Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1888-12-06
4 TAEKsNs sEWspApER.
Edtsom,s Latest C0ncepfion-ItiSyill
Tell the subNcribern the News and
Sing 20 Them tine attest Operas.

Wuou u NV years HRD IuOulHS As
Edison announced that he would bottle up
the human voice, 20 that az any future time
1t could bs uucorked aud heard to speak
again, there were many who received the
statement with open eeeptcism. Now, II
Mr.. Ellison were to announce that be could
talk with persons on, the planet Mars, It
would be generally credited, The Wizard
OF Menlo Park has not quite accomplished
that much, however, but he purposes to do
eomethtng almost as wonderful In the near
future.
The modern newspaper as exempllned by
the World Is triumph of the creative
power o. man. But MIR. Edison proposes
to revolutionize journalism by starting
newspaper which Gun be appreciated by the
blind and even by the illlterate. To obtain
the news OF the days from Mr.. Edison's
proposed newspaper, all that one will have to
do will be to turn crank and listen. The
Newspaper will read itself to him.
Some inkltng of this marvellous project
OF the great inventor having reached the
World reporter went out TO Mr.. Edison'S
laboratory at Orange, N. j., yesterday. MIR.
Edison was greatly surprised that any hint
OF his new invention had got abroad, and
at first was loath to talk about It. It is
simply ono Of the practical uses to which
the phon9graph, inifs full perfection can be
put. The scheme is still in embryo, but
with the rapid progress now being made In
the perfection of the phonoRraph and the
marvellous resources OF Mr.. Edison's inven-
tive brain, 1t IL safe to say that the talking
newspaper will be as well known as the tel
| ephone In the near future.
II isnot generally known to the people az
1 large that Mr.. Edison has succeeded In
turning out what he calls correspondence
| phonogrRIns. These phonograms are OF q
4 peculiar waxy composition and can be
! folded and put In an envelope the same as
an ordinary letter. When tia message
which has been traced upon them by the
4 Photographic needle 10 to be made audible
| they are wrapped around the photographic
cylinder and by a revolution OF the motor
emit the sounds Of the voice which origin
I ally talked TO them. These correspondence
| phonoRrRrne can be multiplied to any extent
by wonderful process, the details OF which
are yet TO be made public.
II was stated at the laboratory yesterday
by one In tbs secret that, II necessary, no.
600 or more copies OF the came cylinier
could be turned out in one hour. They
can be adjusted to any monograph so that
10000 or mora Of the talking machines"
can repeat the same sentence at q given
moment.
The possibility Of this suggested to the
\ inpnntpr the PLAN of utilizing 1t for the
benefit Of tloseiwbp wish to keep abreast
\ OF the news Of the day, s)u WHO from fall
4 Ing eye3fght or from other causes are not
i at present abla to read the newspapers. The
4 Edi5on Talking Newspaper Company will
i supply It's patrons With, monographs at an
annual rectal OF a. small sum. These
4 phi nogranhs can be stlsad the same as any
I pShers tq, rsprodace singing, piano. playing,
Il whisrliDg, band music aud elocntlon. But
they will be especially designed for the
correspondence 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 teIegraphic, political, dramatic, COM
mercial, monetary, &c, Each phonogram
Will he plainly marked, so that the reader,
or rather the hearer, can choose for him
self which one he cares TO use flrst. IL a
new opera has been produced the night be-
fore he can listen to an able but concise
criticism OF It and enjoy the novel eensa-
tion of having repeated to hts delighted
ears the choicest passages Of the music
precisely as they were rendered at the
theatre.
II an Important congressional debate Is
going on the subscriber will be treated 10
the most eloquent portions OF the speeches
In the original tone of the orator. Nay
his bon mots will be faithfully reproduced
In short, any matter Of news which en-
bodies the speaking OF one or more peoplt
can be reported so that the subscriber can
shut his eyes and imagine himself prese5i
aud listening to them. The purely describ.
tive items OF news will be given In crisl
ierse and pungent language by trainei
1t is not probable. however, that this
miraculous newspaper will at once schieye
all these grand possibilities. At first 1t Viii
be only designed, as hiss been stated n
furnish synopsis OF the daily newe, and
for this purpose the first editions o. The
regular newspapers will be read, condsnsed
aud repeated TO the receiving phonogfaphs,
multiplied on the corresponding oh mo
grams aud delivered by carriers to the SUB.
seribers' homes. In this way the subecriber
will be able TO learn all the news as he Ats
at his breakfast table, and not nnlv he INIT
each member of his family Cir lIsteu q Il
at the same time. By the tine he nas ieateh
his breakfast he Will knew al Tint Mas hap
pened worth recording Toui the four quar-
,ers OF the glove d&ftns the preceding "a
j y.TAsssie sill be, however, when the project
naa been thoroughly established, several
editions of tths t1lktngt n swspspsr. Some
joHs them will be .elab0Fate and will give In
ii full reports ofithe most important happen
ipgs. u 1GtIjtI ~ 5lgu q
i sJt.wRs suggested blythe reporter that the
taking newspaper would require large
i and we'll trained staff of newspaper men
and eleeTleansl tonefsitwith But ne was
Uniformed that eueh would not necessarily
be the case. Arrangements, 1t was said,
would probably be made with some great
newspaper, such as The World, whereby a
condemnation OF the news. columns OF that
paper could be procured Of or before the
time of going to press, and Immediately
transmitted to the correspondence phono-
grams The talking newspaper, while 1t will
qe invaluable to those who, for some reason
are unable to read newspapers, will not be
confined exclusively to them.
II will not be necessary with the talking
and singing newspaper for the unimaglna'
tive reader to worry himself by striving to
gather from critics description Just what
a pianiet'e performances sounded like. He
will hear them, Instead OF the hackneyed
l,phrsse, "thunders OF applause greeted the
lspeaker's elaqsence" the talking news.
paper suhecriber will be desfened by the
tthuuder itself. II the President Of the
United States goes fishing the newspaper
hsarer wilt be able to catch the exact shade
OF triumph in his tone as he exclalms to
his private secrstary, eve got bite" OF
Pthe prscIse tone OF disappointment as he
adds, "Jove, I've lost him."
Description OF sporting events, such as a
horse race, will be more realistic than ever,
when TO graphic description will be added
a running accompaniment OF the beating
OF the horses hoofB as they come pound
ing the turf down the home stretch. This
may sound like romance, but the public
has Mr. Edison's assurance that II Is quite
possible and will probably be accomplished
In the not distant future.
Not day passes that Mr.. Edison does
not add to the prnoticsoility OF the phono-
graph. His progress within the past few
weeks has been remarkably rapid, and
whereas formerly the phonograph was only
within the reach of the wealthy. 1t will very
Eoor bs brought so low In price tnRt any
one Of even very moderate means can pos
sess one, The phonograms as at present
made will cost about 20 cents per cylinder,
Each one will contain about column OIL
ordinary newspaper reading matter and the
news of the day can easily be condensed In