The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1901-12-05
Conspicuous American Exports.
lFrom Ainslee.s Magazlnel

The graphophone is beginning to
figure IS a considerable American ex-
port, and certainly it is one of the
most curious and interesting. While
its commercial uses are beyond the
comprehension or needs of the Persian,
the Hindoo or the South-Sea Islander,
each of them is fascinated by an in
vention which reproduces the familiar
sounds of the human voice and enter
tains him with grand and light opera
and orchestral music. Captain j. W.
Webster, of the transport Milwaukee,
who took Gen. Cronje to ST. Helena.
amused the old hero and his wife with
graphophone. Although the instru-
ment is common enough in Johannes
berg, the general knew of it only by
report. II heard you had box that
talked like man," he said to Captain
Webster through an interpreter.
Webster, telling the story, gees on:
+" Yes, general, l replied, 'and if you
and Mrs. Cronje will come into my
stateroom / wiz give you an exhibit
tion.' They sat down soberly IN front
of the talking box, and 1 slipped in a
cylinder, containing Moody and Sank
ey's hymn, The Ninety and Nine,
which l had been told they sang in
their own language. The effect was
startling. They recognized the tune
at once, and Mrs. Cronje burst sudden
ly into tears. Her husband turned
away and wiped his eyes, and / could
see by the spasmodic clasping and un-
clasping of his hands that General
Cronje himself was deeply affected. TIC
relieve the tension / put on record
with a lively banjo solo, and in mo-
ment the old gentleman began to smile
and beat time with his feet and head,
bis gray beard wagging to the melody.
1t was funny TO see him. When the
music had ceased black Kaffir boy, a
boy servant. who had followed the
party in, said awesomely that there
was devil in the box. Cronje frown-
ed down the suggestion, but asked
whether it wasn't done by some trick.
like ventriloquism, making an express
sive gesture with his lips. To satisfy
him, l took the machine apart and ex-
planned the principle, and he seemed
deeply interested. l left the instru-
ment at St. Helena.
The Shah of Persia saw the graphic
phone at the Paris Exposition, and
was so entertained by it that he COM
missioned his minister to the United
States to procure the best specimen
that money could buy. \ graphophone
reproducing operate and march music
on the most elaborate scale was speci-
ally constructed for him, and shipped
to Teheran last Spring. From Batoum
to the capital the medium of trans
pCrtation was the drOmedary, and
surely the export trade had never fur
nished such a singular contrast. If
the faithful MohamInedan who had
not enjoyed the Shah's advantages as
traveller and visiting potentate could
have heard the graphophone render
ing Sousa's Presidents March" he
would have thought the ship of the
desert was carrying an unholy, heather
thing to the palace at Teheran.
Perhaps the strangest place where
the American graphophone has found
welcome is the harem OF the I'M
speakable Turk. No man may enter
there except the lord and master, but
he has graciously permitted the voice
of man to be heard in the marvellous
American talking machine. "No en-
tertainer," says an American resident
of ConstantinOple, twas ever so p0pu-
lar as the graphophone, although the
harem has always been well supplied
with musical instruments. For a long
time, as | am informed by dealer,
it was not clearly understood why SO
many more graphophones per capita
were used in Turkey than in countries
where the homogeneous marriage is in
vogue, and where the prevailing ethics
sanction intercourse among ladies and
gentlemen.
An Evangeists Story.
TT