The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1888-12-08

| III every prlnClpal CITY In the country
! where the dolls may be purchased and
the buyer may order what he wants
them to say. Indeed, he may, if he
wishes, talk to the phonograph himself
and the sentence will be repeated in his
voice, and with his expression. 1t will
be better, however, for man purchas
ing talking doll to have his talking to
the phonograph done for him by girl.
We have some of the dolls here with
mems voices, and they are not a glow
ing success"
Here Mr.. Edison wound up a sweet
little creature as an illustration of his
last remark. In hoarse, husky, deep
tone the doll growled out these words +:
"Oh, dear mamma, your dollie is tired
now put me in my little bed, dear
mamma" The effect was more anus
ing and instructive than natural.
"That doll," said MIR. Edison, "has
not, as you may suppose, bad case OF
dlptheria, but the gentleman who talked
to her phonograph most certainly had
cold Nevertheless, he asserted with
great vehemence, when he heard the
phonograph repeat the words, that it
was not his voice at all. The truth is,
that man never knows just what he
looks ike until he sees his own photo
graph, and he never knows just what
his voice sounds like until phonograph
hurls it back at him"
To illustrate this Mr.. Edison per-
mitted the E0ening San man to talk
to one of the doll monographs. To
thoroughly test it the reporter repeated
this simple sentence:
eliminate space, which is ascription
of perfect mathematical reason for a
CO. existing plurality, and as thought is
resolved into synthetic unit, which
finds for its ultimate habitat the bosom
of the great Logos.'
Contrary to his expectations, the
phonograph didn't break nor leave the
room of its own accord, but, instead,
repeated the sentence accurately, but
in tone which the reporter had never
before heard, and consequently did not
recognize. The several gentlemen who
were present insisted, however, that it
was perfect imitation of the speakers
voice, and Mr.. Edison's point was prac-
tically demonstrated.
"The monographs" continued the
inventor, (which are used in these dolls
are practically as perfect in their articu-
latlon and loudness of tone as the lar
ger ones. They are on the same prin-
clple as my original phonograph, but
whereas that weighed about seventy
Ave pounds, and cost from SIS to $50,
these weigh only about pound and a
half apiece, and will be retailed at from
s. to 81, including handsome doll.
The great difficulty has been to train
girls to talk with sufficient distinctness
to the monographs, but that we are
now overcoming"
There were two young ladies in the
room at the time who were continually
talking to the tiny speaking machines,
which a skilled workman was turning
out IN great numbers. The cylinders
were in reality bands of metal about two
and a-half inches in diameter, about
oue-eighth of an inch in thickness and
half an inch wide. The surface before
they received the impression of the
photographic needle was perfectly
smooth, but after being talked to was
full of minute depressIons, some of them
so light and delicate as to be scarcely
visible to the naked eye. The mechan-
ism of the clockwork to which they are
attached for use in the speaking dolls is
too delicate and intricate for explana-
ton here.
Attached to it is governor like that
on steam engine, which prevents the
doll from talking too fast, and so run,
ming the words into each other. So
loudly and distinctly do these wonder
full dolls talk that MIR. Edison informed
the reporter he had listened to one
talking over long distance telephone
from Boston to New York city. The
doll talked into the telephone in Boston
and was heard quite plainly in this city.
Indeed, the telephone rather tended to
soften and improve the tone
But Mr.. Edison has not confined
himself to speaking dolls. The company
will also manufacture dogs that bark
and ask plsintively for meat :; cats that
NEW and call in unmistakeable tones
for milk horses that neigh and express
a wish to be fed upon oats; COWS that
moo and boast of their milk-giving
qualities, and roosters that crow as nat
urally as the real, live article. The
prettest and most amazing toy that has
so far been made is little woody sheep
that says:
Ba-a, ba-a, black sheep,
Have you any wool?
Yes, marry have
Three bags full.
One for my master,
One for my dame,
And one for the little boy
Who lives in the lane.
Ba-a-a a-a-a!
The "ba- a-a-ing" of that toy sheer
would have made hungry wolf frantic
for mutton.
None of these marvellous toys which
are destined to revolutionlze the dol
trade, and to fill with delight counties:
thousands of children, have yet gone
out of the possession of the company
1t is extremely unlikely that the public