The New York herald., 1921-02-12
EDISON, IA, LEAVES
WORK FOR HALF DAY
Receives Many Former Cola
borers, Who Elect Him Mem
Der Of Pioneers.
VIGOROUS ON BIRTHDAY
Inventor Predicts Scientific
knowledge Will Develop
at Increasing Rate.


One of the numerous things which
still perplexes Thomas A. Edison is just
why the white haired men who know
him simply as 'the old man" are be-
ginning to make such a fuss about his
birthdays. s-t
For example, yesterday men who be-
came associated with him thirty or forty
years ago assembled with their wives
and sons and daughters at his big house
on top Of the hill in Llewellyn Park,
West Orange. to celebrate on what he
considered the entirely inadequate ex-
cuse that he was IA years old Mr..
Edison's great-grandfather lived to be
Alo4 years old, his grandfather 102 years
DID and his father "a years old. so he
really cannot see why his own birthdays
should be regarded as anything unusual
Tor at least another quarter of a century.
Nevertheless Mr.. Edison, whose af-
fection for these workmates is exceeded
only by their affection for him. stopped
work at II 80 yesterday afternoon after
only scant four hours in his laboratory,
where fifty problems still puzzle him,
stepped into a vehicle made in Detroit
~ S''S Va pAOttScS anu WdS
speedily up the mill to his house There
he was engulfed in whirlpool of well
coming old friends who have banded to-
gether under the name of Edison Pion-
eers.
Mr.. Edison's ViGor.
Although all these pioneers are youne-
er, some by many years. than their chief
there was not one in the crowded. draw
ing room who appeared more vigorous
or more healthy than Mr.. Edison himself
cad in n dark brown business suit, Mr.
idison strode from friend 10 friend and
rom group to group during the informal
neeting that followed, distributing a
word or chuckle on every side and scorn-
1ig to sit down. There was healthy
color in his cheeks and forehead, his
eyes twinkled and his mass of white
nair was as thick and untamable as
ever.
After brief business meeting of the
Pioneers, which Mr.. Edison avoided,
md a buffet luncheon had both passed
DIR. Edison, on the specific orders OF
Mrs. Edison, sat down. He was talking
IN how to stay young with CONNER
ford Martin. almos: nine and a half
years old, the son of his friend and BIZ
ographer. T. Commerford Martin. when
he was called to order by Major Will
lam j. Hammer, president OF the Pio-
neers. Mr.. Hammer had an address to
deliver in which Mr.. Edison was re-
ferred to as 'the worlds most useful
citizen" in which was told something
of Mr.. Edison's LOO patents and in
which anecdotes OF the days when the
Edison laboratory was at Menlo Park
were related.
Then Mr.. Edison was escorted by Mr..
Martin, chairman of the reception COM
mittee, and Frederick A. Scheffler,
chairman of the committe on arrange
Tnents, to the dais, where he received
a certificate of membership in the Pio-
neers which made him The Pioneer,
an insignia of the organization and
watch fob made of a disk from Ales-
sandro Nolta's first electric pile He
accepted these gifts with a chuckle and
a duck of his head. but refused en-
phatlcally to make an address, even to
these old friends. Mrs. Edison was next
the recipient of the insignia of the or
der, with the assurance that she linked
with her husband in the esteem of the
Pioneers.