Evening star., 1902-01-18
Men Who Have Made Their Starts
With Him.
MOST ARE NATURAL ELECTRICIANS
But Lawyers and Editors Have
Served Apprenticeships.
ARE RICH AND FAMOUS NOW
Written for The Evening Star.

Written for The Evening Star.
Thomas A. Edison has invented many
great men. Some of these have become SCI
entists, like Kennedy; some have become
inventors, like Tesla; some have become
Hell-known business men, like Samuel In
sull; others have become engineers, like
Lieut.. Sprague; many have become million
aires. This will surprise many persons who
have looked upon Mr.. Edison as a mere in
ventor Of mechanism, yet it is fact that
more than twenty men who have received
training under him have gone forth from
his laboratory and have become noted men
In the world. In fact, it has almost passed
into an axiom that intimate association
with Thomas A. Edison means ultimate
success and fortune for any man.
One who has been with the inventor for
many years, who has watched these men
come in as pupils and go out splendidly
equipped for the battle of life, was asked
to tell who they are and the process Of
their instruction.
'It is a fact" he replied, "that many Of the
men who have worked here with Mr.. Edi-
son have become prominent in many ways.
1t has been set down to coincidence and to
the opportunities they have had for form
ing powerful friendships while in the lab
oratory, but there Is another and more po-
tent reason for their success. 1t is the
HI.
able out Of raw material and by the power
Of example to create q working force in a
man equal almost to that In himself. In
the first place, he would never have a man
around unless he were quick to learn and
to execute. He cannot endure q stupid
man, and he is very frank to tell man
that he is stupid and to clear him out. The
result is that the men who have gotten
along with him all had good natural ca
pacity 1t was a survival Of the fittest. All
men thrown with him find him democratic
and willing to listen to any suggestion they
may make to him. He always had the eff
feet of making his men work hard by Civ
ing them a first-class example He taught
them that II an experiment failed 1t should
be regarded only as an incentive to make
more experiments That is the lesson a
man learns from Edison-never to give up
In fact, any man with reasonable ability
will have his faculties quickened by con-
tact with Edison. The laboratory Is like a
university, and he is it's active president
At any rate, no ordinary university has
turned out greater percentage Of great
men than this laboratory. See how the list
swells.
Tesla Heads His Class.
Tesla stands first among Edison grad
yates in point Of fame. He came to the
works a mere youth. with little knowledge
of practical electricity. He entered the
testing laboratory and learned how to ex-
pertinent. OF course, his natural capacity
puSneQ MIN on, out at tfkat time he said to
me that succeeding under Mr. Edison was
not the result of what one learns from the
inventor so much as it was absorbing the
spirit with which Edison works. Undoubt-
edly Tesla received his greatest impetus
from and owes his present achievements to
what he learned from Edison.
Among the men who have made a mark
in the electrical world is A. e. Kennedy.
He has been president of the Institute of
Electrical Engineers. Mr.. Kennedy was
with Mr.. Edison as mathematician, and is
supposed to be one of the best in the
world He is the only man in America who
| Is able to interpret some of the very intri-
cate systems of mathematics which have
been evolved by that great English electri-
| clan, Oliver Heavysides.
"Aal Of Mr.. Edison's early partners became
I well known in the world and wealthy
They were Charles Bachelor, John Krusie
| e. H. johnson and 8. B. Bergman. Mr.
/ Edison has often said that Bachelor was
/ the cleverest man with his hands that he
had ever known. He was the most patient
| man ever saw. He put the first flamen
| into the incandescent lamp. The flamenti
/ as first made were exceedingly tender and
/ were to be clamped In. As they were of al
| most microscopic size 1t was an undertake
ing which seemed almost impossible
have seen him work for hours and ther