Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1890-02-11
.o,soN AZ A Nswssoy.


The following IL one ~ the Talks
With Edison" which George Fsrson.
Iaihrop reports In Iiarpcr's Magazine
for February: AT the beginning ~
the civil war" said Mr.. Edison, II WAS
.ls,ing late aud early ~ selling pspers I.
but. "a tell the truth. I was not making
. fortune. I worked ou .o small mar
gin that hal Ia be mighty careful not
Ia overload myself With paper. that .
couldpt sell. tn the other hani. c.uld
not afford to carry az few that ! should
find myself sold out long before the end
~ the trip. To enable myself o. hi' the
hsppy mean, I formei plan which
turned out admirably. made q friend
20 "o. of the compositors In the Pre-
Prss ofiicr, sni persuaded him io show
me every day galley proof 81 the
most Important new. article. Prom q
study ~ it, headline. ! soon lcarD-l io
gauge the value ~ the day'. new. AMI It,
selling capacity, go that I could form q
tolcfahly correct estlmatc II the number
~ paper. I should nc-,l. n a rule. I
could dispose ~ abou, 90; hut II thrrc
Was any special news from the seat ~
war, the sale ran up to 3r ar over.
Well, one day INV composlinr brought
me q proof alp ~ which nearly the whole
VAS taken up With q gigantic display
head. II was the flr.t rrport ~ the hat
tie - rfitshurg iandlng-sfisrvari
called shiloh, YOU knos AMI II gave the
numter ~ Killed aud wounded a. Gn,srl
men,
II graspc,l the Situation a onc,. Here
was a chance for cnonnou. salc.. u only
the people along the line cuuld knoN
what had happened: N only they could
scc the proof sllp I va. then reading :
suddenly an idea occurred Co me. !
rushed % Ia th" telegraph operator an'l
graScly made proposition a. HIN, which
BE- revived just a. graVcly. lie, On his
part, was 60 wlr- Ia each ~ the pfin,lpal
station. on our route, asking tho station
master io chalk az on the black hullstin-
hoarl-uss'l for announcing the timcs
~ arrival aud departure ~ tulns-ih"
news ~ the grvai hattie. With IL scyom-
panying slaughter rhi. b. was ~ io
AZ onc- while agreed. In f,iuTn. 10 .up.
ply him 'frvr, gratis. Tor nothing, q
iIsrpeT'. Weekly, a llarp.r's MONTHLY,
aud q daily cSrnlng paper during The
next slN months from TINT date.
"Ihls bargain struck, I hcgan to -
think me how waste get enough papers
a. make the grnni easp intended. I
hal very little cash. and. I fcarr,l, It'll
l.ss cf,Siit. went o. the superintendent
~ the delivery department anil prnfef~l
q mo,le.t rrguc.t ior cnr thousand cupir.
~ The Trc- Press on trust. Hut I VS.
not much surprised Nh~n my request
"a. curtly and gruiiiy rvfussi. IN tboss
dtys, though, wasa PRETTY chosky boz
ani frlt dcsprntr. Zoe saw small
fortune Ia pfusp~,t II my telegraph opsr-
aior had Kept hls vori a point on which
I Nas It'll atfif~ douhful. Ncrying NV.
elf fur grvat .tfusr. I marched up.
stair. into ~. ofiic. - Wilbuf y. story
hlm.slf. anil asked a. sc- him. \ frw
minutes later I Nas shown Va in him.
told him " ho ! was ani that ] vaui~l
Dies Ass.irs,i cupis. ~ the paper 90
credit. Th- tall, thin. dafk-~y-'l. a.c.tl',
looklng man .isrrl ~ mr for q moment,
and then scrnich-l few wopls "u I
siip - PAPER. Take that down stair.
AID b., and you v w grt What you want.
Nni - dI. rll~n felt happier thar
hs,r r,rt frlt since.
Il tnok nv dfiren hundred papsrs
got thru but.t o help me foil thru, aus
mauuts,i thu train. al sgug o. hnd oul
whether the Telegraph operator hal Kept
hi wurl. VI ~. town where our FRI
stop was made usually soldtNo pap"rs
" M. train swung Int" that station
booked ahead. snd thouem uhcrr mus
D. fio, going on. \ big crowd hll0'
the platform. ani q. the traln hrrw AZ
h-gan a. r,alifr that thrv wanted ml
pafers. BEFORE W lsft ! had .old
hundr,sl 90 two at i've rrnis aPlec~. "
the neNt station the plaC. Vas falfl,
black with t-uple. I rais~l The ant"
and .old ihrr- hundred paper AZ -
rent. cach. ~ " went on until Tor
Huron Vas fvache,l. 1hsn ltnnsfrrr'r
NV rvmaining sio,k o. the wagon vhlrl
alsav. waited Tor me their. hlrd
small hov a. III on the plir ~ paI'"rs in ih
hack ~ the wagon, ." az a. discouni an
pilicrlng. aud .old out every paper hn'
~ quarter ~ dollar or NOR rcf copy
I r,msm,,-r Ia..~,i churh full %
worshlpIer.. and stopped a. y,ll cat az
news. IN ten seconds there was not
.oal left IN meeting NJ uf them. inclui
Ing The par.on. wrrv clustered ar"un'
me. bidding against zach other iot copir
~ ms prrciou. paper.
"Noa can understand Why II struck ~
th~n that The telegraph must be- ahou
thu i~.t thing going. Zoe Il Sas the telc
graphic notice. on the bullstin-i'osr'l
that hal done ~. trick. drtrrnln~'
nj one. a. b-comr a telegraph operator
Hut II Il HADN'T hr-n fur Wllbur D >,or.l
I should never have fully appreciated III
wonders II electrical scIsnc~."