Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-02-18
Wizard, at 66, Says That
Hard Work Is the PhiIoso-
ply of Living.

NEW YORK, Feb. 18.-Thomas A Edi-
son, the master wizard Of mans great
est and most mysterious servant, has
just celebrated his sixty sixth birthday.
The man whose head has produced more
inventions than yours has produced hair
entertained himself by doing something
like a twenty-hour days work
His big laboratories in the Orange
mountains went full blast all day. and
the only sign of festivities was that every
one of his 5000 employees wore a little
button with "66" on it.
Every one also wore a busy and pre-
Occupied air. Mr.. Edison-still hale, hear
ty and able to see a joke-does not con-
slider birthdays an excuse for loaflng
THE way to live long and have a good
time" he told a reporter, sis to work
hard. When you are working so hard
and so long every day that you are tickled
to drop dead asleep into your bed, you
literally haven't time to worry. And 1t
is a well-known fact that worry shortens
mans life"
Philosophy of Life.
Mr.. Edison enunciated this philosophy
of life sitting at his desk at his labora-
tories. The desk is in the middle of the
bare library floor, large enough for an au-
ditorium, and the library is in the mid
die of the works, and when you enter
the idea of a spider in the middle of it's
web is your first thought
The inventor protested that he didn't
have time for interviews, as he hadn't
had time to go home in two months
but judging from the CLEAN in his dancing
blue eyes and the constant smile he
10 yfu h fT,H
on it.
Yes" he said, smiling happily at his
cigar. ct have found that hard work is
better than whisky to keep mans mind
off his troubles. But a man can work
hard and still keep in touch with events.
The newspapers attend to that"
To prove it the great inventor pro-
ceeded to give his views on most sub
jects that are agitating the world at this
time. Among other things, he has read
the Balkan news, and believes that war
is doomed.
Sees End Of Warfare.
eve will see the end of warfare be-
fore any one supopses, is my opinion,
he said. 81 don't base my belief on al
truistic grounds, either, The human
family has long way to go before any
great ends are going to be accomplished
through pure altruism. I'm not a sneerer
i Just know men,
"Why do you think war will be abol-
ished?" he was asked
Because ii is too wasteful,' was the
reply. within a few years the cOmbina-
tions of industry will be international
worldwide Many of them are interna-
tionaI now. This is a natural economic
movement that can not be checked even
if we would The result will be that in
a comparatively few years the interests of
all nations will be so bound up in the
interests Of their fellows that none can
strike a blow without hurting himself as
much or more than he hurts the other
fellow. That will end war
Mr.. Edison naturally drifted from this
into a discussion of social problems. He
thinks there is much to be said on both
sides in the labor struggles in broader
conflict.
"Wealth An Illusion"
"As a matter of fact we all know that
wealth is an HUSTON" he said. II don't
mean by this that money-enough of it
for comforts an Illusion. But great
wealth is What can Rockefeller do with
his money? Do you think he is as happy
as l am?
Invested in industries, it belongs to
the people-and what is the joy of tin
box full of photo-plate certificates
showing a lot of figures? You can't take
them with you when you die. And when
Won come to die you find you have been
chasing a foolish illusion and lost true
happiness on the way.
ION the other hand, we need the cap
tains of Industry 1t is a good thing for
the human race that they have this in
centive-this illusion that they hug. For
these great minds are all working for the
cause of human progress-hoWeYer round
about it. may seem to us now-and all
the while they think they are working