Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-08-07
SHOWING HE pAoNoeAApA.
An Interesting Machine That Taught ono
Man Very Sober Lesson.

An Interesting Machine That Taught Ono
Man Very Sober Lesson.
Fdison's photograph has a magnificent
setting forth, and you can investigate and
enjoy this fascinating instrument to your
hearts content utterly free Of the annoy
ing nickel Beautiful young ladies will
very obligingly explain the instrument TO
your perfect understanding and treat you
as nicely as though they thought you were
going to buy one OF them--one OF the ma
chimes, mean. You will be interested 10
learn how the phonograph is being USED
for teaching languages, also In commercial
life. The man Of business talks his COM
munications into the instruments mouth.
piece. Later, the typewriter, at her leisure,
hangs the tubes in her dainty ears, aud
dented wax gives back the words of the
man OF business, aud the typewriter puts
the matter into letter. Or the wax cylin-
der Is talked full, sent of by mail and the
words reproduced at the most distant point.
It seems like witchcraft.
Perhaps you would like to talk into It
YOURSELF" the pretty girl asked in the
sweetest tones after she had treated me TO
cylinder after cylinder of songs and brass
bands and exercises in the German Ian
guage.
said thought 1t would be nice. So she
put brand new wax cylinder on the ma
chine, nicely adjusted the mechanism and
babe me speak into the mouthpiece
never felt so bashful In my life
II don't know what to say" | STAN
mered after looking yacantly into the
mouthpiece and then around the building
and then into the bright eyes of the at
tendant. Suppose you begin"
So she uttered "A few remarks, and one or
two other people took hold OF the thing
and said something looking foolish all the
while. Then | likewise took hold again.
"Say what you think OF the phono-
graph" suggested the young woman, see
ing that i felt my position keenly.
''The photograph is-the-the phono-
graph is-a"-I began in frightened tone.
"You must speak louder, she explained.
So spoke louder. but didn't know what
I said, and 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 Indy shut off the
power
Now, II you will listen through the
tubes,n she continued, you will hear re
peated all that has been spoken into it,"
So l he6rkened. The little machine
blurred and whizzed and then began talk
ing. | recognized the young lady's re-
marks, and what the other people had said
every note and syllable exactly repro
duced, and then the thing began to STAN
| mer and halt and give forth what seemed
| to be the remarks Of young man with red
hair and a blue necitie, who, never having
| been in public life, is unexpectedly elected
TO preside Mt parish meeting and has to
| return thanks for the honor conferred upon
| him. There We're some hemmings and
| hawings, and n number Of whistling noises
| interpreted with eloquent pauses and /
| could hear the instrument break forth into
cold perspiration as It finished the re-
marks. Then | put the tubes carefully
down.
81 am To understand, am l, that those
concluding stanzas represent what | spoke
into the machiney" asked ~ Il mild and
inolIensiye tone,
Just the s0me,n the young lady replied,
with faraway look in her eye.
My tones, my words-everything"
"Evcrythipg," she said.
So that explains 1t. l know now why
people do not aspire to sing oftener. UNI
derstand why they do not ask me TO sing
"Oh, Promise Me" and Daddy Won't Buy
Me Bowwow," and such things at con
certs, and why nobody ever comes to me
when the regular tenor is away and asks
me to take his place for Sunday in the
choir. have felt hurt about these things
and thought | was kept down by jealousy
but now my mind is cleared Of misunder
standing that might have lain upon it for
ever had not Mr., Edison invented his pho
nograph. How grateful am to him
And do | understand" l said to the
young Indy "that this cylinder upon which
| have imprinted these remarks can be pre-
servedt'
"For Centuries" she answered.
And my voice, with the information II
fails to convey, reproduced indefinitely"
while the world lasts, " she said.
But" | pursued, getting anxious, 81
understand you can pare off that wax cyl
Under, destroying the evidence, and use II
for more vital purposes. Am / righty
quite right" she observed.
Miss Edison" said in trembling
voice, 81 am not rich, as men count riches
but here is 81 50'--
give yourself no uueasness," the young
lady reiOined. 81 shall destroy the cylin
der, We always do
know what II weird, uncanny thing is you
own voice until it comes out OF phono
graph. You think you know its sound
but the sound you hear when you speak 4
not what you bore other people with.
! shall try not to talk 80 much hereafter
w. o. Fuller, Jr., in Rockland IN. Y.
Tribune.