Year: 1878

Now, what applications can we antici,
PATE. Clearly these: The sheet Of tintoI'
or other plastic material receiving the
impressions of sound will be stereotyped
or electrtyped so as to be multiplied and
made durable. Or the cylinder will he
made of material plastic when used, and
hardening afterward. Thin sheets OF
papier mache or of various substances
which soften by heat would be of this
character. Having provided thus for the
durability of the phonotype.plate "a bet
ter name than phonograh), it will be very
easy to make it separable from the cylin-
der producing it, and attachable to cor
responding cylinder anywhere or at any
time. There will doubtless be a standard
of diameter and pitch of screw for pono-
type cylinders. Friends at distance will
then send to each other phonotype letters,
which will talk at any time in the friends
voice when put upon the instrument
How startling also it will be to Reproduce
and hear atpleasure the voice of the dead.
All OF these things are to be common
every day experiences with few years.
1t will be possible a generation hence to
take file of phopotype letters, spoken at
different ages by the same person, and
hear the early prattle, tue changing
voice, the manly tones and varying
moods of the speaker, from childhood
up.


These are some of the private applica-
tions. For public uses we shall have
galleries where phonotype sheets shall
be preserved as photographs and books
now are. The utterances of great speak
ers will there be kept for a thousand
years. In these galleries spoken Ian
guages will be preserved from century
TO century with all peculiarities of pro-
nunciation, dialect and brogue. AS we
go now to see the stereopticon, we shall
go to public halls to hear these treasures
of speech and song brought out and re-
produced as loud or louder than when
first spoken and sung by the truly great
ones OF earth. The ease with which the
phonotype cylinders may be stereotyped
or electrotyped and multiplied has been
spoken of. Certainly within dozen
years some of the great singers will be
induced to sing into the ear OF the pho
nogrsph and the electrotyped cylinders
thus obtained will be put into the hand
organs Of the streets and we shall hear
the actual voices of Christine Nillsor, of
Miss Gary or even Jenny Lind and AL
bani ground out at every corner.


In public exhibitions we shall have
also rep. oductions of the, sounds OF nature
and noises familiar and unfamiliar.
Nothing will be easier than to catch the
sounds of the waves on the beach, the
roar of Niagara, the discord Of the street
the noises of animals, the putting and
rush of the railroad train, the rolling OF
thunder or even the tumult of the battle.


Ellison has recently stated that his
best instrument will talk SO as to be
heard at a distance of 172 feet. The
conditions for increasing the sound are
so simple that there can be no doubt OF
any desirable extension in this direction.


From this slight sketch and anticipa-
tion of the phonograph or phonotype, 1t
will he conceded by those who watch the
progress of the civilizing arts, that the
discovery of Edison ranks with that of
Daguerre, and with the speaking tele-
phone. which, like the phonotype. is
still in in its infancy.
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