The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-24
EDISON MAKING
APPARATUS TO
REPLACE OUIJA
Delicate Appliance Will
Give Psychists Greater
Powers.
NO RAPS OR MEDIUMS
Instrument to Do Away
With Old Forms of Com
munication.
MAN SWARM OF ENTITIES
Inventor Does Not Commit
Himself to Theory of Sur
vival of Personality.

In trying to construct an apparatus
so delicate that IL there are personali-
ties in another sphere they may COM
municate with human beings, Thomas
A. Edison has not committed himself
to the theory that human personality
survives after death.
IT don't claim anything because I
don't know anything about the SUBJ
ject," he said to A. c. Lescarboura,
managing editor Of the Scientific
American, In an interview to be pub
lished In next weeks issue Of that
periodical.
But he does feel that II such COM
munication Is possible It Is much more
likely to be achieved than by means of
fitting tables and raps and ouija
boards and mediums" OF these Mr..
Edison is extremely sceptical.
In the interview the inventor ex-
presses his belief that man Is COM
posed of a vast number of indestruc-
tible entities. each of which Is unit.
1t Is possible, he says. that 95 per cent.
Of these are workers and the other
per cent. seated in the brain. are
directors.
Better Thans Ouija Board.
The interview follows:
81 have been thinking for some time
of machine or apparatus which could
be operated by personalities which have
passed on to another existence or sphere.
| Now follow me carefully; don't claim
THAT our personalities pass on to another
existence or sphere. don't claim any
thing because don't know anything
about the subject For that matter, no
human being knows. But do claim
that II Is possible to construct an APP
paratus which will be so delicate that IL
there are personalities in another ex-
istence or sphere who wish to get IN
touch with US In this existence or sphere
this apparatus will at least give them a
better opportunity to express themselves
than the fitting tables and raps and
ouija boards and mediums and the other
crude methods now purported to be the
only means Of communication.
"Tn truth, II is the crudeness OF the
present methods that makes me doubt
the authenticity of purported communi-
cations with deceased persons. Why
should personalities In another existence
or sphere waste their time working a
little triangular piece of wood over q
board with certain lettering on It? Why
should such personalities play pranks
with q table? The whole business seems
so childish to me that frankly cannot
give II my serious consideration. be-
lieve that II we are to make any real
progress In psychic investigation we
must do II with scientific apparatus and
in a scientific manner, just as we do In
medicine, electricity. chemistry and other
fields.
"'Now what purpose to do Is to fur
nish psychic investigators with an APP
paratus which will give a scientific as
pect to their work. This apparatus.
let mo explain. Is In the nature OF a
valve, 80 to speak. That Is to say, the
slightest conceivable effort IL made to
exert many times Its initial power for
indicative purposes. It In similar to a
modern power house. where man, with
his relatively puny one-eighth horse
power, turns valve which starts a
50, 0o0-horsepower steam turbine. My ap-
paratus IL along those lines, In that
the slightest effort which II intercepts
will be magnined many times. so as to
give us whatever form OF record we
desire for the purpose OF investigation.
Beyond that I don't care to say any
thing further regarding It's nature.
have been working out the details for
some time indeed, a collaboration inthis
work died only the other day. In that
he knew exactly what am after In
this work. believe he ought to be the
first TO use II IL he Is able to do so. OF
course, don't forget that I am making
no claims for the survival OF personal
ity; I am not promising communication
with those who have passed out Of this
life. merely state that I am giving
the psychic Investigators an apparatus
which may help them In their work
Just as optical experts have given the
microscope to the medical world. And
II this apps ratus falls to reveal any
thing of exceptional interest, am