The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-10-26
~ ALLAN l.. HENSON

=. STAR f'rTrFa auuutenf
tCppyfiEht 1871 by inter. Ncws ssrvoce)
ORANGE. n J., oct 20" Neither
you nor anybody else" said Thomas
a Edison to me todA". "cau write
Helt-cvident fact so plainly that three
per cent OF those who read Il can
understand g. ON second thought.
! think ! would reduce the number
who can understand 10 two per cent"
The interview took place In his
laboratory here when entered the
door and caught sight Of him he was
bending over tho same desk whore
had seen him 10 years ago. His big
white head bent down over papers he
was studying. Iic looked up and
smiled with the cordially that every
ono who knows Edison viii recall
The Same Vigorous Edison.
At my first question he plung d
into tho interview with all Of the
remarkable vigor that he puts INTO
his work.
Thomas A. Edison has been going
90 school lately His instructors are
those who apply to him for employ
fhcnt BY studying tholr answers 10
his famous quostlonnairo. he II learn
Ing new things about tho human race.
Some of the things he learned sad
dcnCd him. The answer TO one ques-
tion In his latest questionable he
will not publicly discuss because they
constitute an indictment of a large
percentage Of those applying to him
for employment
"You write an article" continued
Mr. Edison. SAnd write II as plainy
% you can aud think people undcr-
stand you You are wrong. Only
two per cent can understand. he
cause only two per cent have SUI
flcieut. Imagination. That IL whv II
takes 20 lorE to get any kind of need
ed legislation in this country II
takes 25 or 30 years to put ANYTHING
over. II the people OF the United
states had imasination. they could
understand thing the first time
they were told and be ready 20 act u;
once"
"Ir oniv two per cent can under
stand" Mr.. Edison was asked, what
chanc" IL there FOR s'lf-govern-
mcnt ."
\ Government by LAWYERS.
"Not a chance on earth" he re-
p'ied We have no self government.
We have government by little
group Of men, most OF whom are
lawyers. You know what Herbert
Spencer said about government He
said the average intelligence by gov
ernmentai acts was lower than the
Al'lflllhfntt " Nit lfiNl lllAflAlrs' ''iiN
member OF the government. That
explains n lot Of things about gov
erumcnts,"
Edison wns asked if human in
tcllect had gained anything I'm power
since the days OF the Greek philoso-
piers
IL think It has gained n great deal
I In power" he replied. The Greek
| philosophers were pretty blind Al
most everything we have today was
before their eyes hut they could not
see much OF ANYTHING. The lathe
was looking nj them Tho turbine
was staring them In the face. The
internal combustion Of the engine
that IL being so wonderfully de-
veloped today could have been pro-
duced almost as easily by the ancient
Greeks as II was by us. II Is astound-
ing how long things can remain right
In front of us and not be observed,
or at least not understood. Hum
boldt said II was striking reflection
upon science that II did not Under
stand and. therefore, could not ex-
plain the passage OF force between
the two ends OF horse shoe magnet.
II il Just as much reflection on us
that we do not yet know "A bird sus-
tains itself In the air without flap
ping It's wings"
What lie Thinks Of Nature.
THE fact that each generation
produces two per cent who are able
10 understand self evident fact
when plainly stated, seemed to indi-
cate that there were laws In oper-
alton that inoXorably produced the
two per cent"
Mr.. Edison was asked II he did not
consider that the two per cent were
I created by the fortuitous operation
OF natural laws and he said he did.
| lie was then asked II ne believed II
might be possible to discover the