The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1904-05-19

great laboratory, IN winch upwards or
eighteen hundred men are kept constantly
/ at work on his ideas.
| Though Edison's rule of life is to be
out of bed by seven o'clock in the morn
/ ing, he makes an exception on Sunday.
/ 1T is very hard to conceive of time when
! the Edison brain is not working; for
even on Sunday. which day he calls his
''loafing day." his notebook is ever at
hand and he often spends hours jotting
down plans and ideas TO be worked on
during the coming week. AS a rule,
however, the children and the home alb
serb the larger portion Of his time. In
the pranks and antics of his youngest
son Theodore-aged four years-or Teddy
as his father calls him, Edison takes the
greatest delight. On Sundays it is Ted
dy's duty to light all the cigars which
Edison srnokes-the average being about
five day Teddy will sit beside his father
by the hour watching the curling smoke
ascend from the dwindling cigar. His
match is even ready Often, to try his
patience, Edison will smoke his cigar
down to the last analysis, even sticking
| a penknife into the extreme end to get
the last puff Teddy stands the ordeal
very well and seems quite repaid for his
long wait when allowed to light the next
one.
Edison has never been a great stickler
for dress and on Sunday he INDUCES his
propensities for what he calls making
himself comfortable. With large pair
of slippers on his feet and wearing a
suit of clothes that has evidently seen
better days, he lounges about in odd hooks
and corners of his rambling mansion.
glancing over his American Sunday
newspapers or looking at picture books
with his children. Occasionally Edison ac-
companies his wife and daughter to the
church on Sunday afternoons but it is
not often that church entices him out of
his old clothes. He once volunteered to
go just as he was but Mrs Edison
would not hear of this, and so a species
of deadlock arose. Another thing which
has prevented Edison from being one of
the church members is his deafness. He
cannot hear word spoken unless it is
almost shouted.
The story of how Edison became deaf
is little known. When quite young
lad, he Travelled on the American trains
which are all of the corridor type-and
made his living selling newspapers. maya
zines and sweets. BY arrangement with
the guard in the baggage-van. he had
small corner where he studied chem
itsry at odd moments. One day, peice
of phosphorus dropped on the floor and set
the car on fire. Though the flames were
Immediately extinguished. the guard was
so angry that he threw all the chemicals
off the train and by way Of punishment
lifted Edison by his ears. This violence
broke both ear-drums and the inventor
became deaf permanently. Edison often
says. however that he prefers to be deaf.
You can thing better" he said to me-
when mentioning the train incident Be
sides" he added there are lots of things
that people say that are not worth hear
ing"
The ha bit of work is so strong in Edi-
son that Mrs. Edison has to keep pretty
sharp watch on him on Sundays TO pre-
vent him from wandering of to the lab
oratory. Up 10 within a few years ago.
Edison would stay a few hours at the
laboratory each Sunday. but Mrs. Edison
has put her veto on that II she finds he
has slipped out of the house on Sunday
now. she will Immediately go down 70 the
laboratory and bring him back He takes
this all in good part and resigns him
self TO the inevitable
Occasionally on Sunday afternoons at
home Edison gives photograph concerts.
They are usualiyq performed on especially
made monographs brought up 10 the
highest perfection Records from all
parts Of the world are used. Edison has
a large number Of recors which have
been prepare especially for him on the
particular afternoon which the writer
spent with Edison last year a selection
from "Sonambuia' was given Edison had
sent the record 10 italy by one u his
own man and had a great Italian operate
artist sing into for him. Selections from
famous opera, Rotations and other pro
auctions. are Photographed for tha I
entertainment OF the family and also FOR
that Of visitors who may be calling at
the Edison home
on fne afternoons the Edison family 4
may be seen driving about the pretty
NILS and valleys Of the Oranges Z
select residential section of New Iersey I
Edison has several very fne horses and I
delights in driving about with his wife
and one or two % the children in an open
carriage
Altogether the Edison Sunday at Home 1
Is an ideal day for one Il the busiest j
men f. the world On weekdays Edison 1
works AZ such tremendous pressure that i
his sundays are almost compulsory daxs /
OF rest-w. 3 NorthroP. IN Lonco3 |
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