Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-02-12
A NIGHT OF HONOR.
Wizard of Menlo Park Feted by Elec-
 trical Engineers.

NEW YORK, Feb. 12-At banquet that for novel effects in decoration in genious souvenirs and noteworthy mes sages of congratulation probably never was eclipsed the American Institute of Electrical Engineers last night at the Waldorf-Astoria celebrated the fifty. seventh birthday of Thomas Ava Edi- son.
 Besides being the natal day of the wizard of Menlo- park it was also the twenty anniversary of the sue cessful introduction of the incandes- cent electric lamp and the founders day of the Edison medal for the best thesis on current Improvements in cleo tricity, which is to be given annually by the institute. >
 MT. Edison sat in front of a galaxy of flags and under pyramid Of eiee- tric lamps, hfty-seven in number, with a painting of his humble birthplace in Ohio and the shield of the Buckeye State over his head, the coats of arms of New Jersey, .ghere his inventions have been made, and the Empire State, whence his great achievements have been sent broadcast throughout the world. A. -'- :-~r f. In front of him on the guest table stood miniature confections showing his inventions. Across the room stretch ed wires connecting with poles, whence ran cables to Marconi apparatus. At his right hand was the original quad ruplex sender which he invented when hardly more than 8 boy. At the receiv ing end was quadruplex, the last one that was used i'm the Postal Telegraph company's Baltimore office when the operators were driven out by the fire.
 The room was aglow with thousands of electric bulbs strung around the dou ble galleries and the walls and festoon- ed on the dozens of small tables, and when the smiling inventor sounded '"73" l(compliments) the room fairly shook with the cheers of the guests, and the tiny lamps twinkled q silent wireless message of congratulation.
 The president of the institution, Bion J. Arnold, told of the suggestion of celebrating the occasion by raising a fund for giving an Edison medal an nualiy to the student in the American o0AuNA0A SOiAE&V "AO WI1AGS LAG best thesis on current electrical achievements. MT. T. c. Martin, toast master, introduced MT. Edison in the following words:
 ''The American Institute of Elec- trical Engineers Is proud to embrace in it's membership the foremost inventors of the age and the greatest captains of industry and has placed upon its golden tablets many an suspicious dis covery and art to celebrate, but it surely could find no worthier hero among them and no greater gift to mankind to siSnalize than the man and the lamp around both of whom we twine tonight the laurel wreaths of our admiration and our love: the prolific patentee who kept the path way to the patent office hot with his footsteps for nearly forty years; the genius, our comrade, who took this lit tie crystal bulb in his promethean hand and with it helped to give the world glorious new light which nev- CT was before on land or sea, Thomas ~A Alva Edison .-..,-,- '-
 The following message was received from President Roosevelt:
 "I congratulate you as one of the Americans to whom America owes much, as one of the men whose life work has tended to give America no small portion of it's present position in the international worId''
 From Signor Marconi:
 Hearty congratulations. Sorry | cannot be present to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of your great invention