Lesson

9

Edison’s Last Breath

Ford grew up on a rural un-electrified① farm, and as a young man he followed Edison’s meteoric② career as the inventor rose to become a national icon③. Edison was Ford’s role model and as a young man Ford took a job at the Edison Illuminating Company working his way up to chief engineer.

In 1896 Ford was thirty-three and, though still working for Edison Co., had created his first experimental automobile the Ford Quadricycle during his off-time. At an Edison company party in New York Ford had his first chance to meet his hero Edison, and even able to explain his new automobile to the prolific④ inventor. Edison was impressed. Edison is said to have slammed his fist down and shouted “Young man, that’s the thing! You have it! Your car is self-contained⑤ and carries its own power plant.” Edison himself had been working on the idea, but had only been considering electricity as the power source, so the idea of a gas engine was a new and somewhat novel⑥ one.

The words comforted Ford tremendously⑦, who immediately set out building a second prototype which was to become the Model-T. The two men became fast friends and would go on camping trips together along with naturalist John Burroughs, botanist Luther Burbank, creator of the Russet Burbank Potato, Harvey Firestone of Firestone tires and occasionally, President Harding.

When Edison became confined⑧ to a wheelchair, Ford brought an extra one to his estate so they could race. At a commemoration⑨ of the 50th anniversary of the light bulb, Ford honored Edison. When Edison spoke he ended his speech directed at Ford: “As to Henry Ford, words are inadequate⑩ to express my feelings. I can only say that in the fullest meaning of the term, he is my friend.” Therefore it is no surprise that Ford wanted something to remember Edison by after he passed away in 1931.

As the legend goes, Ford asked Thomas Edison’s son Charles to sit by the dying inventor’s bedside and hold a test tube next to his father’s mouth to catch his final breath. Ford was a man with many eccentricities (as was Edison) including some interest in reanimation and spiritualism, and some say that he was attempting to capture Edison’s soul as it escaped his body in hopes of later reanimating the inventor.

The truth of the story is somewhat less intense but bears a fairly close resemblance to the legend. While by no means did Charles hold up a test tube to Edison’s lips as he lay dying, there were indeed a series of eight test tubes very nearby his bed. In the words of his son Charles:

“Though he is mainly remembered for his work in electrical fields, his real love was chemistry. It is not strange, but symbolic, that those test tubes were close to him at the end. Immediately after his passing I asked Dr. Hubert S. Howe, his attending physician, to seal them with paraffin. He did. Later I gave one of them to Mr. Ford.”

The test tube itself didn’t turn up until 1950 when it was cataloged in the Ford estate after Clara Ford’s passing, and then promptly lost again until 1978 when it was discovered, “in its cardboard mailing tube along with the hat and shoes under one of the display cases in an exhibit entitled, ‘Henry Ford—A Personal History’ in the Henry Ford Museum.” It would then be discovered that the tube was labeled “Edison’s Last Breath?”

There is a further mystery and irony of this “last breath” test tube. It would seem as if Edison had quite a last breath indeed, as the Edison Estate holds a collection of 42 test tubes all supposedly containing Edison’s last breath.

Regardless of the hoopla over the last breath, the test tube is quite touching in its meaning. Although both men were known for all sorts of poor behavior towards their loved ones and mistreatment of employees, between them at least, there was clearly a profound mutual respect and admiration. The test tube stands as a last gift of friendship, memory and inspiration from one inventor to another.

(699 words)

①un-electrified adj. 没有电气化的，没有供电的

②meteoric [ˌmi:tɪˑɒrɪk] adj. 一举成名的，迅速成功的

③icon [ˑaɪkɒn] n. 偶像，崇拜对象

④prolific [prəˑlɪfɪk] adj. 多产的

⑤self-contained adj. 自给的，独立自足的

⑥novel [ˑnɒvl] adj. 新奇的，新颖的

⑦tremendously [trəˑmendəslɪ] adv. 巨大地，重大地

⑧confine [kənˑfaɪn] v. 限定，限制

⑨commemoration [kəˌmeməˑreɪʃn] n. 纪念，纪念活动

⑩inadequate [ɪnˑædɪkwɪt] adj. 不足的

I. How well did you read?

1. [Draw a conclusion] What is the relationship between Ford and Edison?

A. Ford was the role model of Edison.

B. Ford and Edison competed with each in business.

C. Ford was once an employee of Edison.

2. [Note the reason] Ford caught Edison’s final breath because he________.

A. wanted to get Edison’s soul

B. intended to analyze his breath

C. wanted to take it as memory

3. [Note the fact] According to Charles:________.

A. They got eight tubes of Edison’s breath

B. Ford did not get Edison’s breath at all

C. Edison was better at chemistry than electrical fields

4. [Check the details] Which of the following is right for both Ford and Edison?

A. They treated their family nicely.

B. They respect and admire each other.

C. They sent each other gifts.

5. [See the result] The writer wrote the article to________.

A. show readers the deep friendship between the two great inventors

B. persuade people that both Edison and Ford are great inventors

C. inform people Edison’s poor health before his death

II. Read for words:

1. Choose one best paraphrase or Chinese meaning for the underlined words.

(1) The two men became fast friends.

A. quick B. close C. intimate

(2) As to Henry Ford, words are inadequate to express my feelings.

A. beyond B. not good C. sufficient

(3) Ford had created his first experimental automobile the Ford Quadricycle during his off-time.

A. 失业的时候 B. 上班时间 C. 业余时间

2. Choose one best paraphrase for the underlined expressions.

(1) The truth of the story is somewhat less intense but bears a fairly close resemblance to the legend.

A. is quite similar B. is less true C. is totally the same

(2) When Edison became confined to a wheelchair…

A. began enjoying using wheelchair

B. began to do wheelchair business

C. started using wheelchair because of illness