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Hokitika Guardian, 16 May 1927, Page 4

AN EDISON FORECAST. NEW YORK. .February 22. Mr Thomas Edison, the great inventor. who was SO a few days ago and is nearly atone deaf, agrees in describing New York as a city ol dreadful din. He rejoices in his own deal ness, and predicts that in TOO years, owing to the increasing noisiness of civilisation, especially on this side ot the Atlantic, everybody will lie deaf.

His messages on the comforts of deafness was sent from I*lorida and communicated by means of amplifiers and special receiving sets attached to each "cover” to 300 deaf New Yorkers assembled at a banquet to raise a fund of £IOO,OOO for the Xitehie School ot Instruction in Lip Reading. All the speakers at the banquet were deaf, and so were the listeners, who were able to hear only with the aid of the receiving sots and amplifiers. Mr Edison declared that their dealness was due to nerve strain and tbe constant irritation of noises generated by civilisation. Such deafness he described as beneficial. He attributed bis own lack of nerves and his powers of concentration largely j to the fact that deafness protected him , from distracting noises. “Dearpeople.” be declared, "should take to reading. It lieats the babble of or | dinarv conversation. '1 be eye is the whole thing, and bearing is a very minor affair. Tts loss is not worth, worrying about.” ,