The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-02-01
A MACHINE OF THE FUTURE
NikoIa TesIa's Idea of an Inteili-
gent TeIautOmaton.

tNAA EzaE 80 : -Se-@~-s
Sikola Tes9a, the marvellous Servian
scientist, has hsrnessed Niagara II a
man can do that he can 60 about anything
he chooses TO undertake; and it IS for
this reason that many housewives are
building a golden hope upon . new plan
OF the great electrician. outlined not long
ago. TesIa's idea. in brief. is to perfect
'telautomaton. " or an automatcn which
will work under orders from controlling
mind. whether near or distant. hut vii
respond 10 none ether than its individual
master. He claims 10 have already con-
structed one such telautomaton success
tuliy-s boat with propeller, rudder etc,
which he controlled by electric vibrations
from a distance, and which, ne asserts,
behaved just Ike a bInd-folded person
obeying directions received through the
ear"
But Tesla's full plan Is larger than this
preliminary realization Of the mechanical
part OF il. Such a telautomaton as the
one he has begun with has, as ne ex-
plains. only "a borrowed mind. ! pro-
pose to show" he goes OF, that an au-
tomaton may be comtrived which shan
have its own mind. ard by tn s ! mean
that il will be able independent Of any
operator. left enti ely TO self, 10 perform,
In respose to external influences affecting
its sensitive organs, great variety OF
acts and operations. as IL II had intelA-
gerce II viii be able TO follow course
!ad out. or 10 obey orders given far in
advance; it will be capsb'e Of distinguish
ing between what It ought and ought not
TO do" II will BE- no mere mechanical
oontrivance, but a machine embodying
higher principle which viii enable II to
perform its duties as though 1t had intel
iigence, experience judgment, reason, a
mInd"i
Tesla himself designs this perfected te-
lautomaton TO be used In war. 10 prevent
its bloodshed and cruelty. Instead OF
man fighting man in the future he says
that machine must fight machine" But
10 the housewifely mind the very idea
OF sending such a precious thing as the
coming telauton1aton TO be food for pow
der seems an enormous mistake. high
principled machine like that, with intelli-
gence. judgment and experience a ma
chine that will obey orders and follow d.
rections. machine that actually knows
what il ought ard ought not 10 oo-to
wesre that III hopeless wreck on the bat
tleield and keep Bridget in the kitchen!
Consider the case. Bridget lacks intelli-
gence. Judgment. and does not 70 low d.
rections; and if she knows what she ought
and ought not TO DO she gives no symp-
tom OF il. Let US send Bridget 10 the
battlefield. if need be, since women :
rights to all the occupations Of men are
the fashion,; but let us have the telau-
tomaton in every fat, in every household,
and cherish it as the apple Of our eye.
Tesla is now the hope Of the homemaker;
and If he will realize this rapturous do
mestic vision. and patent his telsutoma-
ton forthwith, fortune Sill be his be
yond the dreams Of aysrice; while from
every home in the land the women Of
America, freed by his genius from the
domination OF native and foreign incompe-
tence. will rise up and call him blessed.