Page 37 - Viva Real English 4 : Ebook

In the cellar of his home, Edison set up a small laboratory when he was ten years

old. Every time he read about an experiment in a science book, he would try it
in his laboratory. He had collected around two hundred bottles of chemicals and
arranged them carefully on shelves of his cellar lab. All of them were labelled
‘Poison’, so that no one else would handle or disturb them.

The experiments consumed the boy’s pocket money rapidly. Soon he started
working as a newsboy, though his parents objected to this. Edison pointed out that
as a newsboy he could earn all the money he needed for his experiments. Besides,

he could read newspapers and magazines for free.

He was soon selling periodicals on a local train that travelled between Port Huron,
where he lived, and Detroit, a business centre. This train had a disused smoking-
compartment which was given to Edison to keep his papers. He kept his papers
there, but besides that he also transferred his laboratory from the cellar and set
it up on the train. At the age of fourteen, Edison became a striking example of
overcoming hardships to pursue knowledge.

cellar : an underground room used newsboy : a boy who sells

for storing things newspapers
consumed : used disused : no longer used
pursue : go after

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