The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-10-28
BY WILLIS ]. BALLINGER
As Told by william Joseph Hammer
Lifelong Friend Of Edison.
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Copyright 1881. NEA Service. Incl
AS Thomas A. Edison grew in
scientific stature, his name was
noised about the universe, and
Menlo Park became little scientific
Mecca
One day, in 1880, more than 1000
people visited the laboratory, and on
mat day the walls of the laboratory
mad to be braced with telephone
poles to avert their collapse.
Edison never objected to the Gu
rlosity OF the public in those DAYS.
tourists wandered unmolested any
where in the laboratory and often
got in the way Of the workers. Later
on he was not so approachable-not
because he was less democratic, but
because the demands on his time
Tor so many things became colossal.
But in Menlo Park he let sight
Seers stand at his back or close in
on him from the side while he un-
concernedly conducted an expert
ment. Perhaps it was his deafness
that made crowds unnoticeable. Or
perhaps his intense powers Of con-
centration made him entirely forget
ful of those about him.
Visited by Rernhardt
Many famous people called. Sarah
Bernhardt, the great acress, visited.
She became entranced with phon-
ograph and played it internationally
for hours. Then she volunteered to
reclte and the eXperimenters sat on
their benches or pulled out soap
boxes while, in the middle of the
hoor, the divine Sarah performed to
the ardent appreciation of the
boys"
Professor Rowald one of the
greatest physicists in the world,
came to Menlo Park in those DAYS.
as did the great British scientist.
Hiram Maxim.
Maxim at that time was making
arc lights and wanted to find out
about the incandescent lamp.
one day j. Pierpont Morgan de-
scended upon the laboratory with
the board of aldermen of New York
City. The elder Morgan had brought
them down so that they could be-
come impressed.
Aldermen Held Feast
Edison wanted to introduce the
1ncandescent lamp to New York
City, where dingy gas lamps flick
cred.
But he had to get the permission
OF the aldermen to lay underground
wires. On this occasion the alder
men put together two tables, feast
ed and uncorked bottle after bottle
of champagne to drink Edison's
health.
Before the eating and drinking
Began, Morgan reclined against a
table. The mighty man of money
was dramatically nonchalant. He
was looking out of the window, pay
ing no attention to the uproar in
the laboratory.
Edison sided up to Hammer and
said pointing to Morgan:
Hammer, that's Morgan. You
wouldn't think he had 100000 in
my lamp factory, would you?"
No Sense for Money
All his life Edison had no sense
of money. A few dollars always
looked big to him.
Edison was never a good business
man. He parted with many of his
priceless inventions at remarkably
cheap prices and carelessly squan-
dered the profits on hopeless enter
prises.
Edison was friendly with many
academic perSonageS. But he de-
precated above all else the notion
that a man must have academic
credentials before he was entitled
to speak
He believed that if a man had
enough interest in a subject, if he
had the tenacity to keep at it, if
ne thought out his own problems
and did not run to the professor
for the solution, that self-education
was capable of enormous results.
And so it was in Edison labora-
tories. There came to him plum
bers, carpenters or what not. But
they grew into real scientists.
If they loved science the oppor-
tunity was there to study. If they
had it in them, hard work would
bring it out, thought Edison. And
so it did in many.
Gave Great Advice
On the outer fringe loitered often
time a college man who wondered
10 xxFifl
arms at Menlo Park and who, be-
cause he was entirely unnoticed
until he showed that he had the
goods" often became either dis
couraged or critical.
Sometimes these stuck on for a
good while. More often they took
their leave, having done nothing,
but living to brag about their as
ISOLATION with the Menlo Park
laboratory.
Edison had a Benjamin Franklin
bent for homely aphoriSms. Some
of them Major Hammer will never
forget.
"A fellow who can do something
that no one else can do can get a
lot for doing it," was one of these
epigramS.
Genius is 80 per cent perspira-
ton; l per cent inspiration" was
another.
One day in the laboratory, when
crowd of visitors was filing
through, father edged up to
Edison with his young son. He
asked Edison if he would give the
young man some advice.
Certainly" obliged E di n.
"Never look at a clock, young fell
low"
Next: That night in 1857 when
the electric light was born
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