the history of the telephone-第32章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


ved　may　be　seen　from　a　letter　of　his　which　has　been　preserved。　〃I　have　been　working　in　London　for　four　months；〃　he　writes；　〃I　have　been　to　the　Bank　of　England　and　elsewhere；　and　I　have　not　found　one　man　who　will　put　one　shilling　into　the　telephone。〃

Bell　himself　hurried　to　England　and　Scotland　on　his　wedding　tour　in　1878；　with　great　expectations　of　having　his　invention　appreciated　in　his　native　land。　But　from　a　business　point　of　view；　his　mission　was　a　total　failure。　He　received　dinners　a…plenty；　but　no　contracts；　and　came　back　to　the　United　States　an　impoverished　and　disheartened　man。　Then　the　optimistic　Gardiner　G。　Hubbard；　Bell's　father…in…law；　threw　himself　against　the　European　inertia　and　organized　the　International　and　Oriental　Telephone　Companies；　which　came　to　nothing　of　any　importance。　In　the　same　year　even　Enos　M。　Barton；　the　sagacious　founder　of　the　Western　Electric；　went　to　France　and　England　to　establish　an　export　trade　in　telephones；　and　failed。

These　able　men　found　their　plans　thwarted　by　the　indifference　of　the　public；　and　often　by　open　hostility。　〃The　telephone　is　little　better　than　a　toy；〃　said　the　Saturday　Review；　〃it　amazes　ignorant　people　for　a　moment；　but　it　is　inferior　to　the　well…established　system　of　air…　tubes。〃　〃What　will　become　of　the　privacy　of　life？〃　asked　another　London　editor。　〃What　will　become　of　the　sanctity　of　the　domestic　hearth？〃　Writers　vied　with　each　other　in　inventing　methods　of　pooh…poohing　Bell　and　his　invention。　〃It　is　ridiculously　simple；〃　said　one。　〃It　is　only　an　electrical　speaking…tube；〃　said　another。　〃It　is　a　complicated　form　of　speaking…　trumpet；〃　said　a　third。　No　British　editor　could　at　first　conceive　of　any　use　for　the　telephone；　except　for　divers　and　coal　miners。　The　price；　too；　created　a　general　outcry。　Floods　of　toy　telephones　were　being　sold　on　the　streets　at　a　shilling　apiece；　and　although　the　Government　was　charging　sixty　dollars　a　year　for　the　use　of　its　printing…telegraphs；　people　protested　loudly　against　paying　half　as　much　for　telephones。　As　late　as　1882；　Herbert　Spencer　writes：　〃The　telephone　is　scarcely　used　at　all　in　London；　and　is　unknown　in　the　other　English　cities。〃

The　first　man　of　consequence　to　befriend　the　telephone　was　Lord　Kelvin；　then　an　untitled　young　scientist。　He　had　seen　the　original　telephones　at　the　Centennial　in　Philadelphia；　and　was　so　fascinated　with　them　that　the　impulsive　Bell　had　thrust　them　into　his　hands　as　a　gift。　At　the　next　meeting　of　the　British　Association　for　the　Advancement　of　Science；　Lord　Kelvin　exhibited　these。　He　did　more。　He　became　the　champion　of　the　telephone。　He　staked　his　reputation　upon　it。　He　told　the　story　of　the　tests　made　at　the　Centennial；　and　assured　the　sceptical　scientists　that　he　had　not　been　deceived。　〃All　this　my　own　ears　heard；〃　he　said；　〃spoken　to　me　with　unmistakable　distinctness　by　this　circular　disc　of　iron。〃

The　scientists　and　electrical　experts　were；　for　the　most　part；　split　up　into　two　camps。　Some　of　them　said　the　telephone　was　impossible；　while　others　said　that　〃nothing　could　be　simpler。〃　Almost　all　were　agreed　that　what　Bell　had　done　was　a　humorous　trifle。　But　Lord　Kelvin　persisted。　He　hammered　the　truth　home　that　the　telephone　was　〃one　of　the　most　interesting　inventions　that　has　ever　been　made　in　the　history　of　science。〃　He　gave　a　demonstration　with　one　end　of　the　wire　in　a　coal　mine。　He　stood　side　by　side　with　Bell　at　a　public　meeting　in　Glasgow；　and　declared：

〃The　things　that　were　called　telephones　before　Bell　were　as　different　from　Bell's　telephone　as　a　series　of　hand…claps　are　different　from　the　human　voice。　They　were　in　fact　electrical　claps；　while　Bell　conceived　the　ideaTHE　WHOLLY　ORIGINAL　AND　NOVEL　IDEAof　giving　continuity　to　the　shocks；　so　as　to　perfectly　reproduce　the　human　voice。〃

One　by　one　the　scientists　were　forced　to　take　the　telephone　seriously。　At　a　public　test　there　was　one　noted　professor　who　still　stood　in　the　ranks　of　the　doubters。　He　was　asked　to　send　a　message。　He　went　to　the　instrument　with　a　grin　of　incredulity；　and　thinking　the　whole　exhibition　a　joke；　shouted　into　the　mouthpiece：　〃Hi　diddle　diddlefollow　up　that。〃　Then　he　listened　for　an　answer。　The　look　on　his　face　changed　to　one　of　the　utmost　amazement。　〃It　says‘The　cat　and　the　fiddle；'〃　he　gasped；　and　forthwith　he　became　a　convert　to　telephony。　By　such　tests　the　men　of　science　were　won　over；　and　by　the　middle　of　1877　Bell　received　a　〃vociferous　welcome〃　when　he　addressed　them　at　their　annual　convention　at　Plymouth。

Soon　afterwards；　The　London　Times　surrendered。　It　whirled　right…about…face　and　praised　the　telephone　to　the　skies。　〃Suddenly　and　quietly　the　whole　human　race　is　brought　within　speaking　and　hearing　distance；〃　it　exclaimed；　〃scarcely　anything　was　more　desired　and　more　impossible。〃　The　next　paper　to　quit　the　mob　of　scoffers　was　the　Tatler；　which　said　in　an　editorial　peroration；　〃We　cannot　but　feel　im…　pressed　by　the　picture　of　a　human　child　commanding　the　subtlest　and　strongest　force　in　Nature　to　carry；　like　a　slave；　some　whisper　around　the　world。〃

Closely　after　the　scientists　and　editors　came　the　nobility。　The　Earl　of　Caithness　led　the　way。　He　declared　in　public　that　〃the　telephone　is　the　most　extraordinary　thing　I　ever　saw　in　my　life。〃　And　one　wintry　morning　in　1878　Queen　Victoria　drove　to　the　house　of　Sir　Thomas　Biddulph；　in　London；　and　for　an　hour　talked　and　listened　by　telephone　to　Kate　Field；　who　sat　in　a　Downing　Street　office。　Miss　Field　sang　〃Kathleen　Mavourneen；〃　and　the　Queen　thanked　her　by　telephone；　saying　she　was　〃immensely　pleased。〃　She　congratulated　Bell　himself；　who　was　present；　and　asked　if　she　might　be　permitted　to　buy　the　two　telephones；　whereupon　Bell　presented　her　with　a　pair　done　in　ivory。

This　incident；　as　may　be　imagined；　did　much　to　establish　the　reputation　of　telephony　in　Great　Britain。　A　wire　was　at　once　strung　to　Windsor　Castle。　Others　were　ordered　by　the　Daily　News；　the　Persian　Ambassador；　and　five　or　six　lords　and　baronets。　Then　came　an　order　which　raised　the　hopes　of　the　telephone　men　to　the　highest　heaven；　from　the　banking　house　of　J。　S。　Morgan　&　Co。　It　was　the　first　recognition　from　the　〃seats　of　the　mighty〃　in　the　business　and　financial　world。　A　tiny　exchange；　with　ten　wires；　was　promptly　started　in　London；　and　on　April　2d；　1879；　Theodore　Vail；　the　young　manager　of　the　Bell　Company；　sent　an　order　to　the　factory　in　Boston；　〃Please　make　one　hundred　hand　telephones　for　export　trade　as　early　as　possible。〃　The　foreign　trade　had　begun。

Then　there　came　a　thunderbolt　out　of　a　blue　sky；　a　wholly　unforeseen　disaster。　Just　as　a　few　energetic　companies　were　sprouting　up；　the　Postmaster　General　suddenly　proclaimed　that　the　telephone　was　a　species　of　telegraph。　According　to　a　British　law　the　telegraph　was　required　to　be　a　Government　monopoly。　This　law　had　been　passed　six　years　before　the　telephone　was　born；　but　no　matter。　The　telephone　men　protested　and　argued。　Tyndall　and　Lord　Kelvin　warned　the　Government　that　it　was　making　an　indefensible　mistake。　But　nothing　could　be　done。　Just　as　the　first　railways　had　been　called　toll…roads；　so　the　telephone　was　solemnly　declared　to　be　a　telegraph。　Also；　to　add　to　the　absurd　humor　of　the　situation；　Judge　Stephen；　of　the　High　Court　of　Justice；　spoke　the　final　word　that　compelled　the　telephone　legally　to　be　a　telegraph；　and　sustained　his　opinion　by　a　quotation　from　Webster's　Dictionary；　which　was　published　twenty　years　before　the　telephone　was　invented。

Having　captured　this　new　rival；　what　next？　The　Postmaster　General　did　not　know。　He　had；　of　course；　no　experience　in　telephony；　and　neither　had　any　of　his　officials　in　the　telegraph　department。　There　was　no　book　and　no　college　to　instruct　him。　His　telegraph　was　then；　as　it　is　to…day；　a　business　failure。　It　was　not　earning　its　keep。　Therefore　he　did　not　dare　to　shoulder　the　risk　of　constructing　a　second　system　of　wires；　and　at　last　consented　to　give　licenses　to　private　companies。

But　the　muddle　continued。　In　order　to　compel　competition；　according　to　the　academic　theories　of　the　day；　licenses　were　given　to　thir…　teen　private　companies。　As　might　have　been　expected；　the　ablest　company　quickly　swallowed　the　other　twelve。　If　it　had　been　let　alone；　this　company　might　have　given　good　service；