the history of the telephone-第5章

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d…bearded　Dom　Pedro　in　the　centre；　the　assembled　judges；　and　scientiststhere　were　fully　fifty　in　all　entered　with　unusual　zest　into　the　proceedings　of　this　first　telephone　exhibition。

A　wire　had　been　strung　from　one　end　of　the　room　to　the　other；　and　while　Bell　went　to　the　transmitter；　Dom　Pedro　took　up　the　receiver　and　placed　it　to　his　ear。　It　was　a　moment　of　tense　expectancy。　No　one　knew　clearly　what　was　about　to　happen；　when　the　Emperor；　with　a　dramatic　gesture；　raised　his　head　from　the　receiver　and　exclaimed　with　a　look　of　utter　amazement：　〃MY　GODIT　TALKS！〃

Next　came　to　the　receiver　the　oldest　scientist　in　the　group；　the　venerable　Joseph　Henry；　whose　encouragement　to　Bell　had　been　so　timely。　He　stopped　to　listen；　and；　as　one　of　the　bystanders　afterwards　said；　no　one　could　forget　the　look　of　awe　that　came　into　his　face　as　he　heard　that　iron　disc　talking　with　a　human　voice。　〃This；〃　said　he；　〃comes　nearer　to　overthrowing　the　doctrine　of　the　conservation　of　energy　than　anything　I　ever　saw。〃

Then　came　Sir　William　Thomson；　latterly　known　as　Lord　Kelvin。　It　was　fitting　that　he　should　be　there；　for　he　was　the　foremost　elec…　trical　scientist　at　that　time　in　the　world；　and　had　been　the　engineer　of　the　first　Atlantic　Cable。　He　listened　and　learned　what　even　he　had　not　known　before；　that　a　solid　metallic　body　could　take　up　from　the　air　all　the　countless　varieties　of　vibrations　produced　by　speech；　and　that　these　vibrations　could　be　carried　along　a　wire　and　reproduced　exactly　by　a　second　metallic　body。　He　nodded　his　head　solemnly　as　he　rose　from　the　receiver。　〃It　DOES　speak；〃　he　said　emphatically。　〃It　is　the　most　wonderful　thing　I　have　seen　in　America。〃

So；　one　after　another；　this　notable　company　of　men　listened　to　the　voice　of　the　first　telephone；　and　the　more　they　knew　of　science；　the　less　they　were　inclined　to　believe　their　ears。　The　wiser　they　were；　the　more　they　wondered。　To　Henry　and　Thomson；　the　masters　of　electrical　magic；　this　instrument　was　as　surprising　as　it　was　to　the　man　in　the　street。　And　both　were　noble　enough　to　admit　frankly　their　astonishment　in　the　reports　which　they　made　as　judges；　when　they　gave　Bell　a　Certificate　of　Award。　〃Mr。　Bell　has　achieved　a　result　of　transcendent　scientific　interest；〃　wrote　Sir　William　Thomson。　〃I　heard　it　speak　distinctly　several　sentences。　。　。　。　I　was　astonished　and　delighted。　。　。　。　It　is　the　greatest　marvel　hitherto　achieved　by　the　electric　telegraph。〃

Until　nearly　ten　o'clock　that　night　the　judges　talked　and　listened　by　turns　at　the　telephone。　Then；　next　morning；　they　brought　the　apparatus　to　the　judges'　pavilion；　where　for　the　remainder　of　the　summer　it　was　mobbed　by　judges　and　scientists。　Sir　William　Thomson　and　his　wife　ran　back　and　forth　between　the　two　ends　of　the　wire　like　a　pair　of　delighted　children。　And　thus　it　happened　that　the　crude　little　instrument　that　had　been　tossed　into　an　out…of…the…way　corner　became　the　star　of　the　Centennial。　It　had　been　given　no　more　than　eighteen　words　in　the　official　catalogue；　and　here　it　was　acclaimed　as　the　wonder　of　wonders。　It　had　been　conceived　in　a　cellar　and　born　in　a　machine…shop；　and　now；　of　all　the　gifts　that　our　young　American　Republic　had　received　on　its　one…hundredth　birthday；　the　telephone　was　honored　as　the　rarest　and　most　welcome　of　them　all。



CHAPTER　II

THE　BUILDING　OF　THE　BUSINESS

After　the　telephone　had　been　born　in　Boston；　baptized　in　the　Patent　Office；　and　given　a　royal　reception　at　the　Philadelphia　Centennial；　it　might　be　supposed　that　its　life　thenceforth　would　be　one　of　peace　and　pleasantness。　But　as　this　is　history；　and　not　fancy；　there　must　be　set　down　the　very　surprising　fact　that　the　young　newcomer　received　no　welcome　and　no　notice　from　the　great　business　world。　〃It　is　a　scientific　toy；〃　said　the　men　of　trade　and　commerce。　〃It　is　an　interesting　instrument；　of　course；　for　professors　of　electricity　and　acoustics；　but　it　can　never　be　a　practical　necessity。　As　well　might　you　propose　to　put　a　telescope　into　a　steel…mill　or　to　hitch　a　balloon　to　a　shoe…　factory。〃

Poor　Bell；　instead　of　being　applauded；　was　pelted　with　a　hailstorm　of　ridicule。　He　was　an　〃impostor；〃　a　〃ventriloquist；〃　a　〃crank　who　says　he　can　talk　through　a　wire。〃　The　London　Times　alluded　pompously　to　the　telephone　as　the　latest　American　humbug；　and　gave　many　profound　reasons　why　speech　could　not　be　sent　over　a　wire；　because　of　the　intermittent　nature　of　the　electric　current。　Almost　all　electriciansthe　men　who　were　supposed　to　knowpronounced　the　telephone　an　impossible　thing；　and　those　who　did　not　openly　declare　it　to　be　a　hoax；　believed　that　Bell　had　stumbled　upon　some　freakish　use　of　electricity；　which　could　never　be　of　any　practical　value。

Even　though　he　came　late　in　the　succession　of　inventors；　Bell　had　to　run　the　gantlet　of　scoffing　and　adversity。　By　the　reception　that　the　public　gave　to　his　telephone；　he　learned　to　sympathize　with　Howe；　whose　first　sewing…machine　was　smashed　by　a　Boston　mob；　with　McCormick；　whose　first　reaper　was　called　〃a　cross　between　an　Astley　chariot；　a　wheelbarrow；　and　a　flying…　machine〃；　with　Morse；　whom　ten　Congresses　regarded　as　a　nuisance；　with　Cyrus　Field；　whose　Atlantic　Cable　was　denounced　as　〃a　mad　freak　of　stubborn　ignorance〃；　and　with　Westinghouse；　who　was　called　a　fool　for　proposing　〃to　stop　a　railroad　train　with　wind。〃

The　very　idea　of　talking　at　a　piece　of　sheet…　iron　was　so　new　and　extraordinary　that　the　normal　mind　repulsed　it。　Alike　to　the　laborer　and　the　scientist；　it　was　incomprehensible。　It　was　too　freakish；　too　bizarre；　to　be　used　outside　of　the　laboratory　and　the　museum。　No　one；　literally；　could　understand　how　it　worked；　and　the　only　man　who　offered　a　clear　solution　of　the　mystery　was　a　Boston　mechanic；　who　maintained　that　there　was　〃a　hole　through　the　middle　of　the　wire。〃

People　who　talked　for　the　first　time　into　a　telephone　box　had　a　sort　of　stage　fright。　They　felt　foolish。　To　do　so　seemed　an　absurd　performance；　especially　when　they　had　to　shout　at　the　top　of　their　voices。　Plainly；　whatever　of　convenience　there　might　be　in　this　new　contrivance　was　far　outweighed　by　the　loss　of　personal　dignity；　and　very　few　men　had　sufficient　imagination　to　picture　the　telephone　as　a　part　of　the　machinery　of　their　daily　work。　The　banker　said　it　might　do　well　enough　for　grocers；　but　that　it　would　never　be　of　any　value　to　banking；　and　the　grocer　said　it　might　do　well　enough　for　bankers；　but　that　it　would　never　be　of　any　value　to　grocers。

As　Bell　had　worked　out　his　invention　in　Salem；　one　editor　displayed　the　headline；　〃Salem　Witchcraft。〃　The　New　York　Herald　said：　〃The　effect　is　weird　and　almost　supernatural。〃　The　Providence　Press　said：　〃It　is　hard　to　resist　the　notion　that　the　powers　of　darkness　are　somehow　in　league　with　it。〃　And　The　Boston　Times　said；　in　an　editorial　of　bantering　ridicule：　〃A　fellow　can　now　court　his　girl　in　China　as　well　as　in　East　Boston；　but　the　most　serious　aspect　of　this　invention　is　the　awful　and　irresponsible　power　it　will　give　to　the　average　mother…in…　law；　who　will　be　able　to　send　her　voice　around　the　habitable　globe。〃

There　were　hundreds　of　shrewd　capitalists　in　American　cities　in　1876；　looking　with　sharp　eyes　in　all　directions　for　business　chances；　but　not　one　of　them　came　to　Bell　with　an　offer　to　buy　his　patent。　Not　one　came　running　for　a　State　contract。　And　neither　did　any　legislature；　or　city　council；　come　forward　to　the　task　of　giving　the　people　a　cheap　and　efficient　telephone　service。　As　for　Bell　himself；　he　was　not　a　man　of　affairs。　In　all　practical　business　matters；　he　was　as　incompetent　as　a　Byron　or　a　Shelley。　He　had　done　his　part；　and　it　now　remained　for　men　of　different　abilities　to　take　up　his　telephone　and　adapt　it　to　the　uses　and　conditions　of　the　business　world。

The　first　man　to　undertake　this　work　was　Gardiner　G。　Hubbard；　who　became　soon　afterwards　the　father…in…law　of　Bell。　He；　too；　was　a　man　of　enthusiasm　rather　than　of　efficiency。　He　was　not　a　man　of　wealth　or　business　experience；　but　he　was　admirably　suited　to　introduce　the　telephone　to　a　hostile　public。　His　father　had　been　a　judge　of　the　Massachusetts　Supreme　Court；　and　he　himself　was　a　lawyer　whose　practice　had　been　mainly　in　matters　of　legislation。　He　was；　in　1876；　a　man　of　venerable　appear