Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-01
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

Half a century ego a young man Of
creative genius was making brave
fight against a doubt
EQlScn as an public TO accept an
T-4o. invention which was,
AA'eh'oA' so short a time later.
to revolutionize the industrial and
economic world. That young man was
| Thomas A Edison, and his invention
was the incardsscent lamp. In this
day it hardly seems possible that the
man who but q few weeks ago partlcl-
pated il the grand flftieth anniversary
celebration of the electric light should
have been subjected to such expressions
of Skepticlsm and criticism as appear
in the following from The Star OF
August %, 1879:
MI Edison has Just got another
patent for his electric lighting appa-
ratus. but for all that the number OF
doubters in the success of his scheme
of Superseding gas IS On the increase.
Some of his detractOrS now go the
length of asserting that with the eX-
ception of his photography and cleo
trio pen he has no originality as an
| inventive genius and is merely sklllful
adapter of other mems ideas. 1t IS
conceded that he has flrSt-claSS me-
chanlcal ability, but it is alleged that
he has used this mainly in improving
upon the inventions OF others. It is as
serted that of late years he has made 1t
rule to keep himself posted as to every
new discovery and of the exact prog
| reSS made by inventors and scientists
all over the world. and that there Is
not a patent or new publication OF
| scientific character issued that he doeS
not Immediately become the possessor
of it. In this way he is enabled 10
see what is forthcoming in advance OF
| the general public. With his mechani-
| cal smartneSS he is able to take new
I invention comprising several pieces o!
machinery and by making changes and
Improvements here and there obtain
one or more patents for what he can
claim as an entirely new idea. 1t IS
stated that this was the way in which
Edison invented the megaphCne and
Fmicrophone, and that he has as good a
right to the claim of the invention OF
! the quadruplex telegraph instrument
/ now in use, which. instead of being
Edison's, is really the invention of an
present in the employ of the Western
Union Telegraph Co. In the same
way he is charged with appropriating
! the credit for the invention of the
| telephone, whereas the invention be-
! longs entirely to Prof. Bell.
In regard to his electric light in
ventions,' it is asserted that the
cal with the switch patented over a
! year ago by Herr Krupp, the well
known German gunmaker: that a pat
ent he has just obtained in England
| is in several particulars an exact copy
and covers precisely the same inven-
ton as that procured by w. E. Sawyer
in a patent issued to him by the United
States over a year ago; that the lamp
recently patented by Edison is almost
an exact facsimile of what was accom-
plished over 20 years ago, and that his
platinum scheme was in use 10 years
ago but is impracticable for general
lighting purposes on account of the
cost of the metal. which is far more
valuable than gold. 1t is charged
finally that as with his lamps or lights.
so with his electric machines or gen.
orators. He has simply reproduced the
machines. devices and ideas of others;
has developed nothing new and seems
utterly unable TO produce any electric
light at all. OF course, much of this
talk may be set down as the feeling of
Jealous rival inventors. or of companies
owning franchises, the value of which
may be impaired by his discoveries, but
unless he speedily makes some exhibit
of the practical value of his electric
light he must expect that the impatient
public will begin to lose faith in him.