Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1891-07-18
EDISON AFTER DOLLARS.
W ny the Great inventor. Desires to Acou
nuIafa IA Fortune.

mulate "a
Il saw Edison one day. remarked an
acquaintance, ION the eve of perhaps his
most Notwithstanding his most re-
munerative-discovery, riding IN the cars
to visit great foundry in Connecticut.
He wore long linen buster of ANTIQUE de.
sign, straw hat which was partly frayed
at the edges, and he sat squeezed by the
generous bulk of Prof. George A. Barker
OF the University of Pennsylvania, into a
corner of one the amen seats of the railroad
car. He was then not only the most
famous man on that train, but one OF the
most famous Americans the world over
and he had ali the simplicity of greatness.
And on the following day, when he stood
IN front of a great dynamo, the wind carry
ing his linen buster at an angle of nearly
45 degrees from his legs and a convenient
morsel of his favorite tine-cut revealing IT
self by frequent expectations, be was
really H. the presence of immensely and
solving one OF the riddles of the ages
For it was there that he got his FIRST hint
of the divesibiity Of the electric-hghtinp
current, and it was at that moment that
the Edison electric light WAS created IN
his brain.
Even then Edison had no money saved
He had not learned, as he atterward did
learn, that next to his own intellect the
most powerful influence which he could
have in the solution of the problems he
undertook TO solve was the possession OF
wealth He was generous to fault, not
only with the money which he earned but
with his ideas. 1t was not until he be-
came associated with certain capitalists
who regarded his intellect with awe, and
/ his lack Of money sense with something
like amazement tinged with contempt
that Edison learned the lesson of the value
of money.
When he got his lesson he had it tho
roughly. Abandoned all the countless no
lions which Hoated to his brain unless he
saw in them money value; he measured
his contemplated invention not by the sat
isfactions which they would give him OF
| the fame which he VIC ID attain but theil
! value as business commodities. lie EN-
| ployed, Just as u bank would, competent
| talent to handle his accounts and cash, anc
in the course of two or three years be
| found himself not embarrassed for ready
cash as he had frequently been before; moi
| Obliged TO scurry about here and there tC
raise money, which was an abhorrent oc
cupation to him, but a capitalist, associate
of capitalists. a man esteemed in tinancia
circles not only as a wizard with wonders
| at his beck. but man with bank ac
count, capable of undertaking great ii
nancia operations. He learned. too, t
curb his exuberant and enthusiastic ma
| ture, and he puts ON a mask Of seyerit,
and coldness difficult at all times for hin
| to maintain, but which he found absolute
ly essential for his protection With hi
intimates he was a boy again and he tell
them frequently that when he gets through
feeling like boy and wanting to act witt
the simplicity and heartiness and frank
ness Of boy he wants to go.
Edisou's wealth is almos. impossible t.
estimate. It is very large, and he is ac
cumuating now rapidly, The snowfall
has got to a prodigious size, and it Is con
stantly rolling. AS he is only A years Q
age, the chances are before he reaches Ok
age he will become enc Of the enormousl!
wealthy men of he country.