The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1889-01-17
TALKS WITH WISE DOLLS.
Thomas A. Edison, the Great Electrician
and Inventor, Is Their Papa.

TALKS WITH WISE DOLLS.
Thomas A. Edison. the Great Electrician
| and Inventor, Is Their Papa.
|
In one of the rooms in Wizard"
Thomas A. Edison's big laboratory ut
Orange. N. j., yesterday, says the
New York Press, were piled stacks and
stacks of dolls, fat dolls and thin dolls,
handsome dolls and plain dolls, negro
! dolls and Chinese dolls, dolls of every
description, and they possess power
that dolls have never yet been gifted
with.
| Nearly all of them can talk" said
Mr.. Ellison, and they'll all be able to
talk when we get through with em.
Want to hear OneP'
He took down delicately formed
doll with yellow hair and an insipid
expression the kind of a doll that
would always be looked upon as an
| invalid by its child owner. He touched
spring in its back and from its in
terror there came these fateful words,
uttered in a deep and angry growl:
"Thc tariff is tax"
my goodness gracious" exclaimed
Mr.. Edison, "that's mistake. The
u
parrot which was to go to some friends
of mine who are republicans"
He gave the offending doll to a
workman and told him to jerk the in
sides out of it and put them into the
parrot. Then he tried another doll
! with better success. In a childish
voice there came floating out the
words:
i.l- L
bones but hard words can not hurt
me-"
The scan not hurt me" was given
with a peculiar rising infection which
an injured child would use if she were
replying to the allegation of some
companions that she was ''tattle
tale" or something equally as bad.
The effect on the hearer was rather
startling and calculated to excite the
risibles, as do the words that come
from ventriloquist's dummy.
Mr.. EdisOn's wonderful photograph
is responsible for it all. For some
time the Wizard" has been at work
on a baby-sized phonoeraph-one that
he could put in the stomach of a doll
and thus turn that ordinary vapid
figure into something pretty nealy
human. He has finally succeeded.
Tho phonograph ordinarily weighs
about 20 or 100 pounds, but by the use
of the most delicate machinery it's
weight for the 'doll-phones," as he
calls them, is only about a pound and
half. But it is durable and strong,
and so is the clockwork which sets its
mctaphorical tongue wagging. Mr..
Edison says the machinery will outlast
the doll, probably. The doll phono-
graph doesn't unwind and exhaust it
self as the ordinary phonograph does.
The sound impressions are on tin
cyclinder, large or small. according to
the number or length of the sentences.
which revolves when the clockwork
starts it. There is hardly any limit to
the number of times an expression can
be repeated.
Mr.. Edison is going to try to have a
big supply of them ready so that the
company which lie has formed can
have them on the market before the
holidays. He can get plenty of dolls
and,he is turning out good many of
the infant monographs every day. He
has some young ladies busy repeating
Mother Goose poetry and all sorts of
babyish expressions into the talking
machines, and as soon as the cylinders
are filled they are put into the inside
of the dolls. 1t is expected that they
will be on the market by Dec. 20.
They will be sold at prices ranging
from So to 81 and it is probable that on
Christmas day many child will be
staring surprisedly at dumb-looking
doll which suddenly exclaims: al
want to go to bedr' or IA horse has
four legs; one on each corner"
"How in the world did the idea
strike youP" Mr.. Edison was asked.
"Well. it was this way" he replied,
laughingly. Last summer had a
couple of small monographs made
and put inside of two figures. Then /
proceeded to have fun with my friends.
Whenever they would come in would
twist tbs crank and the figures would
say in unison: w
"Put nickle in my mouth and I'll
tell you who will be the next presl-
dent
lone was n Harrison and one a
Cleveland figure, but you couldn't find
out which was which until you dropped
the nickle in the mouth.
| The nickle would set the phono-
graph in motion. If it went into one
the man looking for information would
be told that the next president would
be Benjamin Harrison and into the
other then Grover Cleveland would be
named. 1t was all a matter of luck,
but fate seemed to have leaned to-
ward Harrison, for he got the most
nickles. 1t struck me one day that
there would be money in making dolls
say something more than papa ol
mamma as some of them do, so
Immediately went to work with the re
suit you see."
Then Mr.. Edison showed off the ac
cOmplishments of some more of the
dolls. They are all nude yet, but thu
spring portrudes sufficiently to b'
easily found and pressed through ;
dress. He took up doll with Galwa!
whiskers fringing its face. 1t was ;
doll from the could sod"
81 took Judy to the ball,
TO the bnlI, to the hall.
And she couldn't dance at all,
Not ut all, not at all.
il sang in u fine rich brogue. WithOu
change of countenance it yelled:
Pm IL liar; no l amt; yes l am
You stay here while l go look for you
Hurroo! Hurroo! Erin go braugh.
A negro doll exclaimed: "Mose, gi
off dat boss" With another revolu
ton of the cylinder the negro do
broke into old Black joe"
There were big dolls that rendere'
bits of operate airs and recite
snatches of poetry and little dolls tina
told about Mary's little lamb and JAG
and Jill and walled clamorously fr
i pie and cake, and, in fact, said all I'll
things that baby says.
Mr. Edison says that four or five or
dozen monographs, all saying ditfc
ent things, will be made to fit one dol
SO that it will be possible to have
figure with tongues and eyes that wi
!. really wag and roll when a spring
7 touched.
D.. Mr Edison is properly proud of IL
fact that he will be spoken of hereaft'
not only as great inventor, but as
friend to the children.
: Unkinde
They had piroquetted for about thr
/. minutes, wnen she Signifieed in I