Evening star., 1931-12-20

a practical bettering of mans estate within
temporal existence. great builder. Con-
structive in every aim and end And the world
needs creators to offset the activities of its
destroyers.
Here, the story of The Wizard of Menlo
Park" OF the man who declared genius to be
"One per cent inspiration, SO per cent per-
splration"-and lived up to it. The man who
resolved never to invent anything the people
do not want
And great story it is. Greatly projected
also. rapid opening survey sketches the
world as this man found 1t all along through
the early days and the growing years. Then
In swift turn, 1t shows in sweeping lines the
world as Edison left it. The Thousand and
One Nights has throughout the centuries been
tale of enchantment to old and young alike
Here is the self-revelation of one man, Thomas
Edison, who more than once lived thousand
years in single night"
crowded chronicle packed down. iammed
IN yet overhowing-a Away back Just before the
California gold rush Thomas Edison was born
THE opening West, the covered wagon the
emigrant trail, these were the things he saw
and heard about little boy and grow
ing lad. And this frontier life makes the
opening picture that Mr.. Miller offers in its
own spirit of adventure, in its own body of
such crude progress then prevailed But
this is driving matter and delays are not
any part Of its program. From train newsboy
to printer for telegraph operator-an opening
door, of small dimensions, but a door, never
theleSs, bound to swing, big and free, in days
to come. Typewriter automatic telegraph,
telephone; phonograph, incandescent electric
light radio! No, not imaginable even Yet
here they all are in daily use for the wide
world, homespun and silk alike
Then here is the story of Thomas Edison,
simple man, receiving homage, always for his
work alone from powers and potentates A
record Of himself with his intimates-"just the
three of U.S. on innumerable occasions of good
fellowship along the enchanting ways of
science alone. Here is the home life Here
is a gesture toward the deep inner beliefs of
Mr.. Edison.
"Humanity's friend" is one of the names of
this man. Good enough, that to insure title
to whatever rewards there be. However, Mr.
Edison was never keen on rewards here I
doubt II he IS any more so, there. Some Of
the calculating Sort have essayed to estimate
IN dollars the value of Thomas Edison to the
world. A big sum in arithmetic, not to be de-
spised, either. Yet and after all, It ia the
big and simple soul of the man. exhorting to
courage and more courage as he wrestled with
science for q liberation of its deep-hidden
secrets.
story so big that it tells itself? Not by any
means. Such a story is the most difficult Of
all to deliver. An importunate matter clam
orng for every sort Of worthy consideration
and releases to trim to the vital action of
drama, to animate with the living personality,
TO round and yet to leave open for a wide
and lasting inspiration the amazing and beau
tiful, life of Thomas Alva Edison. And such
story as Francis Trevelyan Miller has given
TO us! Simply great-and true! A mastery
matter.
word for the John c. Winston Co. in
rounding this book as such, into the dignity
and beauty of a surprisingly fine volume
The John c. Winston Co. is given to beau
tiful book making
author of THE Gilded Man." former editor
"The International Book Review" Twenty
four volumes New York: Funk & Wag-
nails Co.
ZACH volume of the "a is devoted to a single
l. character who stands within this calendar
Of Builders" From Columbus to Woodrow
Wilson the record runs From the fifteenth
century to the present time. Within these
boundaries are discoverers. explorers con-
querors, settlers. Here are Presidents and
statesmen, philanthropsts financiers great
lawyers and judges soldiers and fighting ad-
venturers. But in one way or another,
builders, ALL
For readers of romance and adventure there
are Cortez and Pizarro Later, John Paul
JONES' La Sale Lewis and Clark Roger Will
liams for religious liberty. William Penn for
philanthropy of good substance, for kindly
fellowship An inborn Man of the World"
Franklin. Almost any one can name the later
ones ready to pass Judgment, besides, on the
quality of their service to America. Some will
dispute the right of this one or that-but no
matter. 1t is a list calculated to stand wear
and even tear.
A word for the brilliant quality Of each of
these little geographic studies First, the fact