The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-04-03

to-day, who has an inventive turn VI
mind. do to win success as an inventor:
This question was put to Mr.. 1hoiiias
A. Edison a few days ago. If any man
living, by virtue of his own wonoerlui
successes in the field of inYentloh' -
comnetent TO answer it. Mr.. Edison Is
the man.
The fact that he never speaks OF what
he is going to- do, but always OIL Wiiat
he has done, gives his remarks .oh ti's
subject the greatest value. f1ls Ca
pacity for taking pains, which Cailsie
said was the essence of genius, Is IN
deed infinite. and his assertion is thar
this and this alone is what has given
him success.
IF Won want "a recipe for how to sue
coed as an inventor said Mr.. Edison,
II can give it to you in very few
words, and it will do for any other bus
mess in which you might wish TO en-
gage. First, find out if there is real
need for the thing which you want to
invent. Then start in thinking about 1T.
Get IN at 6 o'clock the first lnornlng and
work until 9 O'Clock the next morning.
Keep on doing this until something in
your line develops itself If it don't
do so pretty soon, you had better shorten
your sleeping hours and work little
harder while You are awake. If you
follow that rule, you can succeed as an
inventor, or as anything else for that
matter. 1t was the following of just
such a rule that led to the Gnvention of
the electric light, the photograph and
the kaleidoscope"
ANY ONE MAY BECOME AN IN
vVENTOR.
II believe" he continued, "that any
person, even of the most limited capac-
ity, could become an inventor by sheer
hard work You can do almost anything
/. if you keep at it long enough. OF course.
the man with a natural aptitude would
get there first, but the other plodder
would eventually gain his point. The
constant brooding on the one thing is
sure to develop new ideas concerning ii.
and these, in their turn, suggest Others,
and soon the completed idea stands out
before You. Above all things a man
must not give up once he has outlined
his plan of action. A ball rolling down
hill is sure to reach the bottom ultl-
mately. no matter how many obstacles
stand in the way. 1t is this principle
which finally levels mountains. 50,
once fairly on your way, don't stop be-
obstacle in front of you. What you
want may be just beyond your nose.
though Won do not see it.
II once had that fact forcibly pre-
scented to me. was working on an in
vention and finally reached a point when
j could go no further. The thing lacked
something. but, try as i might, | could
not tell what it was. Finally | got an
CRY at it and threw the whole business
out of the window. Afterwards j
thought how foolish the action was and
I went out and gathered up the wreck.
In putting it together again j saw just
what was needed. Repairing the bro
ken portions suggested it, and it was SO
simple that / wondered | had not seen
it before. Now that little addition to
the apparatus could have been ascer-
tanned by little thoughtful experiment.
alton. / suppose j found it out quicker
because of the accident but that does
not alter the moral OF the incident
HOW HE WORKS OUT HIS IN
MENTIONS.
How do / go about inventing & COR
trivance? Well. that is hard To say.
Everything requires different treatment.
First, as j said, | find ont il there is Il
real need for the thing. Then / 60 ut
it and attack it in every way | can think
out. This multiplied attack soon SIM
rners down, until j get what might be
called a composite idea-something
which is a combination of all | have
thought before. or else the one feasible
idea which really seems to discount all
the rest Having once got started ON
what / think Us the right track / keep
mp the pace until the goal is reached.
Mo. I IN.
the young inventor is to go and do like
wise There is one piece of advice / can
give. however. When a man starts in
TO invent, let him do so with his mind
free from all knowledge Of what has
been done already in the particular field
ne is investigating. For instance, if /
am about to work out something, ! new
err read up on it. nor do | inquire what
has been done on it by other inventors
knowledge of this kind is almost GER
tain to prove a snag III the path of the
inventor
inventor He gets into the rut made by
his predecessors and stops off where
they have stopped. On the other hand,
if he goes in a direction of his own,
there are no ruts ahead of him; nothing.
in fact, TO obstruct his progress. | lave
several times made inventions in this
manner; then when ] haI completed
them | have read up on the subject.
found my own ideas were entirely orig
inal, but at the same time the ideas of
the other fellows were 80 good M to "a
certain point, that ] should have been
tempted to have followed in their foot
steps if ] had done any previous read
ing up.
MEN OF THE SANGUINE, SANDY
KIND"
''Of course the question of natural an
titude enters into the matter, and with
out it no man can become Il star: never
theless, it is an auxiliary attainment.
logged perseverance is really the quail
ity most to be desired. Dogged per
severance is the keystone of success.
In the arts, such as painting, music,
poetry and so forth, very special tenn
permanent may be required, but in the
workshop of science men of the san
gninc, sandy kind come out ahead
The man who keeps at one thing and
never minds the clock is always sure to