Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-04-13
THE BABY WOULDN'T CRY.

Edison Secured the Photographs
Record of His First Born's Woe.
From the New York Herald.
Here is story they tell over. the tea
cups in Orange, N. j., where Edison lives:
The photograph came to the Edison labo-
ratory and the first baby to the Edison
home about the same time, and when the
baby was old enough to say "Goo-goo"
and pull the great inventors hair in a
most disrespectful manner. the phono-
graph was near enough perfection to cap
ture the baby talk for preservation among
the family archives. So Mr.. Edison filed
up several rolls with these pretty inarticu-
lations and laid them carefully away.
But this was not sufficient. The most
picturesque thing about the baby's utter
ances was It's crying. and the record of
this its fond father determined to secure.
How 1t would entertain him in his old age,
he thought, to start the photograph ago
ing and hear again the baby walls Of his
first born.
So one afternoon Mr. Edison tore himself
from his work and climbed the big hill
leading to his house. He went in great
hurry, for he is man who grudges every
working moment from his labor. A work
man followed at his heels. carrying the
only monograph that at that time had
been sufficiently completed to accomplish
Reaching home and the nursery. Mr. Ed
son started the photograph and brought
the baby in front Of it. But the baby didn't
cry. Mr.. Edison tumbled the youngsfer
about and rumpled its hair. and did all
sorts of things, but still the baby didn'
cry. Then he made dreadful faces. but the
baby thought they were very funny ana
crowed JOY ,usly; So back to the lanora :
frame Of mind. for the baby's untimely
good humor had cost him an hour OF WORK
The photograph was also taken back.
But he did not give 1t up. The next al
ternoon he went home again, and the pho
nograph with him. But II the BABY was
good natured the day before, this time 1t
was absolutely cherubic. There was noth.
| ing at all that its father could do that did
NOT make the baby laugh. Even the pho
nograph itself, with it's tiny. whirring
wheels the baby thought was meant Tor
| its special entertainment, and gurgied JOY
| ously. So back to work the inventor wen
| again with a t,mper positively ruffied The
| next day and the next he tried 1t, but all
| to no purpose. The baby would not cry
even when walked suddenly from sleep
| But to battle Edison Is only to inflame ms
| determination, which. by the way, is one
| of the secrets of his success. So at length
after much thought. he made mighty re
| solve. 1t took vast amount OF oetefHn
nation on his part to screw himseiI up &c
| the point Of committing the awful deed
| hut he succeeded at last, and one morning
| when he knew his wife was down town, n.
| went quietly nome Win the phoHosi opi
and stole into the nursery, where the bah!
| greeted him with customary glee.
Starting the machine. Mr.. Edison ordere.
the nurse to leave the ROOM Then he tool
the baby on his knee and barred Its chuDb!
| little leg He took the tender flesh De
tween his thumb and finger. clenched NJ
teeth, shut his eyes tight and made read!
to-yes, actually to pinch the baby's leg.
But Just at thst fateful moment tn
nurse peeped through the door. and per
ceiving the horrid plot founced in and res
cued the baby in the nick Of time.
Mr. Edison breathed a mighty sigh OF re
lief as he gathered up the photograph an
went back to the laboratory. He then CAV
UP the project of phonographing the baby
crying.
But not long afterward he accomplishe
his purpose after all, and quite unexpec,
edly too AS soon as the baby was oil
enough to take notice." its doting mothe
took it down to the laboratory one SUM
day, and when the big machinery wa
started a-roaring. the baby screwed up II
face, opened its mouth and emitted serie
of woeful screams that made Mr.. Ediso
leap to his feet.
stop the machinery and start the pho
nographr' he shouted, and the record &
his baby's crying was then and there az
complished.