Edison has invented too many things.

The line appears in an anonymous, humorous New York Times piece from March 1878 reacting to Edison’s phonograph. The article adopts an exaggeratedly alarmist tone, joking that Edison’s inventions are socially dangerous because recording speech could later be replayed to embarrass people and undermine trust.

The remark is not a sincere condemnation of Edison’s productivity; it’s a satirical setup for a mock moral panic about new technology—especially the fear that recorded private comments could be used against the speaker.

Mr. Edison has invented too many things, and almost without exception they are things of the most deleterious character.