“It is easy to understand that Electra, Goddess of Electricity, lived many ages before her time. It is equally clear that the imperial daughter of Jove was not appreciated in her day. Of all the gods and goddesses that inhabited the lofty mount of ancient Greece, perhaps this serious-minded miss was the only one who really tried to alleviate the burdens and toils of mortals. She came into being to spread over the world her magic power that peace and prosperity might cover the earth.
Even Jove, father of all the Olympic deities, although a kindly, farseeing ruler, did not heed Electra’s oft-repeated pleas. Daily she supplicated her august parent to allow her to teach mortals the wonders of electricity and thus remove the stress and woes of mankind. But Jove always bade her wait until Hercules, Mars and their warlike brethren gave up pursuits of strife. Mars was always fighting somebody; even his father could not control him.
When his sister Electra on her bended knees — and seldom is it recorded in mythology that goddesses ever knelt — begged Mars to give up war and to turn his mind to serious problems of life and how to solve them, the god of the sword, it is narrated, laughed airily and always went forth in his fiery chariot to further scourge the earth with combat. Mars never lost any battles. He preferred to keep his iron heel on lowly mortals rather than uplift them. Electra was just the other way. She wept at the wars Mars waged. She grieved that Jove should permit Mars to lord it over mortals, spreading misery and horror in his path. Finding her mission to mortals thwarted, it is recorded that Electra one day disappeared from Olympus and never returned.
For untold ages Jove and his children sought their sister Electra. No one from Olympus could find her. It was only after centuries of quest by mortals themselves, and that even very recently, that Electra’s magic domain has been somewhat definitely located. Even today, when Electra’s hidden power practically runs the world’s business, no one knows exactly her abode, for no one has been able to tell whence comes the strange force of electricity. She is hidden away in space, perhaps, who knows, from which she distributes impartially to the races of the world her secret but wonderful power that all poor mortals who struggle on, despite Mars and his wicked passion for wars, may achieve that Era of Peace and Prosperity when strife will cease and men may multiply in brotherly love and happiness.
This is Electra’s big week. She is depicted on the cover page of this magazine by a design adopted by the Society for Electrical Development.”
Electrical Proverbs
“To do it best, do it electrically.
If it can be done, Electricity can do it better.
The sure way is the electric way.
The quick way is the push-the-button way.
Electricity blows hot and blows cold — it heats and cooks; it fans and refrigerates.
Electricity makes spotless towns — no soot; no dirty chimneys on electric motor-factories.
The pump that pumps by electricity pumps when the crops require the water.
Night signs bring day business. The only night signs are electric ones.
When you speak of lighting is is understood that you mean Electric lighting. All other lighting is so obsolete that you have to say, ‘candle light,’ ‘oil light,’ ‘gas light.’ Its only competitor is off the job eight to twelve hours a day. Electricity concedes about half the lighting business to the sun.”
Aliso Tree — Los Angeles, rooted in history. 