Show Thomas Edison Deified But Lonely z M re res s Is Shielded From Contact With World fAt fAtI I J kf 1 1 1 t Ai tF L 1 5 I I j p p V Prom ITOm T bo bot hood no to the me gc aae ol of of 15 w wisdom s J A EdIson fly By Dr SWAIN SW NEt NEV Serice Sen ice Writer ORANGE N J rob Feb 11 ii iY Y Thomas Thomas A A Edison celebrates celebrate his Ms eightieth birthday quietly at ahome home Over In Newark the Edison plo pie are toasting him at their an an- an annual nual birthday banquet And the streams of ot eulogy y flow Clow But the tho theOld Old Man as they call him hint is not there to hear Another door has shut between Thomas Edison and hIs hb world Like the gods of the cast east he Is left al- al alone alone alone one sitting In his temple The apotheosis of ot Thomas Edison Ion eon been a gradual beginning process be- be beginnIng beginning Invention ginnIng when his first great tion the tho phonograph startled the world In 1877 When the incandescent light th the electric locomotive the motion pie pie- picture followed Lure ture camera and other marvels fol- fol lowed In quick succession the newspapers began to call him th the Wizard of 1 Melo Ielo Park and to re- re fer refer en to the tIme almost supernatural sIxth sense that made hia hl achievements ach possible The first change came In the la- la laboratory The TIme few remaining mern- mern members lers bers ot or Edison's first group of helpers refer to the old ll days daya at Menlo Park as ns one might speak of paradise lost T Then en Edison kept open house all day and day and more especially all nIght nIght-In In his workshop Anyone who was Interested In his work or wished to meet him might drop droin sharIng In at midnight and stand b by altar shar- lug Ing the tho ham sandwiches and miland milk and apples that were Edison's us- us usual ual supper In the tho workshop Why in those days says Ma- Ma Major jor W J Hammer who Joined Edt Edt- Edsons Edson's sons son's staff In 1879 it w was s nothing for us to find tail so so many visitors scattered about among the tho test tubes and machines that we had hato to delay our work The Old Man never cared about that that that- Ills His staff was always trying to protect him against bores and crooks who had no right in the but laboratory but It was hard work worle c for he liked people and wanted wanted them theft around aroud him Ho lie r get excited over peoples people's short short- shortcomings Shortcomings comings NEVER XE SEE nUlI lUM nUl I Today one enters the EdIson n plant through an entry leading to toa tn a reception room There white white- haired take the message o and bid one sit down They Thea have been Edison men for many years ears but they see Edson Edt Edt- Edison son only on rare occasions Mr Edison they they y reply to a question about the tho master why y we dont don't see 80 Mr Edison We e never r know whether he ho Is In time the plant it or not lie He has his entrance e and and Wedo his private work rooms We e do not enter them They might show les shocked surprise it H one had asked them whether they tad seen Been God lately And Anti BO so It goes goell In Edison's own ow home His Ills wife Mina nna Miller IWler EdI- EdI EdIson Edison Edison son has had ha bedtIme d the tho job of protecting him from Crom Intruders there A A con con- conI constant I stant tant stream of or visitors flows Clows u up uthe the paths of his Llewellyn Park Par residence only to be bo turned bacat back at the tho door HE nE DOESN'T LIKE IT Mr J Edison dison is to too valuable a man manto manto mi to be entrusted to the public In general And every birthday that lasses Increases their care of or him hin- Mr Edison Is ilkI lik like a a rare care and fragile Jewel carried around on en ona ena a satin pillow says one ono of ot his old frIends And he doesn't like It itlie lie Ho has am small all chance to exercise hIs talent for tor conversation conversation and humor lie cant can't help belp fe feeling rIdIculous i when they make such Euch a fuss over him He hates being treated as an anold a anold old man What Edison Is ls doing back of tills this veil of seclusion has haa been the topic tople of many discussions among scientists scientists It Is said that as he ha grows older his Ills Interest In the life lite hereafter here re hereafter after Increases and that ho Is studying modes of ot psychic research It Is is known that mat Edison's free free- ree thinking attitude toward religion l hu has kept his staff In Ii a constant state of o nerves Unorthodoxy has slaIn men as great ds s Edison In Inthe Inthe the public mind ailed And so though no one Is allow allow- allowed allowed ed cd to ask him what his bis religIous views are it Is understood that old ago age has brought the subject nearer and that he ha Is searching for an answer to the old question i It If a man die shall he be live again 7 0 OF or DUTCH STOCK There Is even a report that lie he heIs lieis B Is spending his long lonely hours hour hourat at work on an Instrument to de- de detect teet the minute physical changes that take place In a body after death in an attempt to weigh th the 3 soul and test it chemIcally It Is not that Edison thinks death i Is near Today at 80 ho he is the same hale bale and hearty man ho wa was 20 years ago The have lived JIved well toward the mark hind and often otten past It it They They are aro a sturdy Dutch stock with enormous is physical drIve and ami no nerves It may bo he that Edison will yet y produce the greatest invention of his life IKe Nobody outside the holy hoof or of holies belies at West Vest Orange knows what card ho he has up his sleeve For years the Edlon Edion Pioneers have havo held their annual birthday luncheon February 11 Edison used used to to enjoy the occasion more mo than anyone else He lie was the life 11 of the tho part party always ready with witha wl a 0 handshake and arid a laugh for tor h hold hIs old friends Those were the human hum returns of ot his lila labor before the tho tl days of his godhood go RT P PARTNERS ERS DEAl DEAD But Edison the hearty Edison tl the e long lived ived has baa burled buried most of ot hll 1 friends Four partners in his bust bust- business bustness bus busness ness have dropped oft off from year ear to year And the Edison Pioneers has bas become largely a club of ot char char char- cha ter ten members sons Two years ears ago Edison attended attend d this celebration bringing with Ith him his Ills lunch In a tin box And while the pate do de fole gras and the pastries were passed around he sat stone deaf and at- at al most a stranger munching thi the fare ot of the jolly old milk from a abolt i bolt bottle Ie And the pioneers gave orations to his ls which greatness greatness lie Ito could not hear Last year ho lie h did not come to the party Today the few Cew men left of ot his hi old gang have been Invited to call callon callon cal on him at home after tho the lunch lunch- luncheon luncheon luncheon eon The ancient Greeks and Romans let their heroes die before they the deified deWe them They knew that thi the smoke of o incense grows painful to ti human nostrils and a a temple Is a cold place to live livo In America is less merciful n |