The New York herald., 1922-02-12
|eople Do Not Want Talk
hg Films, but Dime Grand
Opera Is a Certainty.
|URE TO LIVE Is YEARS
business on Upward Trend
and Only Frightfulness
Can Stamp Out War.
-ARDING SENDS GREETING

Radio Progress and Many
Other Things.
Thomas A. Edison is calmly conf
ent of ninety years of life and of
hing able to work until the time
bmes to change worlds. He said so
esterday on his seventy-fifth birth
by, in the course of general comment
men and things. comment which
evealed the enduring vitality and
eenness of the mind which has done
much to make human beings COM
brtable.
1t is probable that Mr.. Edison COM
rehended more clearly yesterday than
yer before how highly he is ranked
y the whole civilized world in the list
the truly great. The President of
ne United States sent special greet
lg to him. Some of the most distin-
uished men of the British Empire.
aving spoken their admiration of him
lto devices of his own invention, sent
i'm their voices to add pleasure to
is holiday.
The Edison Pioneers, made up of men
no worked with him before 1885, gave
i'm luncheon. The Edison Disc job
|ers Association delighted him with a
tatue by dorado Taft symbolizing the
Invention of the phonograph. Praise OF
inn and greetings and congratulations
ir.
Modest and Dimdent as Usual.
Withal Mr.. Edison remained as modest
nd as gently diffident as any obscure
Workman In his vast laboratories. AS
le stood bareheaded in chill drizzle
ratfying the Unsuitable demands of the
amera men, and as he took his place
mong a score of reporters all eager for
is judgment of men and affairs, his
lear and very blue eyes showed some
hing like surprise that people should
make such fuss over him, but his
healthy, plump, pink-white face was con-
inually lighted by smiles of pleasure
|bver the rapid fire doings or the only
holiday he ever takes. He surrendered
the interviewers in the library ce the
laboratory at West Orange, a large, low
teilinged room crowded with mementoes
Pf his conquest of the mysteries OF
science. Very deaf now--so deaf that
bne must cry what one has to say into
his very ear--he was extremely swift
o catch the point of any question and
Extremely prompt with his replies.
"When do you expect to retire?" was
the first OF many questions.
"Never!" he said.
"Who was the greatest man you ever
|xnew?"
IL have not seen very many great
E1en," Mr.. Edison said. II don't 20 out
Eery often. 1 do not go to dinners. 1
newer saw Roosevelt but once in my
life"
why do you mention Roosevelt?"
|rhere was a general laugh, in which Mr.
Edison joined. "One thinks of Teddy,
eomehow," he explained. II liked him.
|rhe greatest woman? Well now, boys,
that is hard one, but Bernhard does
pretty well. She has plenty of pepper
YETI
do you think that Henry Ford is
teally a great MANI"
"well, yes and no." Mr.. Edison re-
piled, thoughtfully.
Ford Not Presidential Timber.
would you vote for him for Presi-
dent?"
II would not. 1t Is out of his line. II
Il was to be for director of manufac-
tures or something like that 1 would
vote for Henry twice IL l could get
away with it,"
do you think Ford will make sue
ress of the Muscle Shoals project IL he
gets hold OF the plant?"
YES, / do. His methods arc good
Several thousand machine shops are try
ing to do what he has done. but they
have not done it yet. l will help him IL
he gets Muscle Shoals. But / don't
think he ought to go into It at all. lie
Is too ambitious. He Is always trying
to help the farmer. He is down on
Wall Street"
with reason, Mr.. Edison?"
'I'll leave that to you"
What did YOU think Of the Washing
ton conference.-the 1t accomplish its
1T was good. It was better than
nothing at all. but we should not cease
preparations for defense. Now. please
me clearly on this point I
mean that we should continue expert
mentally to prepare for war. but only
We should keep on ex-
perimcnting with deadly gases and with
the biggest guns so that we may not
bc surprised IL some rascally nation.
preparing secretly should attack us
Chemical warfare Is very likely to SUI
)crscdc all other winds of warfare and
contracts to do this or that Will not
amount to much if some nation should
prepare quietly and have us at it's
mercy. Experimenting should go on. and
BY all nations. | hope. Tho only way
10 put an end TO war is to make IL so
Trightful that no nation will care start
anything. We should know so much