The Laboratory At Orange And The Staff - 10
One distinct group of visitors has always been constituted by the "newspaper men."
Hardly a day goes by that the journals do not contain some reference to Edison's work or
remarks; and the items are generally based on an interview. The reporters are never away
from the laboratory very long; for if they have no actual mission of inquiry, there is
always the chance of a good story being secured offhand; and the easy, inveterate goodnature
of Edison toward reporters is proverbial in the craft. Indeed, it must be stated here
that once in a while this confidence has been abused; that stories have been published
utterly without foundation; that interviews have been printed which never took place; that
articles with Edison's name as author have been widely circulated, although he never saw
them; and that in such ways he has suffered directly. But such occasional incidents tend
in no wise to lessen Edison's warm admiration of the press or his readiness to avail
himself of it whenever a representative goes over to Orange to get the truth or the real
facts in regard to any matter of public importance. As for the newspaper clippings
containing such articles, or others in which Edison's name appears--they are literally like
sands of the sea-shore for number; and the archives of the laboratory that preserve only a
very minute percentage of them are a further demonstration of what publicity means,
where a figure like Edison is concerned.
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