Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-11

When Thomas Edison created his
! dilemma on the desert to test the
| youths chosen as candidates for his
| patronage he started the whole coun-
! try on a hot-weather topic of con-
versation rivaling the lady-or-the- tiger
debate of some years ago. He also
| stirred up considerable comment upon
his methods and on the competition
in general.
While the Memphis Commercial APP
peal points out that most of the con-
testants favored saving the scientist
first" the Omaha paper is strongly of
the opinion that the head of the party
had Numbered badly and did not
deserve to be saved" In making this
point the World-Herald asks, What
was the expedition doing out there
in the desert anyway"
Those who laugh at the question
| have several solutions to offer. The
Baltimore Sun suggests that "of course
the pat answer in an Edison eXamina-
ton is that the scientist and the boy
should be Saved-the one to provide
the college education, the other to
have it," Other solutions center around
the fiancee. The Kansas City Star
thinks: The solution is obvious. Gal
lantiy send back to civilization the
society lady, her child and the eldest
guide. Then you and your fiancee
and the youngest guide eat the two
scientists and escape" The Bloom
ington Paragraph declares the ques-
ton puts the contestants in a diff
cult situation. Each expects to have
a fiancee some day. When that day
comes, how could he face his sweet
heart if she should recall his answer
10 this proposition and show him up
as willing to leave her alone on
desert isle, if necessity ever came"
Believing that the contestant would
not save himself, the Milwaukee SEN
tinel smiles at another angle of the
case. with death as his own portion,
should he send her out to live life
forever to be marred by his Sacrifce?"
So perhaps the Syracuse Herald is
offering the best bet when it suggests,
THE chances are, by the way, that the
average male Spectator will decide in
favor of his fiancee, himself, and one
Of the guides"
The more serious criticism is directed
against the entire examination. The
questions bring forth declarations of
distinct disapproval. In the opinion of
the ASbury Park Press, LAS an index
of intelligence or powers of logic, they
are less valuable than asking whether
one likes chocolate ice cream better
than vanilla, and why?" The charac-
ter OF the test IeaQS the worcester Eve
ming Gazette to declare, After all,
the winning of the Edison scholarship
means only that the winner was better
equipped than his rivals to win that
particular kind of competition"
The Fort Worth Record Telegram
opposes the examination, in saying, 1T
lis a nice idea-that of selecting a boy
each year for free university scholar
ship. But it doesn't seem exactly the
thing to do to use the class as a target
for personal WITNESSES" AS the Gin
cinnati Times-Star puts it. Never were
so many seemingly unrelated items
grouped together since the WalruS and
the Carpenter talked of many things.
of shoes and ships and sealing wax, of
cabbages and kings" In the opinion
of the Dayton News, ut is easy to see
that the young hopefuls answered net
as they themselves thought, but as they
thought Mr.. Edison would like them
to answer"
Despite these criticisms, Mr.. Edison
is not without many supporters. The
Canton Repository makes a strong de-
nunciation of the fault-finders and fol-
lows it with the declaration. Mr.. Edi-
son. or any other man of his position,
knows what he is about without asking