the age of invention-第21节

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furnished　the　funds　to　build　about　thirty　models　in　succession；　each　a　little　better　than　the　preceding。　The　improved　machine　was　patented　in　1871；　and　the　partners　felt　that　they　were　ready　to　begin　manufacturing。

Wisely　they　determined；　in　1873；　to　offer　their　machine　to　Eliphalet　Remington　and　Sons；　then　manufacturing　firearms；　sewing　machines；　and　the　like；　at　Ilion；　New　York。　Here；　in　well…equipped　machine　shops　it　was　tested；　strengthened；　and　improved。　The　Remingtons　believed　they　saw　a　demand　for　the　machine　and　offered　to　buy　the　patents；　paying　either　a　lump　sum；　or　a　royalty。　It　is　said　that　Sholes　preferred　the　ready　cash　and　received　twelve　thousand　dollars；　while　Densmore　chose　the　royalty　and　received　a　million　and　a　half。


The　telegraph；　the　press；　and　the　typewriter　are　agents　of　communication　for　the　written　word。　The　telephone　is　an　agent　for　the　spoken　word。　And　there　is　another　instrument　for　recording　sound　and　reproducing　it；　which　should　not　be　forgotten。　It　was　in　1877　that　Thomas　Alva　Edison　completed　the　first　phonograph。　The　air　vibrations　set　up　by　the　human　voice　were　utilized　to　make　minute　indentations　on　a　sheet　of　tinfoil　placed　over　a　metallic　cylinder；　and　the　machine　would　then　reproduce　the　sounds　which　had　caused　the　indentations。　The　record　wore　out　after　a　few　reproductions；　however；　and　Edison　was　too　busy　to　develop　his　idea　further　for　a　time；　though　later　he　returned　to　it。

The　phonograph　today　appears　under　various　names；　but　by　whatever　name　they　are　called；　the　best　machines　reproduce　with　wonderful　fidelity　the　human　voice；　in　speech　or　song；　and　the　tones　of　either　a　single　instrument　or　a　whole　orchestra。　The　most　distinguished　musicians　are　glad　to　do　their　best　for　the　preservation　and　reproduction　of　their　art；　and　through　these　machines；　good　music　is　brought　to　thousands　to　whom　it　could　come　in　no　other　way。


The　camera　bears　a　large　part　in　the　diffusion　of　intelligence；　and　the　last　half　century　in　the　United　States　has　seen　a　great　development　in　photography　and　photoengraving。　The　earliest　experiments　in　photography　belong　almost　exclusively　to　Europe。　Morse；　as　we　have　seen；　introduced　the　secret　to　America　and　interested　his　friend　John　W。　Draper；　who　had　a　part　in　the　perfection　of　the　dry　plate　and　who　was　one　of　the　first；　if　not　the　first；　to　take　a　portrait　by　photography。

The　world's　greatest　inventor　in　photography　is；　however；　George　Eastman；　of　Rochester。　It　was　in　1888　that　Eastman　introduced　a　new　camera；　which　he　called　by　the　distinctive　name　Kodak；　and　with　it　the　slogan：　〃You　press　the　button；　we　do　the　rest。〃　This　first　kodak　was　loaded　with　a　roll　of　sensitized　paper　long　enough　for　a　hundred　exposures。　Sent　to　the　makers；　the　roll　could　itself　be　developed　and　pictures　could　be　printed　from　it。　Eastman　had　been　an　amateur　photographer　when　the　fancy　was　both　expensive　and　tedious。　Inventing　a　method　of　making　dry　plates；　he　began　to　manufacture　them　in　a　small　way　as　early　as　1880。　After　the　first　kodak；　there　came　others　filled　with　rolls　of　sensitized　nitro…cellulose　film。　Priority　in　the　invention　of　the　cellulose　film；　instead　of　glass；　which　has　revolutionized　photography；　has　been　decided　by　the　courts　to　belong　to　the　Reverend　Hannibal　Goodwin；　but　the　honor　none　the　less　belongs　to　Eastman；　who　independently　worked　out　his　process　and　gave　photography　to　the　millions。　The　introduction　by　the　Eastman　Kodak　Company　of　a　film　cartridge　which　could　be　inserted　or　removed　without　retiring　to　a　dark　room　removed　the　chief　difficulty　in　the　way　of　amateurs；　and　a　camera　of　some　sort；　varying　in　price　from　a　dollar　or　two　to　as　many　hundreds；　is　today　an　indispensable　part　of　a　vacation　equipment。

In　the　development　of　the　animated　pictures　Thomas　Alva　Edison　has　played　a　large　part。　Many　were　the　efforts　to　give　the　appearance　of　movement　to　pictures　before　the　first　real　entertainment　was　staged　by　Henry　Heyl　of　Philadelphia。　Heyl's　pictures　were　on　glass　plates　fixed　in　the　circumference　of　a　wheel；　and　each　was　brought　and　held　for　a　part　of　a　second　before　the　lens。　This　method　was　obviously　too　slow　and　too　expensive。　Edison　with　his　keen　mind　approached　the　difficulty　and　after　a　prolonged　series　of　experiments　arrived　at　the　decision　that　a　continuous　tape…like　film　would　be　necessary。　He　invented　the　first　practical　〃taking〃　camera　and　evoked　the　enthusiastic　cooperation　of　George　Eastman　in　the　production　of　this　tape…like　film；　and　the　modern　motion　picture　was　born。　The　projecting　machine　was　substantially　like　the　〃taking〃　camera　and　was　so　used。　Other　inventors；　such　as　Paul　in　England　and　Lumiere　in　France；　produced　other　types　of　projecting　machines；　which　differed　only　in　mechanical　details。

When　the　motion　picture　was　taken　up　in　earnest　in　the　United　States；　the　world　stared　in　astonishment　at　the　apparent　recklessness　of　the　early　managers。　The　public　responded；　however；　and　there　is　hardly　a　hamlet　in　the　nation　where　there　is　not　at　least　one　moving…picture　house。　The　most　popular　actors　have　been　drawn　from　the　speaking　stage　into　the　〃movies；〃　and　many　new　actors　have　been　developed。　In　the　small　town；　the　picture　theater　is　often　a　converted　storeroom；　but　in　the　cities；　some　of　the　largest　and　most　attractive　theaters　have　been　given　over　to　the　pictures；　and　others　even　more　luxurious　have　been　specially　built。　The　Eastman　Company　alone　manufactures　about　ten　thousand　miles　of　film　every　month。

Besides　affording　amusement　to　millions；　the　moving　picture　has　been　turned　to　instruction。　Important　news　events　are　shown　on　the　screen；　and　historical　events　are　preserved　for　posterity　by　depositing　the　films　in　a　vault。　What　would　the　historical　student　not　give　for　a　film　faithfully　portraying　the　inauguration　of　George　Washington！　The　motion　picture　has　become　an　important　factor　in　instruction　in　history　and　science　in　the　schools　and　this　development　is　still　in　its　infancy。



CHAPTER　VII。　THE　STORY　OF　RUBBER

One　day　in　1852；　at　Trenton；　New　Jersey；　there　appeared　in　the　Circuit　Court　of　the　United　States　two　men；　the　legal　giants　of　their　day；　to　argue　the　case　of　Goodyear　vs。　Day　for　infringement　of　patent。　Rufus　Choate　represented　the　defendant　and　Daniel　Webster　the　plaintiff。　Webster；　in　the　course　of　his　plea；　one　of　the　most　brilliant　and　moving　ever　uttered　by　him；　paused　for　a　moment；　drew　from　himself　the　attention　of　those　who　were　hanging　upon　his　words；　and　pointed　to　his　client。　He　would　have　them　look　at　the　man　whose　cause　he　pleaded：　a　man　of　fifty…two；　who　looked　fifteen　years　older；　sallow；　emaciated　from　disease；　due　to　long　privations；　bitter　disappointments；　and　wrongs。　This　was　Charles　Goodyear；　inventor　of　the　process　which　put　rubber　into　the　service　of　the　world。　Said　Webster：

〃And　now　is　Charles　Goodyear　the　discoverer　of　this　invention　of　vulcanized　rubber？　Is　he　the　first　man　upon　whose　mind　the　idea　ever　flashed；　or　to　whose　intelligence　the　fact　ever　was　disclosed；　that　by　carrying　heat　to　a　certain　height　it　would　cease　to　render　plastic　the　India　Rubber　and　begin　to　harden　and　metallize　it？　Is　there　a　man　in　the　world　who　found　out　that　fact　before　Charles　Goodyear？　Who　is　he？　Where　is　he？　On　what　continent　does　he　live？　Who　has　heard　of　him？　What　books　treat　of　him？　What　man　among　all　the　men　on　earth　has　seen　him；　known　him；　or　named　him？　Yet　it　is　certain　that　this　discovery　has　been　made。　It　is　certain　that　it　exists。　It　is　certain　that　it　is　now　a　matter　of　common　knowledge　all　over　the　civilized　world。　It　is　certain　that　ten　or　twelve　years　ago　it　was　not　knowledge。　It　is　certain　that　this　curious　result　has　grown　into　knowledge　by　somebody's　discovery　and　invention。　And　who　is　that　somebody？　The　question　was　put　to　my　learned　opponent　by　my　learned　associate。　If　Charles　Goodyear　did　not　make　this　discovery；　who　did　make　it？　Who　did　make　it？　Why；　if　our　learned　opponent　had　said　he　should　endeavor　to　prove　that　some　one　other　than　Mr。　Goodyear　had　made　this　discovery；　that　would　have　been　very　fair。　I　think　the　learned　gentleman　was　very　wise　in　not　doing　so。　For　I　have　thought　often；　in　the　course　of　my　practice　in　law；　that　it　was　not　very　advisable　to　raise　a　spirit　that　one　could　not　conveniently　lay　again。　Now　who　made　this　discovery？　And　would　it　not　be　proper？　I　am　sure　it　would。　And　would　it　not　be　manly？　I　am　sure　it　would。　Would　not　my　learned　friend　and　his　coadjutor　have　acted　a　more　noble　part；　if　they　had　stood　up　and　said　that　this　invention　was　not　Goodyear's；　but　it　was　an　invention　of　such　and　such　a　man；　in　this　or　that　country？　On　the　contrary　they　do　not　meet　Goodyear's　claim　by　setting　up　a　distinct　claim　of　anybody　else。　They　attempt　to　prove　that　he　was　not　the　inventor　by　little　shreds　and　patches　of　testimony。　Here　a　little　bit　of　sulphur；　and　there　a　little　parcel　of　lead；　here　a　little　degree　of　heat；　a　little　hotter　than　would　warm　a　man's　hands；　and　in　which　a　man　could　live　for　ten　minutes　or　a　quarter　of　an　hour；　and　yet　they　never　seem　to　come　to　the　point。　I　think　it　is　because　their　materials　did　not　allow　them　to　come　to　the　manly　assertion　that　somebody　else　did　make　this　invention；　giving　to　that　somebody　a　local　habitati