Tesla's Views on his Critic

The Electrical Engineer of New York in a recent issue printed the full text of a lecture by Mr. Nikola Tesla before the American Electro-Therapeutic Association. This course, and their leader on the subject, has drawn forth the following letter from this noted inventor: “Sir, - By publishing in your columns of Nov. 17 my recent contribution to the Electro-Therapeutic Society you have finally succeeded - after many vain attempts made during a number of years - in causing me a serious injury. It has cost me great pains to write that paper, and I have expected to see it appear among other dignified contributions of its kind, and I confess the wound is deep. But you will have no opportunity for inflicting a similar one, as I propose to take better care of my papers in the future. In what manner you have secured this one in advance of other electrical periodicals who had an equal right to the same, rests with the secretary of the society to explain. Your editorial comment would not concern me in the least were it not my duty to take note of it. On more than one occasion you have offended me, but in my qualities both as Christian and philosopher I have always forgiven you, and have only pitied you for your errors. This time, though, your offence is graver than the previous ones, for you have dared to cast a shadow on my honour. No doubt you must have in your possession, from the illustrious men whom you quote, tangible proofs in support of your statement reflecting on my honesty. Being a bearer of great honours from a number of American universities, it is my duty, in view of the slur thus cast upon them, to exact from you that in your next issue you produce these, together with this letter, which, in justice to myself, I am forwarding to other electrical journals. In the absence of such proofs, which would put me in the position to seek redress elsewhere, I require that, together with the preceding, you publish instead a complete and humble apology for your insulting remark, which reflects on me as well as those who honour me. On this condition I will again forgive you, but I would advise you to limit yourself in your future attacks to statements for which you are not liable to be punished by law. - N. Tesla.” Our contemporary’s leader in question does not, in our opinion, warrant the tone of Mr. Tesla’s letter, and the justification both for publishing the lecture and for criticising Mr. Tesla’s statements in the American Sunday papers are ample.