The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1893-09-05
THE PHONOGRAPH.
Experience of a Country Newsp9-
per Man at Chicago.

Edison's phonograph has a mag
nificent setting forth, and you can
investigate and enjoy this facinat-
ing instrument to your hearts con-
tent utterly free of the annoying
nickel. Beautiful young ladies will
very obligingly explain the wonderl
full instrument to. your perfect un-
derstanding, and treat you as nice
| y az though they thought you were
going to buy one of them-one OF
the machines | mean. You will be
interested to learn how the phono-
graph is being used for teaching
Languages, also in commercial life.
The man of business talks his
communications into the instru-
ment's mouthpiece. Later, the
typewriter, at her leisure, which is
thing a typewriter is very fond of,
hangs the tubes in her dainty ears,
the dented wax gives back the
words of the man of business, and
the typewriter puts the matter into
a letter. Or the wax cylinder is
talked full, sent off by mail, and
the words reproduced in the most
distant point. 1t seems like witch
craft.
perhaps you would like to talk
into it YOURSELF" the pretty girl
asked, in the s,, eetest tones, after
she had treated me to cylinder af-
ter cylinder, of songs and brass
bands and exercises in the German
language.
said thought it would be nice.
So she put brand-new wax cylin-
der ON the machine, nicely adjusted
the mechanism, and babe me speak
into the mouthpiece. [ never felt
so bashful in my life.
II dont't know what to say" l
stammered, after looking vacantly
into the mouthpiece and then
around the building and then into
the pretty eyes of the attendant.
Suppose you begin"
So she uttered a few remarks,
and one or two other people took
hold of the thing and said some
thing, looking foolish all the while.
lCil lIh6HISC COOh llOIu al dliIs
"The photograph is,-the-the
monograph is-a-" I began, in a
Frightened tone.
You must speak louder" she
explained.
So L spoke louder, but [ don't
know what L said, and L even sang
a feeble little verse, till people who
had been listening began to move
away with a wearied look on their
faces, and the young lady shut off
the power.
"Now, if you will listen through
the tubes" she continued, ''you
will hear repeated all that has
been spoken into it."
So l hardened. The little ma
chine buried and whizzed and then
began talking. 1 recognized the
young Iady's remarks, and what
the other people had said, every
syllable exactly reproduced, and
then the thing began to stammer
and halt and give forth what
seemed to be the remarks of
young man with red hair and
blue necktie, who, never having
been in public life, is unexpectedly
elected to preside at a parish meet
ing and has to return thanks for
the honor conferred upon him.
There were some hemmings and
hawings and a number of whist
ling noises, interspersed with elo
quent pauses, and I could hear
the instrument break forth into a
cold Precipitation as it finished the
remarks. Then [ put the tubes
carefully down.
am to understand, am I, that
those concluding stanzas represent
what spoke into the machine ?"
1 asked in a mild and inoffensive
tone.
Just the same" the young lady
replied, with PARKWAY look in her
eye.
My tones, my words-every-
thing ?"
"Everything," she said.
So that explains it. 1 know now
why the people do not ask me to
sing oftener. I understand why
they do not ask me to sing 90
Promise Me-" and Daddy Won't
buy me a Bow-wow," and such
things, at concerts, and why no.
body ever comes to me when the
regular tenor is away and asks me
to take his place for a Sunday in
the choir. l have felt hurt about
these things, and thought 1 was
kept down by jealousy, but now
my mind is cleared of misunder-
standing that might have lain upon
it forever, had not Mr.. Edison in
vented his monograph. How CRATE
full l am to him.
"And do 1 understand" I said
to the young lady, "that this cyl
inder, upon which 1 have imprinted
these remarks, can be preserved ?"
For centuries" she answered.
and my voice, with the infor
nation it fails to convey, produced
indefinitely ?"
"While the world lasts" she
said.
HP,t - T ,,urera,l 1a+t;pr opv