Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1896-03-19
THE PROFESSORS EYE.
BY ". L. ALDEN.


"There is one thing" said the colonel
us we were walking along the Strand
one evening. "in which London is be
hind the age, and that is in the matter
of electric lighting. Take my own
town Of New Berlinopolisville. 1t hasn't
more than $4,000 inhabitants, but there
isn't gas lamp in the whole place, ex-
cept in few houses. The streets and
most of the houses are lighted with
electricity, and | shouldn't be sur.
prised to find when l get home again
that our people were doing all their
cooking and housewarming by electric
heat. Why you Britishcrs still sticl,
to gas as you do is something that can
not account for.
did | ever tell you about old Prof.
Van Wagner and his electric inven-
tions? Well, this looks like respect
able barroom, and if you say so, we'll
stop in and have little something, and
I'll tell you about the professor. He
was one of our most remarkable men.
and though the general public doesn't
know it, he did more for the cause of
electricity than almost any man in
America, except Edison.
about two years ago." began the
colonel as he slipped his hot Scotch and
tried in vain to tilt back on it's i'm
aginary hind legs the sofa on which he
was sitting, "Prof. Van Wagner went
crazy, as most folk thought. on the sub
ject Of electricity. Incandescent lamps
were his particular style of lunacy, and
he made up his mind that he wouldn't
have any other sortof light in his house.
You see, his sight was beginning to get
a little dim, which made him dissatis-
fed with gas. and then he had knocked
over his kerosene lamp parafin, be-
lieve. you call it over here, though
don't see what right you have to invent
new names for things we Americans
have named-half dozen times, and he
had come SO near to setting the house
on fire that he was anxious to get rid OF
kerosene altogether. Then. again, he
believed that electricity would be
good deal cheaper than gas, provided it
was properly managed. And I'm in
clined to think that he was right. Any
way. he told Mrs. Van Wagner that he
was going to furnish the house with in
candescent lights, and that She might
sell her kerosene lamps and gas fixtures
for what they would bring.
''Now this old professor was not only
an ingenious man, but he was prac-
tical man, which is something that
professor very seldom is. He saw that
it was all a mistake to have lights fixed
in one place, as gas burners are, or to
have them carried about by hand like
ordinary lamps or candles. 'reripatet-
c lamps are what we want said he,
which, suppose. means lamps fastened
on the top of our heads, though | adj
nit that don't know any German to
speak of. So the professor, as soon as
he had taken the gas fixtures out of the
front hall. fitted an incandescent light
On the top or the head of the house
maid and supplied it from q storage
battery that was concealed under the
girls back hair When there was no
need for light in the front hall it was
left in darkness, but whenever anybody
rang at the front door the maid just
turned up her light and answered the
BELL. She was r1thcr pretty girl, and
she made fine effect with the lamp
Flowing on the top Of her head and
lighting up her face in a way that
would have made an ugly face pretty
hard to bear When she showed Wis
tors into the parlor she would walk
in front OF them, lighting the way, and
everybody declared that she was long
way superior to the best light that had
sver been previously known.
Then the professor fitted light in
The inside Of his silk hat and cut open
rgs in the hat to let the light shine
.hrongh. In front Of the hat was Il
window of plain glass; on the right
.idc was one of green glass, and on the
eft side one OF red glass. You see the
professors idea was that his lights
would show which way he was heading
when he went out on the street after
lark. Amy man who knows the rule
If the road, said he. will know by tho
.olor of my lights which way am
reading, and can keep out OF my way.
This was very convenient for the old
gentleman. for. as have said, his sight
vas rather dim, letting alone the fact
hat he had one glass eye, and this be-
ng the case he often ran into people
md horses, and things, when he was
,ut after dark. He made a good deal
II a sensation the first time he APP
,eared on Broadway with his head
light and his side lights burning their
brightest, and, as was natural, he had
pretty big crowd following him. The