The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-11-04
BY WILLIS ]. BALLINGER
as Told by William Joseph Hammer
Lifelong Friend Of Edison.)

BY WILLIS ]. BALLINGER
AS Told by william Joseph Hammer
Lifelong Friend of Edison.)
Copyright. 1881. NEA Service. Incl
Thomas Alva Edison cared little
about the perpetuation of his fame.
He made no effort to prepare aid
for the biographers to come. He
was careless about what posterity
might think of him as he was, for
most of his life, about his personal
appearance.
Fame, with Edison, was always a
by-product of his work-never its
objective. Edison would have en-
joyed life as a failure quite as much
as he did as success. All he
sought was an opportunity to be
continually busy about his beloved
science. Beyond that he never
thought.
His assistants waged long strug-
gle with Edison to make him realize
the priceless Importance of his first
model of the monograph.
1t took a long while to make Edi-
son finally, grumbling, become suf-
ficiently interested to keep that ia
nous model in an American museum
instead of a British.
The photograph is now one Of
Mrs. Edison's prize possessions.
Had Seven Laboratories
Mention has been made of two
Edison laboratories-the one at
Menlo Park and the other at Orange,
N. j.
In fact, Edison had seven. The
first was in his mothers cellar at
Milan, o. His second was in the
baggage car of the train that ran
between Detroit and Port Huron,
when he was lad of IL.
He set up his third in Newark
following his receipt Of $4,000 for
his stock ticker His fourth and
greatest was at Menlo Park; his
fifth at West Orange.
His sixth was in the shop Of
Bergman 81 Co. in New York and
his last at TT. Myers, Fla.
The Edison laboratory at West
Orange undoubtedly was the best
equipped of all his laboratories. Up
to his very last days Edison rarely
missed day of work. He hardly
ever took a vacation.
In his last days the impairment
of his health caused him to take
automobile rides. He is said to have
remarked on one of these rides that,
while the scenery was beautiful, he
had so much to do"
Look for New Worlds
Here was paradox, indeed. A very
old man with his once strong body
falling rapidly to pieces-already the
master inventor of all times-feel-
ing uncomfortable about this slight
truancy from his work and so
unconscious of his pitiful physical
condition that he was looking ahead
for new worlds to conquer.
Every day when Edison reported
for work in his West Orange labora-
tory he punched the clock, like any
mechanic.
In place of the old cot that re-
posed behind the organ at Menlo
Park, there was a better one at
West Orange. But it never was
more favored by Edison's weary
body. The inventor retained all his
life his capacity to take maps and
arise fresh as ever.
Edison probably slept less in his
life than any other person alive. He
unquestionably holds the worlds
SleeplesSness record and will con-
tlnue to hold it for all time.
Powers Were Remarkable
If the enormous number of hours
that Edison labored while the rest
of mankind was sleeping we're prop
erly estimated, Edison would not be
dead in his 84th year.
He would be somewhere around
200 years old. Life is really our
waking hours. And there is no
doubt that Edison lived four or five
ordinary lives, with his remarkable
powers to resist sleep.
His talent for sleeplessness made
1.-THE old man"-the favorite name
by which he was known to his asso-
ciates-a taxing master. Edison
and trade union principles would
never have gotten together.
The demand for the five day week
or the siX-hour day would have
amounted to little less than bias
phemy in his philosophy of toll.
He was the most relentless master
of all times and yet one of the most
beloved by those from whom he ex-
acted the last ounce of strength and
service.