The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1890-05-30
SOME THOUGHTS or EDISON.
The Great Inventors Conception OF Mat
ter nsa netlef Ia 0od.


The following extract is from Talks
with Edison. BY George Parsons
Lathrop, IN Has.pcr's Mdqdzfne. In
addition to being extremely practical
In his thoughts and processes, Edison
has rich Imagination of creating
sort, and moods of ideal dreaming in
his particular line one day AZ dinner
he suddenly spoke. ~ II out of a deep
revery. saying what great thing
IL would be II man could have all the
component aions of himself under
complete control. detachable aud ad-
Unstable mt will For instance he
explained. then could say 10 one par
ticuar atom Ia me-enll IL atom No.
1920 Go aud be part of rose for
while All the atoms could be sent
of to become parts of different min
erals, plants aud other substances.
Then. II 10y Just pressing little push
button they could be called together
again. they won Il bring back their ex-
periences while they were parts OF
those different Substances. aud | should
have the benefit of the Knowledge.
OF course this was only Il passing
fancy. an imaginative way of express
ing the constant desire which exists in
the inventors mind for "A more inti-
+ llliit kUnN AAtiEf tA Atit isAAftft VI
concerning ~ hich he has already learned
SO much. This desire is gratiiied 20
the farthest practicable extent by the
great store oi all sorts of materials
animal. vegetable and mincral-eol-
leeted Ia his laboratory. where lie ex-
periments upon and combines their
various properties as "A composer plays
upon the instruments of his orchestra.
Indeed in this large imaginative as-
peet of his mind Edison distinctly re-
minds me nf men hnvinS creative pu-
steal or poetic or artistic genius. The
mingled abstraction aud lire in their
faces and eyes are noticeable In his. at
times. when he einerges from some
private room in the laboratory where
he has been engaglal in deep inventive
work.
The above remark about the atoms.
too. recalls a statement which he once
made To me regarding his conception
OF matter. Il do do MOI believe. he
said that mhtter is inert, acted mp
on by an outside force. Io me il seems
that every atom i possessed by "a GER
tain amount of primitive intelligence.
Look al the thousand WAYS in which
atoms of hydrogen combine with those
of other elements. forming the most
say that they do this without iHtelli.
gence? Atoms in harmonians and
useful relation assume beautiful or in
teresting shapes aud coiors. or give
forth pleasant perfume. as ii express
ing their satisfaction. la sickness
death, decomposition. ar filth. tie dist
areement af the component atoms i'm
mediaieiy makes itself felt by bat
odors. Gathered together in certai,
forms. the atoms constitute animals o
: the lower or,leis. Finally they com
hine la man. who represents the totl
, Intelligence of all the atoms
But where does this intelligence
: come FROM originally? ?" asked.
/ From some power greater than our
: selves"
DO you believe, then. in m intelli
gent Creator. "a personal tiud2
Certainty. said Mr.. Edison. "Ih
existence of such Gml cau. to IN
) mind almost be proved from ciienl
4 istrV."
: surely Il Is q circumstance calculate
To excite reflection. and To cslIse a goo
y deal of satisfaction that this keen an
e penetrating mind. - vigorously repre-
I senting the inteligence the mind {
. remarkable exponent of apple
r science. aud of a brilliant aud pruiiii
e inventor who has spent bis life ia dca
ing with ihe material part of the wurl
q should 50 contidentiA arrive at bell,
in God through study of thuse nedi
e that often obscure the perception {
n sDiritual things