, 1891-03-11
AN ELECTRICAL FEAST.
WONDERS OF ELECTRICITY START
LINGLY DISPLAYED.

Bright Eyes in Bony Sockets CLEAN q
scpuIchraI wHrninE-Ben Franklin In
Antique Dress Repeats Poor
MISUNDERSTANDING skulls.
The annual dinner Of the franklin Ex-
detrimental club, Of Nc wark, n. j., WAS the
Weirdest affair Of the kind that was ever
given, and a society reporter would have
been at his wits end to write it up
William ]. Hammer, who was EdIson's
representative at the Paris exposition, wac
the prime spirit in the enterprise, and no
one can disCredit the fact that the dinner
was the most original ever given. Only
think Of this: il was presided over by Ben
Franklin in person. who made a very grace
full speech and welcomed the guests. He
sat at the head Of the board, his long white
hair hanging over his shoulders, dressed in
a suit Of brown brOadcloth, with lace at
his neck and wrists-a fashion strangely
out OF date AT present, il is true-Hnd he
talked in a way that sounded something
like Old Richards almanac and something
like the language Of the court Of louis
XVI
The laboratory bad been transformed
from its worJaday world appearance As II
by magic. In the center Of the room there
was a long, uHrrOw table, the ordinary
work bench Of the place, covered with
snow white napcry aud adorned with what
looked like luscious fruits, fr-sh flowers
aud sparkling glass.
WORDS FROM SKULLS.
The guests sat down and were served
will the first course There was no chef
employed. II was cooked by electricity,
and in fact 50 was everything. down to the
coffee, which was made over wires. The
diners had no sooner got their teeth into
samples from a deliciously stewed dish Of
oysters, when bnnGi out went the mean
descent lights and darkness reigued. Then
there appeared out OF the hadows a couple
Of hideous, grinning skulls. Their eyes
shOne fire, their mouths shot forth flames.
Their jaws moved with a swapping like a
~crocodile's, and from their invisible throuts
there came forth two sepulchral voices in
unison;
As yo are now 50 once were We:
As we are now so yc shall be.
1t was n pleasing appetizer. Mr.. Ham
mer had, as If by magic, brought them out
OF space somehow, ana had, by the subtle
use Of a battery and a photograph, made
eyes CLEAN where in reality only sockets
were, and their ncshless jaws move AS II
alive. Mr., Hammer has a friend who has
II deep bass voice which seems to issue from
his feet, and he IL was who was pressed
into service for the manufacture OF the
Photographic sound OF course. after the
mechanism OF the thing WAS explained,
every man had IA good laugh on his neigh
Dor.
The lights were turned up again and an
other ours was introduced. All unsus.
pecting, the various guests began to enjoy
the product cooked by electricity. But
with Ben Franklin at the table there was
small chance for sybaritic enjoyment Of the
v-..N VTaH4N Lw-EHE.- 80. ILL l.-#----.
smile, when suddenly there issued from his
waNeu gullet the following s]ententious
maxim:
ooR R|GClARD's wAIsNING.
"A fat kitchen makes n lean will; il you
would know the value Of money try and
borrow some"
And so the dinner went on. Inthe midst
Of it suddenly there burst forth the sound
Of II delicious voice. II was Mime. Admits,
OF the Grand Opera, in Paris. She sang a
few notes, and then suddenlythere merged
into hers the deep notes of a rich basso.
That was Melchissedec's Together they
were pouring forth the inspiriting music
of the "Marseillaisc." Next there came
the booming OF cannon, the thrilling notes
Of n grand bugle solo, with its echoes
against the buildings Of Paris. and finally
n mans voice again making IA graceful
little address.
by the deNterous placingo OF a phonograph
the guests at the strange little dinner at
Newark had been transported away across
the Atlantic, and were listening to the last
closing exercises Of the Paris exposition.
The mans voice distinctly heard making a
speech was NJ. Eiffel's.
In the place that a sorbrt would natural
ly occupy in an ordinary dinner the lights
suddenly went out again. and "A strange
thing happened. Near the middle of the
table there had been throughout tue din
ner a great globe Of gold fishes, through
which flashed the varied colored lights
that had been turned on from time to
time. All of "a sudden, as II a magician
had waved his wand, the globe became IL
lumined with a monochrome. In the
globe OF glass were seen swimming about
the little live fishes Of gold or silver, which
were a. transparent as those tiny affairs
that fukirs sell in the streets for the amusc-
meut of children.
All the anatomy Of the shiny fishes was
plainly discernible. And they swan and
swan about as II nothing more unusual
had occurred than was natural with the
nnny folk, Yet ench one of these fishes
had inserted down his throat-down into
his stomach-a miniature electric light
about the size Of u big pea, and was sailing
about with "A thin, hairlike wire in its gull
let that was almost invisible to the naked
eye,
SURPRISES IN EVERY COURSE.
So the inner went on, and with every
course, with every other minute, some
strange, uncanny thing was done by the
magical intervention of electricity. The
oysters were stewed by the same mystical
force, so were the eggs boiled, so the water
for the punch was heated. Between whites
once, for instance, the lights went out and
there appeared on the table a miniature
mcnageric, the inmates OF which had blaz-
ing eyes, MOUTH splitting forth flames like
the animals in the Apocalypse, and all
were doing some surprising thing.
Just as the Bouquet was ending all the
flowers o~verhanging the table fell in
showers upon the guests below, Tiny bits
Of iron had been attached to each rose or
caruation, which were held in their places
by the attraction Of a mugnet. When the
circuit was broken the fiowery shower fol-
lowed. The air was kept cool all the time
by steel fans worked by electricity, and
among the numerous other odd things that
happened was the sudden burst Of piano
music that broke in upon the banquet.
This was produced by a subtle telephone
connection with a piano in the next block,
played by Ryoung woman who was notified
by u local telegraph when her services
were required, Mr.. Edison, through the
medium Of Il photographic cylinder, made
s)me pleasant remarks about Franklin, and
through a like Medium De Wolf Hopper's
robust voice filled the apartment with
the topical song you Can ALWAYS Elk.
Main IL Awayn At II O'clock shurD tho