These clippings cover the year 1919. Most of the items are taken from newspapers, but there are several longer magazine articles as well. Some of the articles pertain to Edison's recording of a personal phonograph message marking the end of the war—reportedly the first time that the inventor had ever allowed his voice to be recorded. There are also clippings about his summer camping trip in the Adirondacks with Henry Ford, John Burroughs, and Harvey S. Firestone, including accounts of their visit to the new Ford Tractor Factory in Green Island, New York, and interviews with the press where Edison expressed his opinions about the League of Nations and other issues relating to postwar political and economic reconstruction. Other clippings concern the deaths of traffic manager John T. Rogers and former associates Philip S. Dyer and Frederick Sargent; efforts to promote the phonograph; and the initiation of "Americanization" classes for the foreign employees of Thomas A. Edison, Inc.
In addition, there are numerous clippings about Charles Edison, including his promotion to general manager of TAE Inc. following the resignation of Carl H. Wilson, his announcement of a new management strategy to prevent labor unrest, and his appointment as treasurer of the National Social Unit Organization. Also included is a long letter from Frank J. Sprague disputing the claim that Edison invented and perfected the electric railway, as well as clippings about Henry's Fords libel suit against the Chicago Tribune.
Approximately 20 percent of the clippings have been selected. In addition to numerous duplicate versions of most of the stories, the unselected items include clippings about the death of Theodore Roosevelt; Henry Ford's testimony in the libel case; prohibition; and Bolshevism.
A small amount of additional material for 1919 can be found in Cat. 44,516 in the Scrapbook Series. Newspaper articles and other documents pertaining to Charles Edison's role in the Liberty Loan and Victory Loan campaigns, 1917-1919, can be found in four unselected scrapbooks (Cat. 44,511, Cat. 44,512, Cat. 44,513, and Cat. 44,514) at the Edison National Historical Park. Courtesy of Thomas Edison National Historical Park.
