the history of the telephone-第35章

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ephony　of　the　world；　is　now　comprised　in　the　Bell　System　of　this　country。

There　are　only　six　nations　in　Europe　that　make　a　fair　showingthe　Germans；　British；　Swedish；　Danes；　Norwegians；　and　Swiss。　The　others　have　less　than　one　telephone　per　hundred。　Little　Denmark　has　more　than　Austria。　Little　Finland　has　better　service　than　France。　The　Belgian　telephones　have　cost　the　mosttwo　hundred　and　seventy…three　dollars　apiece；　and　the　Finnish　telephones　the　leasteighty…one　dollars。　But　a　telephone　in　Belgium　earns　three　times　as　much　as　one　in　Norway。　In　general；　the　lesson　in　Europe　is　this；　that　the　telephone　is　what　a　nation　makes　it。　Its　usefulness　depends　upon　the　sense　and　enterprise　with　which　it　is　handled。　It　may　be　either　an　invaluable　asset　or　a　nuisance。

Too　much　government！　That　has　been　the　basic　reason　for　failure　in　most　countries。　Before　the　telephone　was　invented；　the　telegraph　had　been　made　a　State　monopoly；　and　the　tele…　phone　was　regarded　as　a　species　of　telegraph。　The　public　officials　did　not　see　that　a　telephone　system　is　a　highly　complex　and　technical　problem；　much　more　like　a　piano　factory　or　a　steel…　mill。　And　so；　wherever　a　group　of　citizens　established　a　telephone　service；　the　government　officials　looked　upon　it　with　jealous　eyes；　and　usually　snatched　it　away。　The　telephone　thus　became　a　part　of　the　telegraph；　which　is　a　part　of　the　post　office；　which　is　a　part　of　the　government。　It　is　a　fraction　of　a　fraction　of　a　fraction　a　mere　twig　of　bureaucracy。　Under　such　conditions　the　telephone　could　not　prosper。　The　wonder　is　that　it　survived。

Handled　on　the　American　plan；　the　telephone　abroad　may　be　raised　to　American　levels。　There　is　no　racial　reason　for　failure。　The　slow　service　and　the　bungling　are　the　natural　results　of　treating　the　telephone　as　though　it　were　a　road　or　a　fire　department；　and　any　nation　that　rises　to　a　proper　conception　of　the　telephone；　that　dares　to　put　it　into　competent　hands　and　to　strengthen　it　with　enough　capital；　can　secure　as　alert　and　brisk　a　service　as　heart　can　wish。　Some　nations　are　already　on　the　way。　China；　Japan；　and　France　have　sent　delegations　to　New　York　City　〃the　Mecca　of　telephone　men；〃　to　learn　the　art　of　telephony　in　its　highest　development。　Even　Russia　has　rescued　the　telephone　from　her　bureaucrats　and　is　now　offering　it　freely　to　men　of　enterprise。

In　most　foreign　countries　telephone　service　is　being　steadily　geared　up　to　a　faster　pace。　The　craze　for　〃cheap　and　nasty〃　telephony　is　passing；　and　the　idea　that　the　telephone　is　above　all　else　a　SPEED　instrument；　is　gaining　ground。　A　faster　long…distance　service；　at　double　rates；　is　being　well　patronized。　Slow…moving　races　are　learning　the　value　of　time；　which　is　the　first　lesson　in　telephony。　Our　reapers　and　mowers　now　go　to　seventy…five　nations。　Our　street　cars　run　in　all　great　cities。　Morocco　is　importing　our　dollar　watches；　Korea　is　learning　the　waste　of　allowing　nine　men　to　dig　with　one　spade。　And　all　this　means　telephones。

In　thirty　years；　the　Western　Electric　has　sold　sixty…seven　million　dollars'　worth　of　telephonic　apparatus　to　foreign　countries。　But　this　is　no　more　than　a　fair　beginning。　To　put　one　telephone　in　China　to　every　hundred　people　will　mean　an　outlay　of　three　hundred　million　dollars。　To　give　Europe　as　fit　an　equipment　as　the　United　States　now　has；　will　mean　thirty　million　telephones；　with　proper　wire　and　switchboards　to　match。　And　while　telephony　for　the　masses　is　not　yet　a　live　question　in　many　countries；　sooner　or　later；　in　the　relentless　push　of　civilization；　it　must　come。

Possibly；　in　that　far　future　of　peace　and　goodwill　among　nations；　when　each　country　does　for　all　the　others　what　it　can　do　best；　the　United　States　may　be　generally　recognized　as　the　source　of　skill　and　authority　on　telephony。　It　may　be　called　in　to　rebuild　or　operate　the　telephone　systems　of　other　countries；　in　the　same　way　that　it　is　now　supplying　oil　and　steel　rails　and　farm　machinery。　Just　as　the　wise　buyer　of　to…day　asks　France　for　champagne；　Germany　for　toys；　England　for　cottons；　and　the　Orient　for　rugs；　so　he　will　learn　to　look　upon　the　United　States　as　the　natural　home　and　headquarters　of　the　telephone。



CHAPTER　IX

THE　FUTURE　OF　THE　TELEPHONE

In　the　Spring　of　1907　Theodore　N。　Vail；　a　rugged；　ruddy；　white…haired　man；　was　superintending　the　building　of　a　big　barn　in　northern　Vermont。　His　house　stood　near…by；　on　a　balcony　of　rolling　land　that　overlooked　the　town　of　Lyndon　and　far　beyond；　across　evergreen　forests　to　the　massive　bulk　of　Burke　Mountain。　His　farm；　very　nearly　ten　square　miles　in　area；　lay　back　of　the　house　in　a　great　oval　of　field　and　woodland；　with　several　dozen　cottages　in　the　clearings。　His　Welsh　ponies　and　Swiss　cattle　were　grazing　on　the　May　grass；　and　the　men　were　busy　with　the　ploughs　and　harrows　and　seeders。　It　was　almost　thirty　years　since　he　had　been　called　in　to　create　the　business　structure　of　telephony；　and　to　shape　the　general　plan　of　its　development。　Since　then　he　had　done　many　other　things。　The　one　city　of　Buenos　Ayres　had　paid　him　more；　merely　for　giving　it　a　system　of　trolleys　and　electric　lights；　than　the　United　States　had　paid　him　for　putting　the　telephone　on　a　business　basis。　He　was　now　rich　and　retired；　free　to　enjoy　his　play…work　of　the　farm　and　to　forget　the　troubles　of　the　city　and　the　telephone

But；　as　he　stood　among　his　barn…builders；　there　arrived　from　Boston　and　New　York　a　delegation　of　telephone　directors。　Most　of　them　belonged　to　the　〃Old　Guard〃　of　telephony。　They　had　fought　under　Vail　in　the　pioneer　days；　and　now　they　had　come　to　ask　him　to　return　to　the　telephone　business；　after　twenty　years　of　absence。　Vail　laughed　at　the　suggestion。

〃Nonsense；〃　he　said；　〃I'm　too　old。　I'm　sixty…　two　years　of　age。〃　The　directors　persisted。　They　spoke　of　the　approaching　storm…cloud　of　panic　and　the　need　of　another　strong　hand　at　the　wheel　until　the　crisis　was　over；　but　Vail　still　refused。　They　spoke　of　old　times　and　old　memories；　but　he　shook　his　head。　〃All　my　life；〃　he　said；　〃I　have　wanted　to　be　a　farmer。〃

Then　they　drew　a　picture　of　the　telephone　situation。　They　showed　him　that　the　〃grand　telephonic　system〃　which　he　had　planned　was　unfinished。　He　was　its　architect；　and　it　was　undone。　The　telephone　business　was　energetic　and　prosperous。　Under　the　brilliant　leadership　of　Frederick　P。　Fish；　it　had　grown　by　leaps　and　bounds。　But　it　was　still　far　from　being　the　SYSTEM　that　Vail　had　dreamed　of　in　his　younger　days；　and　so；　when　the　directors　put　before　him　his　unfinished　plan；　he　surrendered。　The　instinct　for　completeness；　which　is　one　of　the　dominating　characteristics　of　his　mind；　compelled　him　to　consent。　It　was　the　call　of　the　telephone。

Since　that　May　morning；　1907；　great　things　have　been　done　by　the　men　of　the　telephone　and　telegraph　world。　The　Bell　System　was　brought　through　the　panic　without　a　scratch。　When　the　doubt　and　confusion　were　at　their　worst；　Vail　wrote　an　open　letter　to　his　stock…holders；　in　his　practical；　farmer…like　way。　He　said：

〃Our　net　earnings　for　the　last　ten　months　were　13；715；000；　as　against　11；579；000　for　the　same　period　in　1906。　We　have　now　in　the　banks　over　18；000；000；　and　we　will　not　need　to　borrow　any　money　for　two　years。〃

Soon　afterwards；　the　work　of　consolidation　began。　Companies　that　overlapped　were　united。　Small　local　wire…clusters；　several　thousands　of　them；　were　linked　to　the　national　lines。　A　policy　of　publicity　superseded　the　secrecy　which　had　naturally　grown　to　be　a　habit　in　the　days　of　patent　litigation。　Visitors　and　reporters　found　an　open　door。　Educational　advertisements　were　published　in　the　most　popular　magazines。　The　corps　of　inventors　was　spurred　up　to　conquer　the　long…distance　problems。　And　in　return　for　a　thirty　million　check；　the　control　of　the　historic　Western　Union　was　transferred　from　the　children　of　Jay　Gould　to　the　thirty　thousand　stock…holders　of　the　American　Telephone　and　Telegraph　Company。

From　what　has　been　done；　therefore；　we　may　venture　a　guess　as　to　the　future　of　the　telephone。　This　〃grand　telephonic　system〃　which　had　no　existence　thirty　years　ago；　except　in　the　imagination　of　Vail；　seems　to　be　at　hand。　The　very　newsboys　in　the　streets　are　crying　it。　And　while　there　is；　of　course；　no　exact　blueprint　of