Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-27
VOICE OF BISMARCK
SPOKEN TO A PHoNoGRAPH ON
HIS list BIRTHDAY.
Cylinder Was Boxed and Not Used
Until Observation-Disclosures as
to Russia.

Translated from Phonogrs phische Zeitschrift.
We have communication to make to our
readers-one which will create the greatest
interest in the entire civilized world.
1T Is well known that In the year 1884
Thomas A. Edison sent one OF his repre-
sentatives to Germany. and that, he ex-
hibited his first photograph before Emperor
William. 1t was an apparatus which was
furnished. instead of the wax cylinder used
at the present time. with a brass one. over
which stencil sheet was fastened. The
apparatus was available for the recording
and repeating, yet 1t was not only impos-
| sible to repeat the experiment often. but
also to take the stencil sheet rom off the
cylinder without destroying the ponograph-
&c script. 1t is likewise well known that
the old emperor was presented with such
an apparatus, but It was not so well
known that Bismarck. the Iron Chancellor,
| was interested in the apparatus. and OBJ
tanned one some time later. This fact, as
has been recently found out, Is of greater
Importance than Ii was possible to think.
The imperial chancellor had understood
already at that time the Importance which
this invention would exert in future years,
for on his seventy-first birthday. April l..
1886. he had recorded long speech on the
cylinder, and ordered the apparatus and
into box. The box was provided with an
inscription reading as follows: To be
opened In the year 1905 o. v. B.
Letter From Friedrichsruhe.
This box reached some time ago the ed
| itor of the Phonograph!sche Zeitschrift
| Photographic JournaD. who had received
some time previously the following letter
from Friedrichsruhe:
"I have the honor to inform you, by or
der of the administration of the Prince
Bismarck castle. that an old Edison phono-
graph has been found among the effects
| left by the deceased Prince Otto Won Bis
marck. who had recorded speech on that
| apparatus on April L. 1886. The box con-
tanning the photograph has been opened
but lately on account OF the express desire
of the late prince. A note attached to the
photograph contained the following words:
| This photograph contains a short speech
OF mine. II the technique in some twenty
years hence. will have found the means to
multiply phonograms, I wish that the Ger
man people should keep this remembrance
of their first chancellor. Q. w. B..
SHOULD you find 1t possible to multiply
the record the administration or the castle
would have nothing against your sending
1t for this purpose to firm, the name OF
which beg of you to forward me-"
In short the box reached Berlin and the
record proved absolutely intact. Upon con-
sutation with some OF the most experienced
practitioners II was decided not to make a
galvanoplastic reproduction OF the record,
for other experiments with old apparata OF
the kind showed that such procedure could
not be adopted Another mode was found
to reach this aim, namely the copying OF
the record by means Of the duplicating ma
chine. Experiments had proved the abso-
ell records. In spite of this 1t was with
trembling and shaking that the work was
started.
A Priceless Document
Should It prove a failure the world would
be deprived of one OF the most priceless
documents relating to one of Its greatest
men A breathless silence reigned among
those present when the duplicating machine
reproduced with its low. humming tone, the
speech of the iron chancellor, some words
| Of which were even then audible-for the
first time after 1t had been spoken twenty
years ago by the lips which closed In eter-
proved a success. when the wax cylinder
was found perfect by the examiners eyes,
and when 1t began to talk on the new Edi-
son apparatus then were the few listeners
were witnessing a revelation.
These are the words which came dis
unctly forth from the horn:
"A government, the reins of which rest
In the hands OF the greedy. the novarum
rerum cupid, and Of the orators, who pos
sess in the highest degree the capacity OF
lying to the unreasoning masses, will al
| ways be doomed to unrest In Its develop
ment. which cannot be followed by such
important masses as those constituting part
Of national government without harming
| masses. to which belong powerful nations
In their life and development, can advance
only with the greatest caution, for the
roads along which they rush toward an I'M
known future are not smooth iron rails.
Each great national government, In which
the cautious and restraining influence OF
the class possessing wealth. be 1t OF ma
terial or Intellectual origin. is lost, will be
similar to that Of the first French revolu-
ton. breaking up the government
New Mode of Government.
Russia will likewise. when. after the
| peace treaty of Portsmouth CEngiand, q
new mode Of government will be inaugu-
rated in that country, not be saved from
returning to absolutism only in case the at
tainment of liberty Is proceeded with slowly
and gradually The greedy element has
on Its side the preponderance OF the
greater mass. It Is in the interest of this
mass itself to desire that this evolution
should take place without dangerous haste
and without destruction Of the government.
Should the latter however take place, then
in short time a dictatorship will be its
historical outcome. carrying the nation
back to autocracy, to absolutism. for even
the masses feel in the end the necessity
of order, and, IL they do not acknowledge
this a priori. they will acknowledge 1t
through many an argument ad hominem In
the end, and will buy order through dicta-
torship and cesarism by voluntary sacrifice
of the lawful and permissible degree of lib
erty, admitted and suffered by the Euro
pean governmental circles without falling
into diseased condition"
The cylinder was rotated twice and the
multiplying was then proceeded with. The
copper matrix was without a haw and the
first copies have just arrived at our office
The contents Of the cylinder are very char
acteristio The noise accompanying the
talk Is not very strong; It is true that q
cracking Il heard at regular intervals,
proceeding from the Joining OF the stencil
sheet. The chancellor speaks in the be-
ginning In q somewhat confused and hest
tating manner, but later on his speech
grows warmer and some of the words are
specially emphasized: toward the end q
certain fatigue is noticed.