"Donald E. Kimberlin" <0004133373@mcimail.com> (06/30/91)
From a recent "Dear Abby" column (copyright 1990 by Universal
Press Syndicate) it would seem that Thomas Edison knew early on that
little jingles would be useful for energy-saving reminders. In the
vignette that Dear Abby printed, we learn about Edison and one of his
employees:
"Let There Be Light, But Not All The Time
"Dear Abby: The enclosed article was published in our local paper, and I
thought it deserved a wider audience. ....
Your Fan in Vermont
"Dear Fan: I agree. And here it is"
"SINGING FOR EDISON
"Annette Anderson, who died several years ago in Rutland, VT at the
age of 99, was a singer. From 1914 to 1917, she worked with Thomas
Alva Edison, singing song after song as he developed his phonograph
recording system. He had stacks of sheet music everywhere, and would
pick one out, saying, "Here, Annette -- sing this one."
"I remember Annette telling me about Edison's eccentricities and his
small soundproof recording room (completely lined with horsehair), but
the strongest memory is of a jingle I heard daily in my childhood. It
was written by Edison, and it hung from the electric light chain in
his recording room.
"It went like this: `Save the juice, save the juice, turn out the
light when not in use!" ...
Doris Erb
Cuttingsville, VT"
Edison was, however, a little inaccurate in his refrain, as Dear
Abby responded:
"Dear Doris: With all due respect to Mr. Edison, `juice' is saved only
if the lights are switched off for ten minutes or longer. According
to a spokesperson for the Department of Water and Power in Los
Angeles, there is a power surge when lights are turned on, so lights
should be left on if one plans to be in and out of the room. Perhaps
the jingle should be amended to read, `Save the juice, save the juice,
turn out the light if it won't be needed for ten minutes or more.' Of
course, the meter is all wrong, but the message is accurate."