But he likes to view it from afar, and supported by his fellows, not
thrust incongruously into the midst of things, as was the case with
this panic-stricken engineer. As I passed out, I cast a glance over my
shoulder at the humble artisan content with a profit of a few francs a
day, and at the millionaire inventor opposite him, Edison's face,
which during the address had been cold and impassive, reminding me
vividly of a bust of Napoleon, was now all aglow with enthusiasm as he
turned to his humble visitor. He cried joyfully to the workman:--
'A minute's demonstration is worth an hour's explanation. I'll call
round tomorrow at your shop, about ten o'clock, and show you how to
make the thing work.'
I lingered in the hall until the Frenchman came out, then, introducing
myself to him, asked the privilege of visiting his shop next day at
ten. This was accorded with that courtesy which you will always find
among the industrial classes of France, and next day I had the
pleasure of meeting Mr. Edison. During our conversation I complimented
him on his invention of the incandescent electric light, and this was
the reply that has ever remained in my memory:--
'It was not an invention, but a discovery.
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