the history of the telephone-第2章

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　city　of　his　birth；　and　in　London；　and　had　in　one　way　and　another　picked　up　a　smattering　of　anatomy；　music；　electricity；　and　telegraphy。　Until　he　was　sixteen　years　of　age；　he　had　read　nothing　but　novels　and　poetry　and　romantic　tales　of　Scottish　heroes。　Then　he　left　home　to　become　a　teacher　of　elocution　in　various　British　schools；　and　by　the　time　he　was　of　age　he　had　made　several　slight　discoveries　as　to　the　nature　of　vowel…sounds。　Shortly　afterwards；　he　met　in　London　two　distinguished　men；　Alexander　J。　Ellis　and　Sir　Charles　Wheatstone；　who　did　far　more　than　they　ever　knew　to　forward　Bell　in　the　direction　of　the　telephone。

Ellis　was　the　president　of　the　London　Philological　Society。　Also；　he　was　the　translator　of　the　famous　book　on　〃The　Sensations　of　Tone；〃　written　by　Helmholtz；　who；　in　the　period　from　1871　to　1894　made　Berlin　the　world…centre　for　the　study　of　the　physical　sciences。　So　it　happened　that　when　Bell　ran　to　Ellis　as　a　young　enthusiast　and　told　his　experiments；　Ellis　informed　him　that　Helmholtz　had　done　the　same　things　several　years　before　and　done　them　more　completely。　He　brought　Bell　to　his　house　and　showed　him　what　Helmholtz　had　donehow　he　had　kept　tuning…forks　in　vibration　by　the　power　of　electro…magnets；　and　blended　the　tones　of　several　tuning…forks　together　to　produce　the　complex　quality　of　the　human　voice。

Now；　Helmholtz　had　not　been　trying　to　invent　a　telephone；　nor　any　sort　of　message…carrier。　His　aim　was　to　point　out　the　physical　basis　of　music；　and　nothing　more。　But　this　fact　that　an　electro…magnet　would　set　a　tuning…fork　humming　was　new　to　Bell　and　very　attractive。　It　appealed　at　once　to　him　as　a　student　of　speech。　If　a　tuning…fork　could　be　made　to　sing　by　a　magnet　or　an　electrified　wire；　why　would　it　not　be　possible　to　make　a　musical　telegrapha　telegraph　with　a　piano　key…board；　so　that　many　messages　could　be　sent　at　once　over　a　single　wire？　Unknown　to　Bell；　there　were　several　dozen　inven…　tors　then　at　work　upon　this　problem；　which　proved　in　the　end　to　be　very　elusive。　But　it　gave　him　at　least　a　starting…point；　and　he　forthwith　commenced　his　quest　of　the　telephone。

As　he　was　then　in　England；　his　first　step　was　naturally　to　visit　Sir　Charles　Wheatstone；　the　best　known　English　expert　on　telegraphy。　Sir　Charles　had　earned　his　title　by　many　inventions。　He　was　a　simple…natured　scientist；　and　treated　Bell　with　the　utmost　kindness。　He　showed　him　an　ingenious　talking…machine　that　had　been　made　by　Baron　de　Kempelin。　At　this　time　Bell　was　twenty…two　and　unknown；　Wheatstone　was　sixty…seven　and　famous。　And　the　personality　of　the　veteran　scientist　made　so　vivid　a　picture　upon　the　mind　of　the　impressionable　young　Bell　that　the　grand　passion　of　science　became　henceforth　the　master…motif　of　his　life。

From　this　summit　of　glorious　ambition　he　was　thrown；　several　months　later；　into　the　depths　of　grief　and　despondency。　The　White　Plague　had　come　to　the　home　in　Edinburgh　and　taken　away　his　two　brothers。　More；　it　had　put　its　mark　upon　the　young　inventor　himself。　Nothing　but　a　change　of　climate；　said　his　doctor；　would　put　him　out　of　danger。　And　so；　to　save　his　life；　he　and　his　father　and　mother　set　sail　from　Glasgow　and　came　to　the　small　Canadian　town　of　Brantford；　where　for　a　year　he　fought　down　his　tendency　to　consumption；　and　satisfied　his　nervous　energy　by　teaching　〃Visible　Speech〃　to　a　tribe　of　Mohawk　Indians。

By　this　time　it　had　become　evident；　both　to　his　parents　and　to　his　friends；　that　young　Graham　was　destined　to　become　some　sort　of　a　creative　genius。　He　was　tall　and　supple；　with　a　pale　complexion；　large　nose；　full　lips；　jet…black　eyes；　and　jet…black　hair；　brushed　high　and　usually　rumpled　into　a　curly　tangle。　In　temperament　he　was　a　true　scientific　Bohemian；　with　the　ideals　of　a　savant　and　the　disposition　of　an　artist。　He　was　wholly　a　man　of　enthusiasms；　more　devoted　to　ideas　than　to　people；　and　less　likely　to　master　his　own　thoughts　than　to　be　mastered　by　them。　He　had　no　shrewdness；　in　any　commercial　sense；　and　very　little　knowledge　of　the　small　practical　details　of　ordinary　living。　He　was　always　intense；　always　absorbed。　When　he　applied　his　mind　to　a　problem；　it　became　at　once　an　enthralling　arena；　in　which　there　went　whirling　a　chariot…　race　of　ideas　and　inventive　fancies。

He　had　been　fascinated　from　boyhood　by　his　father's　system　of　〃Visible　Speech。〃　He　knew　it　so　well　that　he　once　astonished　a　professor　of　Oriental　languages　by　repeating　correctly　a　sentence　of　Sanscrit　that　had　been　written　in　〃Visible　Speech〃　characters。　While　he　was　living　in　London　his　most　absorbing　enthusiasm　was　the　instruction　of　a　class　of　deaf…mutes；　who　could　be　trained　to　talk；　he　believed；　by　means　of　the　〃Visible　Speech〃　alphabet。　He　was　so　deeply　impressed　by　the　progress　made　by　these　pupils；　and　by　the　pathos　of　their　dumbness；　that　when　he　arrived　in　Canada　he　was　in　doubt　as　to　which　of　these　two　tasks　was　the　more　importantthe　teaching　of　deaf…mutes　or　the　invention　of　a　musical　telegraph。

At　this　point；　and　before　Bell　had　begun　to　experiment　with　his　telegraph；　the　scene　of　the　story　shifts　from　Canada　to　Massachusetts。　It　appears　that　his　father；　while　lecturing　in　Boston；　had　mentioned　Graham's　exploits　with　a　class　of　deaf…mutes；　and　soon　afterward　the　Boston　Board　of　Education　wrote　to　Graham；　offering　him　five　hundred　dollars　if　he　would　come　to　Boston　and　introduce　his　system　of　teaching　in　a　school　for　deaf…mutes　that　had　been　opened　recently。　The　young　man　joyfully　agreed；　and　on　the　first　of　April；　1871；　crossed　the　line　and　became　for　the　remainder　of　his　life　an　American。

For　the　next　two　years　his　telegraphic　work　was　laid　aside；　if　not　forgotten。　His　success　as　a　teacher　of　deaf…mutes　was　sudden　and　overwhelming。　It　was　the　educational　sensation　of　1871。　It　won　him　a　professorship　in　Boston　University；　and　brought　so　many　pupils　around　him　that　he　ventured　to　open　an　ambitious　〃School　of　Vocal　Physiology；〃　which　became　at　once　a　profitable　enterprise。　For　a　time　there　seemed　to　be　little　hope　of　his　escaping　from　the　burden　of　this　success　and　becoming　an　inventor；　when；　by　a　most　happy　coincidence；　two　of　his　pupils　brought　to　him　exactly　the　sort　of　stimulation　and　practical　help　that　he　needed　and　had　not　up　to　this　time　received。

One　of　these　pupils　was　a　little　deaf…mute　tot；　five　years　of　age；　named　Georgie　Sanders。　Bell　had　agreed　to　give　him　a　series　of　private　lessons　for　350　a　year；　and　as　the　child　lived　with　his　grandmother　in　the　city　of　Salem；　sixteen　miles　from　Boston；　it　was　agreed　that　Bell　should　make　his　home　with　the　Sanders　family。　Here　he　not　only　found　the　keenest　interest　and　sympathy　in　his　air…castles　of　invention；　but　also　was　given　permission　to　use　the　cellar　of　the　house　as　his　workshop。

For　the　next　three　years　this　cellar　was　his　favorite　retreat。　He　littered　it　with　tuning…　forks；　magnets；　batteries；　coils　of　wire；　tin　trumpets；　and　cigar…boxes。　No　one　outside　of　the　Sanders　family　was　allowed　to　enter　it；　as　Bell　was　nervously　afraid　of　having　his　ideas　stolen。　He　would　even　go　to　five　or　six　stores　to　buy　his　supplies；　for　fear　that　his　intentions　should　be　discovered。　Almost　with　the　secrecy　of　a　conspirator；　he　worked　alone　in　this　cellar；　usually　at　night；　and　quite　oblivious　of　the　fact　that　sleep　was　a　necessity　to　him　and　to　the　Sanders　family。

〃Often　in　the　middle　of　the　night　Bell　would　wake　me　up；〃　said　Thomas　Sanders；　the　father　of　Georgie。　〃His　black　eyes　would　be　blazing　with　excitement。　Leaving　me　to　go　down　to　the　cellar；　he　would　rush　wildly　to　the　barn　and　begin　to　send　me　signals　along　his　experimental　wires。　If　I　noticed　any　improvement　in　his　machine；　he　would　be　delighted。　He　would　leap　and　whirl　around　in　one　of　his　‘war…dances'　and　then　go　contentedly　to　bed。　But　if　the　experiment　was　a　failure；　he　would　go　back　to　his　workbench　and　try　some　different　plan。〃

The　second　pupil　who　became　a　factora　very　considerable　factorin　Bell's　career　was　a　fifteen…year…old　girl　named　Mabel　Hubbard；　who　had　lost　her　hearing；　and　consequently　her　speech；　through　an　attack　of　scarlet…fever　when　a　baby。　She　was　a　gentle　and　lovable　girl；　and　Bell；　in　his　ardent　and　headlong　way；　lost　his　heart　to　her　completely；　and　four　years　later；　he　had　the　hap