I had never heard of it before either until Abe mentioned it tonight. Since I am not an expert, I assumed there was supporting evidence. Glad to hear it may not be completely accurate. Melissa
------------------------------ On Fri, Jan 25, 2013 9:47 PM EST Jim Nichol wrote: >Abe, I've read DOZENS of biographies of Edison, and none of them said he was >anti-Semitic. Some of them specifically said he was not anti-Semitic. Just >because he knew Ford doesn't mean he agreed with him. Also, I don't recall any >biographies saying Edison paid low wages or that employees didn't like him. >Actually, it was quite the opposite, since my impression was that most loved >"The Old Man". I believe his closest associates (who helped him the most to >develop inventions) tended to be rewarded rather well financially through >bonuses. You're correct that his taste in music was very old-fashioned, >sometimes odd, and not helped by his poor hearing. > >Jim Nichol > >On Jan 25, 2013, at 7:01 PM, Abe Feder <[email protected]> wrote: > >> Just make sure that you don't teach them everything about Edison, he was >> very hard on employees and paid a low working wage and fired most who >> disagreed with him. He had a strange view-almost myopic view about art, the >> people that produced it and music. If it didn't fit his view or like he >> simply dismissed it as inferior. And just like his good friend Henry Ford >> he was very anti-Semitic. >> >> Both men are viewed as great and in many cases they were-both both had some >> major flaws. >> Abe Feder >> >> On Fri, Jan 25, 2013 at 3:53 PM, Melissa Ricci <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> Hello Everybody, >> As many of you know, I am a middle school music/band teacher and I always >> run a unit about Edison and the phonograph. We always end the unit by >> recording on a wax cylinder. >> For the first time in many years, I am teaching two 6th grade general >> music classes along with my band classes this year. Today was the first >> time I approached the topic of Thomas A. Edison. To see where the class was >> with their present knowledge of Edison, I broke the kids into groups and >> asked them to write down everything they knew or thought they knew about >> him. >> Here is what the majority of the class wrote down: >> 1. Edison was the 2nd, 3rd or 16th president of the United States. We're >> not sure which.2. Edison was originally from England.3. Edison's face is on >> the $20.00 bill.4. Edison was a male.5. Edison probably had a wife and >> might have had children.6. Edison died a very long, long, long time ago.7. >> Edison helped to write the constitution.8. Edison had very long, wild >> hair.9. Edison was very old. >> >> One student surprised me by writing that Edison invented the first talking >> doll. I was amazed so I asked her where she had learned that information. >> It turns our that it was on a recent episode of a TV show called >> "Oddities". Who says TV can't teach! >> Obviously, I plan on starting at the very beginning of Edison's life and >> of course his many inventions of which not even the light bulb was >> mentioned. >> If any of you have any words of wisdom or little known/especially >> interesting facts about Edison, please let me know. I plan on going pretty >> in depth with these kids so anything I can learn will only help me capture >> their interest and put these misconceptions to rest once and for all. >> Thanks!Melissa > >_______________________________________________ >Phono-L mailing list >http://phono-l.org _______________________________________________ Phono-L mailing list http://phono-l.org
