Evening star., 1927-10-16


about the fairies and goblins
and witches who could cast
a spells and make anything or
ANYBODY invisible. Often, in fairy
tale. the hero or heroine would be
wandering around IN beautiful en-
,chanted castle and hear strange
marvellous music coming from no.
where apparently.
AS we became older we realized
that fairy tales seem so seldom to
come true and we promptly dis
counted all such things as enchanted
castles and unseen orchestras as
totally impossible-only hgments of
the imagination. To be sure, the
phonograph as most of us know it
and the radio brought unseen music
to our ears. but only through the
medium of very imperfectly con-
cealed mechanisms. There was al
ways the whirr of the revolving disk
OH the phonograph or the "gwak-
king" OF static over the radio to re-
mind US that there were practical
everyday reasons behind this invis-
ible music with joints that needed
oiling or coils that burned out bat
teries.
Wednesday night of the past
week, however. found group of
guests unusually small, due to the
bad weather, and the students of
the school at the beautiful National
Park Seminary OF Forest Glen
gathered in gala evening attire
and seated in the gilded balconies
about the imposing feudal ballroom
of the school. listening to huge
symphony orchestra which was in
visible yet with such marvellous re-
production of each note that the
different instruments could be dis
tinguished easily and clearly and the
volume was that of the full orchestra
without any cuts as necessitated for
the old fashioned phonograph rec
ords. There they sat, that gay COM
pany in ballroom that would grace
any fairy tale castle. and they lis
tened to truly magic music.
And where did it come fron-the
newest thing in Photographs that
cost the rather staggering amount of
several thousand dollars:
And what does it look like? The
instrument that contains the disk
for the records and the mechanism
of the improved orthophonic model
has passing resemblance to very
high-Maisted roll-top desk. 1t is
made of rich red mahogany wood
and is in height perhaps five feet
tall. In the central portion the mar
row rolled-top part when rolled back
reveals small. compact compart-
ment that has lights, an arrow to
regulate the voltage, the usual re-
volving disk and sound-box, and
needles. Below are more lights and
speed control mechanism, while the
sides and back of the huge box hold
the coiled horn and wires that are
led in one direction, under the floor
ing through the walls to the huge
horn, several feet in diameter, that is
concealed behind a very artistic cur
tain of blue silk, and amplifies the
Photographs music; in the other di-
rection the wires from the instrument
are connected with the city's electric
power current. The amplifier seems
to be fashioned of Norway spruce,
such as is nsed In piano-soanding.
boards, and not of metal, as one might
suppose. Therefore. when record of
the Philadelphia Symphony Orches-
ira playing the "Rienzi'' overture with
full=strength orchestra is put on the
machine the result through the
ampiifier is amazingly close to that
of the orchestra itself when heard
in huge concert hall and, in an
initial hearing with the newly placed
instrument in prime conditions.