Evening star., 1946-07-04

Long known as an editor, Theo-
dore w. Noyes served an appren-
ticeship on The Star as reporter
and some of his reportorial expert
ences formed the basis for anec-
dotes he enjoyed repeating to his
younger Star associates.
He took some pride, for example.
in the fact that Thomas Edison
gave him, in an interview, descrip-
ton of some inventions he haC
in mind, and the interview was
so accurate that some years later
it was introduced as evidence to
support Mr.. Edisons contentious in
suit over patent infringement.
When I became a member OF
The Star force in 1877" Mr.. Noyes
wrote in some "reminiscences pre-
pared for The Star Club some years
ago, The Star was a four-page,
seven-column paper averaging two
thirds of column of editorials and
1880 circulation.
Rowdy Newsboys Were Hazard.
ut was then located in the
rattletrap building on the south
west corner of Eleventh street and
Pennsylvania avenue, eventually
torn down to make way for the Post
Office. Notable characteristics OF
the old building were sewer gas
rats, dirt, an adjoining variety the
ater and the active hostilities of the
overgrown rowdy newsboys who were
held in check by the business office
only by the conciliating severity of
a long whip and firearms and who
made it positively dangerous at times
to 60 into the alley which they in
tested leading to the composing
room. Certain phases of the Office
life were much livelier than the
pages of the paper itself.
Il contributed to The Star edi-
torial paragraphs and occasionally
leaders on North Polar exploration,
cremation, the alarming growth of
r-sightedness, hydrophobia. the
election of a Pope, the war between
Russia and Turkey, and other topics
safely non-controversial in the lati-
tude and longitude of Washington
I'm addition, I reported the down.
town departments, miscellaneous
conventions, Smithsonian Institution
affairs and education and scientific
matters in general I remember that
I reported the Academy CT Science
meetings when Edison exhibited fol
the first time his phonograph, ane
the venerable academicians were al
delighted and enthusiastic over the
squeaking of the undeveloped instru.
ment as children over a new toy
Edison Gave Long Interview.
Then / had a long and interest
ing interview with the deaf inventor
who made through me the first
newspaper announcement of some
of his recent inventions, including
one In developing a delicate astro.
nomical instrument, and he after.
ward relied on this interview in 9
suit brought in England to establish
his priority of invention in the mat
ter I also ventured to a slight ex-
tent into the easy
and-popular field.
But the paper was small. there
was not much room in 1t TO,
anything but the bare news, and
the force was so limited in num-
ber and the field covered BY
each individual so extensive that
there was not much time for the
preparation of these special chap
ters. Work now widely and system
atically distributed-and, of course
much better done-was then con-
centrated."
One assignment, Mr.. Noyes jocose-
ly suggested, made me the founder
of the National Geological Park. II
all happened in this wise:
II had written a long, appreciative
chapter about the Smithsonian In
stitution, which tickled almost every
body connected with it, and had the
freedom of the whole establishment
and ransacked the building and its
annex for items. A. Zeno Shindle1
was then engaged in perfecting a
plan for protecting accurate coloreo
casts of reptiles.