave peo-
pie.
Individually these terrors are bad
enough, but even collectively they do
not in the faintest degree convey an
idea of the panic which might be
caused by a mislaid Photographic
cylinder.
What, for instance, under heaven
could equal the dismay caused during
the acute stage of an election campaign
by the knowledge that there was miss
ing photographic cylinder freighted
with the most private and confidential,
and 1t may be, compromising views
and instructions of one of the princi-
pals? A derelict torpedo among a
fleet of war ships would be less an ele-
ment of menace and fright.
Socially, we are disposed to think
that the general adoption of the phon-
ograph will lead to a considerable i'm
provement in certain failing indus
tries, against which, though they are
essentially of home growth, we have
hitherto prayed for "protection." We
refer to burglary, arson and dynamit-
ism, and other similar domestic pro-
ducts or specialties. We can imagine,
without undue strain upon our intel
lectual faculties, a great improvement
of the social status of the burglar and
incendiary of the future, due solely to
this invention. How little, for in
stance, should we mourn the theft of
our choicest jewel compared with the
abduction of Photographic cylinder
to which, in an unguarded moment,
we had confided some sentiments
which we would give worlds to be
able to recall; and, per contra, how
little would the man or woman of
fashion, or even the saint, be disposed
to stop at any or all of the crimes
named, If by their preparation he or
she could regain or destroy the tell
tale cylinder?
It Is quite clear that our inyentions