loo M^esf Americmi Scicriiist. 



A MUNIFICENT GIFT. 



The Directors of the San Diego Society of Natural History met 

 March 3d at the office of Dr. G. W. Barnes. Messrs. Cleveland, 

 Puterbaugh, Capron and Barnes were present. A letter was read 

 from E. W. Morse and his wife Mary C- Morse, offering to the 

 Society the title in fee simple to lot i, block 17, Horton's addition. 

 This property is situated on Sixth street near E, a few yards 

 above the magnificent new Pierce-Morse Block, and not a block 

 from the Postoffice and The West American Scientist office. 

 The gift was offered upon certain conditions. The Society is not 

 to mortgage the property without first obtaining the written con- 

 sent of the donors. A suitable building is to be erected on the 

 lot at the earliest possible opportunity, and at not a later time 

 than three years from the date of conveyance. This building 

 shall contain collection rooms a place of meeting for the Society, 

 and a public hall which shall have a capacity of seating at least 

 200 persons. In this hall free lectures on scientific and popular 

 subjects shall be delivered as often as is practicable. The hall 

 shall be open to all legitimate public uses, and shall especially be 

 always at the service of the Society for Improving and Beautifying 

 San Diego. The Directors unanimously accepted the gift upon 

 the specified terms, and pledged that all the conditions of the 

 donation shall be kept in good faith. Also declaiming that it was 

 both to the honor and interest of the Society to erect, as soon as 

 possible, a suitable building. Resolutions expressive of gratitude 

 to the donors, and appreciation of the donation, were adopted and 

 ordered to be presented to Mr. and Mrs. Morse. The Society 

 now has a small building upon the lot. The gift is of the value 

 of at least $12,000. 



EDISON'S PHONOGRAPH. 



Edison, the inventor, has a remarkable memento of Beecher at 

 his house in Llewellyn Park. His phonograph for impressing on 

 a soft metal sheet the utterances of the human voice, and then 

 emitting it again by the turning of a crank, has never been put to 

 any practical use, but he has utilized it to make a collection of 

 famous voices. Since he became famous, visitors have included 

 hundreds of celebrities. Instead of asking them for their auto- 

 graphs or photographs, he has, in two or three hundred 

 instances, requested them to speak a few sentences into a phono- 

 graph. He has kept the plates in a cabinet, and occasionally he 

 runs them through the machine, which sends out . the words 

 exactly as uttered. Edison is probably the only man who can 

 revive the silenced voice of the great preacher. 



