The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-09
EDISON RETURNS FROM VACATION Wanted to Kiss the Statue F8 of Liberty
 
 ROADS WONDERFUL
ROADS
Edison Has Not Made Any Profound Study of the Aeroplane But
 Does Not Think Much of It Commercially

New York. October S.-Thomas A. Edi- son returned today from his first vaca- tion in 2S years on board the Hamburg American liner Amerika.' He was ac- companied by Mrs. Edison and tneir children, Madeline and Theodore. The wizard of Llewellyn park said that when inc Amerika came off the Statue of Lib erty he was so glad to see her that he could hardly restrain himself from pop ping his head out of the port hole or his stateroom to kiss her.
 .sShe looks better to me-" said MT. Edison, than anything have seen since left, and at that have worn out three sets of rubbers. 1 went away with & pretty solid column to support my head, but I've come back with neck like crane.
 What is my impression of the people on the other side? Well, I'll tell you. They are too thick-too wide-but at that they've all got American machinery. I've seen miles and miles of it. l saw one of the boys out of my laboratory over in Germany and he has charge of 14,0O0 men
 "Europe thinks too much of war There are forts and guns on every hand and special agents always on the lookout for spies.
 ''rhe people on one side of river hate the people on the other side, and there you arc. Give me America every time
 Asked what he thought of Kaiser Will helm as a sportsman, the wizard laughed, chuciled for few minutes, and said:
 Hes a great hunter is the Kaiser. He gets out somewhere where it looks wild With d cannon. Then he whistles and they line the game up in front. The Kaiser pulls the trigger and there you are-all the game dead and all the people | cheer. Yes, the Kaiser is great sport. But he's the Kaiser, don't you know, and that makes lot of difference.
 Now, Buffalo Jones is my idea of real sportsman. He goes out and las soes 'em, lassoes 'em wild. But there is one thing I want to correct, that story about me saying that the German integrity in business was lower than the English integrity. That was not what l said, but what l heard at German banquet At least I heard the German integrity in business, questioned by con- parison with English methods. guess the man who sent out the interview with me got things twisted bit, and it raised an awful rumpus.
 q travelled like a Pittsburg million- aire, and I didn't spend much money at that. Then the roads were wonderful. We don't know what good roads are over | end found only two and a half miles of lad roads As for ruts. you'll never find them deeper than two or three inches.
 "The French are wonderful farmers. They work every inch of the land and get two and three crops where we get one. They are pretty shy on machinery, though. Germany is way ahead Of them in that direction"
 A schedule for an opinion on the fu- lure of the aeroplane, the inventor of the photograph replied:
 .I haven't made a very profound study of the aeroplane, but if you ask, me about its value as a commercial possi- hiiity as passenger carrier l can only gay that it is still way shy.
 "As the aeropane sizes up now it is about SJ per cent man and 15 per cent aeroplane When you get those percent ages reversed you will have something of important commercial value." .-