of the business at the time of the consolidation of the
Thomson-Houston Company with the Edison General Electric Company; but
from the earliest days of the business, when it was in its experimental
period, when the Edison light and power system was but an idea, down
to the day of his death, Henry Villard continued a strong supporter not
only with his influence, but with his money. He was the first capitalist
to back individually Edison's experiments in electric railways."

In speaking of his relationships with Mr. Villard at this time, Edison
says: "When Villard was all broken down, and in a stupor caused by his
disasters in connection with the Northern Pacific, Mrs. Villard sent for
me to come and cheer him up. It was very difficult to rouse him from his
despair and apathy, but I talked about the electric light to him, and
its development, and told him that it would help him win it all back and
put him in his former position. Villard made his great rally; he made
money out of the electric light; and he got back control of the Northern
Pacific. Under no circumstances can a hustler be kept down. If he is
only square, he is bound to get back on his feet. Villard has often been
blamed and severely criticised, but he was not the only one to blame.
His engineers had spent $20,000,000 too much in building the road, and
it was not his fault if he found himself short of money, and at that
time unable to raise any more."

Villard maintained his intelligent interest in electric-railway
development, with regard to which Edison remarks: "At one time Mr.
Villard got the idea that he would run the mountain division of the
Northern Pacific Railroad by electricity. He asked me if it could be
done. I said: 'Certainly, it is too easy for me to undertake; let some
one else do it.' He said: 'I want you to tackle the problem,' and
he insisted on it. So I got up a scheme of a third rail and shoe and
erected it in my yard here in Orange. When I got it all ready, he had
all his division engineers come on to New York, and they came over here.
I showed them my plans, and the unanimous decision of the engineers was
that it was absolutely and utterly impracticable. That system is on the
New York Central now, and was also used on the New Haven road in its
first work with electricity."

At this point it may be well to cite some other statements of Edison as
to kindred work, with which he has not usually been associated in the
public mind. "In the