the history of the telephone-第37章

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ust　find　the　answers。　They　illustrate　the　nature　of　the　big　jobs　that　the　telephone　has　to　offer　to　an　ambitious　and　gifted　young　man　of　to…day。

〃The　problems　never　were　as　large　or　as　complex　as　they　are　right　now；〃　says　J。　J。　Carty；　the　chief　of　the　telephone　engineers。　The　eternal　struggle　remains　between　the　large　and　little　ideasbetween　the　men　who　see　what　might　be　and　the　men　who　only　see　what　IS。　There　is　still　the　race　to　break　records。　Already　the　girl　at　the　switchboard　can　find　the　person　wanted　in　thirty　seconds。　This　is　one…tenth　of　the　time　that　was　taken　in　the　early　centrals；　but　it　is　still　too　long。　It　is　one…half　of　a　valuable　minute。　It　must　be　cut　to　twenty…five　seconds；　or　twenty　or　fifteen。

There　is　still　the　inventors'　battle　to　gain　miles。　The　distance　over　which　conversations　can　be　held　has　been　increased　from　twenty　miles　to　twenty…five　hundred。　But　this　is　not　far　enough。　There　are　some　civilized　human　beings　who　are　twelve　thousand　miles　apart；　and　who　have　interests　in　common。　During　the　Boxer　Rebellion　in　China；　for　instance；　there　were　Americans　in　Peking　who　would　gladly　have　given　half　of　their　fortune　for　the　use　of　a　pair　of　wires　to　New　York。

In　the　earliest　days　of　the　telephone；　Bell　was　fond　of　prophesying　that　〃the　time　will　come　when　we　will　talk　across　the　Atlantic　Ocean〃；　but　this　was　regarded　as　a　poetical　fancy　until　Pupin　invented　his　method　of　automatically　propelling　the　electric　current。　Since　then　the　most　conservative　engineer　will　discuss　the　problem　of　transatlantic　telephony。　And　as　for　the　poets；　they　are　now　dreaming　of　the　time　when　a　man　may　speak　and　hear　his　own　voice　come　back　to　him　around　the　world。

The　immediate　long…distance　problem　is；　of　course；　to　talk　from　New　York　to　the　Pacific。　The　two　oceans　are　now　only　three　and　a　half　days　apart　by　rail。　Seattle　is　clamoring　for　a　wire　to　the　East。　San　Diego　wants　one　in　time　for　her　Panama　Canal　Exposition　in　1915。　The　wires　are　already　strung　to　San　Francisco；　but　cannot　be　used　in　the　present　stage　of　the　art。　And　Vail's　captains　are　working　now　with　almost　breathless　haste　to　give　him　a　birthday　present　of　a　talk　across　the　continent　from　his　farm　in　Vermont。

〃I　can　see　a　universal　system　of　telephony　for　the　United　States　in　the　very　near　future；〃　says　Carty。　〃There　is　a　statue　of　Seward　standing　in　one　of　the　streets　of　Seattle。　The　inscription　upon　it　is；　‘To　a　United　Country。'　But　as　an　Easterner　stands　there；　he　feels　the　isolation　of　that　Far　Western　State；　and　he　will　always　feel　it；　until　he　can　talk　from　one　side　of　the　United　States　to　the　other。　For　my　part；〃　con…　tinues　Carty；　〃I　believe　we　will　talk　across　continents　and　across　oceans。　Why　not？　Are　there　not　more　cells　in　one　human　body　than　there　are　people　in　the　whole　earth？〃

Some　future　Carty　may　solve　the　abandoned　problem　of　the　single　wire；　and　cut　the　copper　bill　in　two　by　restoring　the　grounded　circuit。　He　may　transmit　vision　as　well　as　speech。　He　may　perfect　a　third…rail　system　for　use　on　moving　trains。　He　may　conceive　of　an　ideal　insulating　material　to　supersede　glass；　mica；　paper；　and　enamel。　He　may　establish　a　universal　code；　so　that　all　persons　of　importance　in　the　United　States　shall　have　call…numbers　by　which　they　may　instantly　be　located；　as　books　are　in　a　library。

Some　other　young　man　may　create　a　commercial　department　on　wide　lines；　a　work　which　telephone　men　have　as　yet　been　too　specialized　to　do。　Whoever　does　this　will　be　a　man　of　comprehensive　brain。　He　will　be　as　closely　in　touch　with　the　average　man　as　with　the　art　of　telephony。　He　will　know　the　gossip　of　the　street；　the　demands　of　the　labor　unions；　and　the　policies　of　governors　and　presidents。　The　psy…　chology　of　the　Western　farmer　will　concern　him；　and　the　tone　of　the　daily　press；　and　the　methods　of　department　stores。　It　will　be　his　aim　to　know　the　subtle　chemistry　of　public　opinion；　and　to　adapt　the　telephone　service　to　the　shifting　moods　and　necessities　of　the　times。　HE　WILL　FIT　TELEPHONY　LIKE　A　GARMENT　AROUND　THE　HABITS　OF　THE　PEOPLE。

Also；　now　that　the　telephone　business　has　become　strong；　its　next　anxiety　must　be　to　develop　the　virtues；　and　not　the　defects；　of　strength。　Its　motto　must　be　〃Ich　dien〃I　serve；　and　it　will　be　the　work　of　the　future　statesmen　of　the　telephone　to　illustrate　this　motto　in　all　its　practical　variations。　They　will　cater　and　explain；　and　explain　and　cater。　They　will　educate　and　educate；　until　they　have　created　an　expert　public。　They　will　teach　by　pictures　and　lectures　and　exhibitions。　They　will　have　charts　and　diagrams　hung　in　the　telephone　booths；　so　that　the　person　who　is　waiting　for　a　call　may　learn　a　little　and　pass　the　time　more　pleasantly。　They　will；　in　a　word；　attend　to　those　innumerable　trifles　that　make　the　perfection　of　public　service。

Already　the　Bell　System　has　gone　far　in　this　direction　by　organizing　what　might　fairly　be　called　a　foresight　department。　Here　is　where　the　fortune…tellers　of　the　business　sit。　When　new　lines　or　exchanges　are　to　be　built；　these　men　study　the　situation　with　an　eye　to　the　future。　They　prepare　a　〃fundamental　plan；〃　outlining　what　may　reasonably　be　expected　to　happen　in　fifteen　or　twenty　years。　Invariably　they　are　optimists。　They　make　provision　for　growth；　but　none　at　all　for　shrinkage。　By　their　advice；　there　is　now　twenty…five　million　dollars'　worth　of　reserve　plant　in　the　various　Bell　Companies；　waiting　for　the　country　to　grow　up　to　it。　Even　in　the　city　of　New　York；　one…half　of　the　cable　ducts　are　empty；　in　expectation　of　the　greater　city　of　eight　million　population　which　is　scheduled　to　arrive　in　1928。　There　are　perhaps　few　more　impressive　evidences　of　practical　optimism　and　confidence　than　a　new　telephone　exchange；　with　two…thirds　of　its　wires　waiting　for　the　business　of　the　future。

Eventually；　this　foresight　department　will　expand。　It　may；　if　a　leader　of　genius　appear；　become　the　first　real　corps　of　practical　sociologists；　which　will　substitute　facts　for　the　present　hotch…potch　of　theories。　It　will　prepare　a　〃fundamental　plan〃　of　the　whole　United　States；　showing　the　centre　of　each　industry　and　the　main　runways　of　traffic。　It　will　act　upon　the　basic　fact　that　WHEREVER　THERE　IS　INTERDEPENDENCE；　THERE　IS　BOUND　TO　BE　TELEPHONY；　and　it　will　therefore　prepare　maps　of　interdependence；　showing　the　widely　scattered　groups　of　industry　and　finance；　and　the　lines　that　weave　them　into　a　pattern　of　national　cooperation。

As　yet；　no　nation；　not　even　our　own；　has　seen　the　full　value　of　the　long…distance　telephone。　Few　have　the　imagination　to　see　what　has　been　made　possible；　and　to　realize　that　an　actual　face…　to…face　conversation　may　take　place；　even　though　there　be　a　thousand　miles　between。　Neither　can　it　seem　credible　that　a　man　in　a　distant　city　may　be　located　as　readily　as　though　he　were　close　at　hand。　It　is　too　amazing　to　be　true；　and　possibly　a　new　generation　will　have　to　arrive　before　it　will　be　taken　for　granted　and　acted　upon　freely。　Ultimately；　there　can　be　no　doubt　that　long…distance　telephony　will　be　regarded　as　a　national　asset　of　the　highest　value；　for　the　reason　that　it　can　prevent　so　much　of　the　enormous　economic　waste　of　travel。

Nothing　that　science　can　say　will　ever　decrease　the　marvel　of　a　long…distance　conversation；　and　there　may　come　in　the　future　an　Interpreter　who　will　put　it　before　our　eyes　in　the　form　of　a　moving…picture。　He　will　enable　us　to　follow　the　flying　words　in　a　talk　from　Boston　to　Denver。　We　will　flash　first　to　Worcester；　cross　the　Hudson　on　the　high　bridge　at　Poughkeepsie；　swing　southwest　through　a　dozen　coal　towns　to　the　outskirts　of　Philadelphia；　leap　across　the　Susquehanna；　zigzag　up　and　down　the　Alleghenies　into　the　murk　of　Pittsburg；　cross　the　Ohio　at　Wheeling；　glance　past　Columbus　and　Indianapolis；　over　the　Wabash　at　Terre　Haute；　into　St。　Louis　by　the　Eads　bridge；　through　Kansas　City；　across　the　Missouri；　along　the　corn…fields　of　Kansas；　and　then　ononon　with　the　Sante　Fe　Railway；　across　vast　plains　and　past　the　brink　of　the　Grand　Canyon；　to　Pueblo　and　the　lofty　city　of　Denver。　Twenty…five　hundred　miles　along　a　thousand　tons　of　copper　wire！　From　Bunker　Hill　to　Pike's　Peak　IN　A　SECOND！

Herbert　Spencer；　in　his　autobiography；　alludes　to　the　impressive　fac