The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-07-10

We're few, perhaps none. TO share with
him In full the delight of his discoveries.
So far had he strayed from the beaten
ways Of men that he seemed almost to
belong 20 another race.
INVENTORS SHOULD NOT MARRY
do you believe In marriage, Mr..
Tesla. for persons of artistic tempera-
ment?" i asked.
For an artist, yes: for a musician
yes; for writer. yes: but for an In
ventor no. The first three must gain
inspiration from a woman'a influence
and be led by their love TO liner achieve
ments. but an inventor has 50 intense
"a nature with SO much of 1t of wild,
passionate quality, that in giving him
self to woman he might love, he would
give every thing and SO take everything
fiom his chosen field. do not thine
you can name many great inventions
that have been made by married men,"
He paused a moment and then added,
with shade of pathos in his tone. Its
4 pity, too, for sometimes we feel lone
some"
The amount of work Mr.. Tesla does
in day, does every day, Is simply
prodigious. 1t is literally true that his
life Is passed In continuous labor in the
laboratory with occasional intervals for
food and sleep. and after working MI
day long from o'clock in the morning
III % " CiOCh At ne often mas MS
dinner brought to the laboratory and
continues To work until II or II. Twice
In the last two years he has been 10
theater. On very. very rare occa-
sons, when he could not avoid It, he
has needed some social call and enjoyed
II, too, as he admits. although the
thought of going to a reception or even
Ing gathering fills him with dismay In
advance. One of his few relaXations Ia
the half hour he spends every evening
mt the cafe where we met, exchanging
u pleasant word with friends he finds
there.
What do you think about sleep?"
asked. rs II wise for man to deny
himself and get along with u few hours
sleep day SO as To do more wOrk?"
Tesla shook his head. THAT is n
great mistake. am convinced. a man
Is given just SO many hours to be awake
and the fewer of these he uses up each
day, the more days 1t will take to use
them up, that is the longer he Will live.
i believe that a man might live 200 years
if lie would sleep most Of the time,
That Is why negroes often live to adj
vanced old age, because they sleep so
much. Do you know that Gladstone
sleeps seventeen hours every day: that
is why his faculties are still unimpaired
In spite of his great age. The proper
way to economize life is to sleep every
moment that 1t is not necessary or desir-
able that you should be awake. Do
do this myself? No, but here, as In
many other things, am far from being
a model"
AS young man In his native land Of
Monte Negro. Tesla was famous for un-
usual bodily strength, overcoming all
his comrades with little effort in wrest-
ling bouts and feats of prowess. Even
now. despite the neglect of his muscles
he Is a man of remarkable stature and
physical force.
THE TESLA FAMILY.
AS the waiter wa5 bringing some
things that had been ordered ! remark
ed the huency with which Mr.. Tesla
spoke French and asked him how many
languages he knew.
Not very many" he said six. or
seven, or eight; but my father was Il
great linguist; he spoke eighteen Ian
guages. BESIDES that he was q remark
able mathematician"
I saked Mr.. Tesla about the members
OF his family still living, and he told me
that he had three sisters in Servia, for
whom he has the most profound affec-
lion. They were all married, according
TO the custom of the country, at the
early age of seventeen, which, he thinks,
u great mistake.
you have the right IDEAS" he said,
about that in America. When girls
marry at such an early age, they are
old women at thirty-tive."
do your sisters KNOW L asked, 'Of
the great success you have made In this
, country, and the honors that have come
to your"
Yes" said Tesla, they know, and
they worship me: they make 80 much
of what have done because they do
not understand it. 1 would give any
thing to have dhem here with me. but
they would not leave their country. They
could not live away from IT."
HIS BOYHOOD DAYS.
The same lender light beamed into
Tesla's eyes as he spoke of his far away
home and presently he began 10 speak
in lower tone, telling of his boyhood
days In Monte Negro. l was mos; i'm
pressed by his telling how while stu
dent at the university, he nearly died
with an attack of Asiatic cholera.
In that year" he said, 1.-The scourge
was wiping out whole villages In the
little town where my family lived, with
a population of only about 9, 900, as many
| as 1913 died in single day. My father
sent me a message not to come home,
but, needless OF his warning,T staitedan
| made journey on foot. AS / passed
| through little place not far from my
| destination. a bright-eyed girl who
was fond of me brought me bowl filed
| with Sleeps cream, which we regarded
as a great delicacy In drinking this
think absorbed the germs Of the dis
ease. for few hours later, when ha d
scarcely reached my home, I was with
Ing on the floor In the first tortures of
the plague. Then I turned livid and
blue. and the tortures l suffered are be-
yond description. 1t is a miracle that