EDISON’S VISIONS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LVI, 12 October 1922, Page 3

EDISON’S VISIONS

POWER FOR WHOLE WORLD IN EARTH’S MOVEMENT BUT NOPEACE “Apart from atomic energy, the mere movement of tiro earth turning on its axis and rushing through space would suffice to give us all the light, all tho motive power, and all the heat wc need, and even a thousand times more than we need.” Thus Mr Thomas Edison—sage, sociologist, “scientific sorcerer,” am 1 the world’s most famous inventor—in an interview with a contributor to the Paris Excelsior. “But,” asked tho interviewer, “is there any chance that one day wc mav be able to capture this source ot energy, which would truly put the earth under our yoke?” “One day, perhaps,” Mr Edison replied, “wo shall be able to oxp.oit these movements. “More! One day we shall bo able to exploit the rise and fall of the tides; we shall be able to imprison the sun’s rays.” In parenthesis it might he not '•! that tho American electrician Tesla has already succeeded .in imprisoning a small quantity of rays of sunlight But the great inventor would not accept tho suggestion that, if humanity captured these tremendous sources of power all differences between capital and labour would disappear, because the necessity of work would be suppressed by tho provision of free and illimitable energy.” “The tendency towards striving is innate in humanity,” he said. . . “It is certainly innate as between the man who possesses and the man who does not possess, as between--the “T have something’ and T have nothing.’ “Tho advent of free and illimitable energy such as will come one day will not change in the heart of hnmanitv this vital inborn principle which is at the basis of evolution. “No matter hew illimitable may be tho sources of energy discovered, no human being can live for long without work, The pleasures of idleness are one of the world’s greatest superstitions.” Carrying further these arguments, based on the ingredients of human personality, Mr Edison does not believe that we have yet reached the end of war. In his opinion, the world F on the eve of new and formidable wars, during which civilisation may even disappear.