Evening star., 1928-10-28
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

Fifty years ago memories of the
| Keeley motor fiasco were SO fresh as
to cause some skepticiSm
Edlson's regarding inventions, even
-. those Of merit. 1t was per-
lamp hapS this feeling that in
spired the following reference to
Thomas A. EdiSon'S new incandeScent
electric light, printed in The Star Of
October %, 1879
THE popular demand Of the hour is
that light, whether electric or gas it
matters not, shall be thrown upon the
true condition of EdiSon's latest inyen-
ton. Newspaper writers profess to have
seen the alleged new and practicable
method of electric lighting, and pro-
nounce the light satisfactory and under
perfect control. The correctness Of these
reports in many particulars has been
denied. in the first instance by Edison's
intimate friends. The newspaper
statements have caused fall in the
value of gas stocks from San Francisco
to London; while the denials have
encouraged the gas companies to pro-
nounce impracticable any scheme OF
! dividing the electric light SO that 1t may
become of general use in illuminating
the rooms of dwelling houses. The
taciturnity of Edison on the subject and
the organization of a company to pro-
vide funds to enable him to make ex-
periments which shall give "a positive
demonstration of the power of his new
inventions, would seem to indicate that
much remains to be done in the way
of perfecting the invention in the de-
tails of its application before it will
SuperSede gas for domestic use. At the
same time there is reason to believe that
the main difficulties in EdiSon'S task
have been so far overcome as to justify
one in confidently looking forward to
the success Of these supplementary
experiments"
According to a decision rendered so
years ago by a court in New York
State, matter of dis
PoSt Card MOI paraging nature writ
pr;v;laOad ten upon postal card
1'AiosS"' is not privileged The
case is thus described in, The Star Of
october %, 1878:
"A case turning upon the nature of
communication sent by postal card was
lately decided in the Supreme Court at
Rochester, N. Y. A young man received
a postal directed to him in the care of
his employers which charged him with
collecting and appropriating to his own
use money due the writer of the COM
munication. Suit for damages was
thereupon brought against the writer on
the ground that the postal card was
written to injure the plaintiff in the
eyes of his employers and that he was
temporarily discharged on account
thereof. The defendant held that
postal card communication was a priv
kE1nA 2Aw4 ~ fnfA
ment written upon it not being neceS-
sarily a publication. 1t was incumbent
upon the plaintiff to prove, not only
that malicious publication had been
made by the defendant, but also that
such publication was not justified in
fact; that according to law no other
than the person addressed had any
right to the writing on the back of a
postal card and that therefore such
communication must of its nature be
private one. But the plaintiff won his
case and recovered damages. So, legal
ly, as well as in fact. the opinions on
postal card are publicly and not private
ly expressed. The practical lesson
taught is to the effect that it is not
safe to use postal cards in telling your
diSagreeable neighbors what you think
of them Envelope and paper are more
cheaper in the end"
4
X
"It is the desire of every American
citizen" writes q reader Of The Star
in letter printed in
Mail Boxes on its issue Of October
Street Cars. soon as as a letter is
written and ready TO post 1t should
reach its destination as soon as possible
and, as one of that number, we have. a
suggestion to offer by which one-half
of the mail matter sent from this city
may reach the Post Office to be dis
tributed and sent out in from one 10
five hours sooner than it now does It
can be done by placing tin box on