the history of the telephone-第6章

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whose　practice　had　been　mainly　in　matters　of　legislation。　He　was；　in　1876；　a　man　of　venerable　appearance；　with　white　hair；　worn　long；　and　a　patriarchal　beard。　He　was　a　familiar　figure　in　Washington；　and　well　known　among　the　public　men　of　his　day。　A　versatile　and　entertaining　companion；　by　turns　prosperous　and　impecunious；　and　an　optimist　always；　Gardiner　Hubbard　became　a　really　indispensable　factor　as　the　first　advance　agent　of　the　telephone　business。

No　other　citizen　had　done　more　for　the　city　of　Cambridge　than　Hubbard。　It　was　he　who　secured　gas　for　Cambridge　in　1853；　and　pure　water；　and　a　street…railway　to　Boston。　He　had　gone　through　the　South　in　1860　in　the　patriotic　hope　that　he　might　avert　the　impending　Civil　War。　He　had　induced　the　legislature　to　establish　the　first　public　school　for　deaf…mutes；　the　school　that　drew　Bell　to　Boston　in　1871。　And　he　had　been　for　years　a　most　restless　agitator　for　improvements　in　telegraphy　and　the　post　office。　So；　as　a　promoter　of　schemes　for　the　public　good；　Hubbard　was　by　no　means　a　novice。　His　first　step　toward　capturing　the　attention　of　an　indifferent　nation　was　to　beat　the　big　drum　of　publicity。　He　saw　that　this　new　idea　of　telephoning　must　be　made　familiar　to　the　public　mind。　He　talked　telephone　by　day　and　by　night。　Whenever　he　travelled；　he　carried　a　pair　of　the　magical　instruments　in　his　valise；　and　gave　demonstra…　tions　on　trains　and　in　hotels。　He　buttonholed　every　influential　man　who　crossed　his　path。　He　was　a　veritable　〃Ancient　Mariner〃　of　the　telephone。　No　possible　listener　was　allowed　to　escape。

Further　to　promote　this　campaign　of　publicity；　Hubbard　encouraged　Bell　and　Watson　to　perform　a　series　of　sensational　feats　with　the　telephone。　A　telegraph　wire　between　New　York　and　Boston　was　borrowed　for　half　an　hour；　and　in　the　presence　of　Sir　William　Thomson；　Bell　sent　a　tune　over　the　two…hundred…and…fifty…mile　line。　〃Can　you　hear？〃　he　asked　the　operator　at　the　New　York　end。　〃Elegantly；〃　responded　the　operator。　〃What　tune？〃　asked　Bell。　〃Yankee　Doodle；〃　came　the　answer。　Shortly　afterwards；　while　Bell　was　visiting　at　his　father's　house　in　Canada；　he　bought　up　all　the　stove…pipe　wire　in　the　town；　and　tacked　it　to　a　rail　fence　between　the　house　and　a　telegraph　office。　Then　he　went　to　a　village　eight　miles　distant　and　sent　scraps　of　songs　and　Shakespearean　quotations　over　the　wire。

There　was　still　a　large　percentage　of　people　who　denied　that　spoken　words　could　be　transmitted　by　a　wire。　When　Watson　talked　to　Bell　at　public　demonstrations；　there　were　newspaper　editors　who　referred　sceptically　to　〃the　supposititious　Watson。〃　So；　to　silence　these　doubters；　Bell　and　Watson　planned　a　most　severe　test　of　the　telephone。　They　borrowed　the　telegraph　line　between　Boston　and　the　Cambridge　Observatory；　and　attached　a　telephone　to　each　end。　Then　they　maintained；　for　three　hours　or　longer；　the　FIRST　SUSTAINED　conversation　by　telephone；　each　one　taking　careful　notes　of　what　he　said　and　of　what　he　heard。　These　notes　were　published　in　parallel　columns　in　The　Boston　Advertiser；　October　19；　1876；　and　proved　beyond　question　that　the　telephone　was　now　a　practical　success。

After　this；　one　event　crowded　quickly　on　the　heels　of　another。　A　series　of　ten　lectures　was　arranged　for　Bell；　at　a　hundred　dollars　a　lecture；　which　was　the　first　money　payment　he　had　received　for　his　invention。　His　opening　night　was　in　Salem；　before　an　audience　of　five　hundred　people；　and　with　Mrs。　Sand…　ers；　the　motherly　old　lady　who　had　sheltered　Bell　in　the　days　of　his　experiment；　sitting　proudly　in　one　of　the　front　seats。　A　pole　was　set　up　at　the　front　of　the　hall；　supporting　the　end　of　a　telegraph　wire　that　ran　from　Salem　to　Boston。　And　Watson；　who　became　the　first　public　talker　by　telephone；　sent　messages　from　Boston　to　various　members　of　the　audience。　An　account　of　this　lecture　was　sent　by　telephone　to　The　Boston　Globe；　which　announced　the　next　morning


〃This　special　despatch　of　the　Globe　has　been　transmitted　by　telephone　in　the　presence　of　twenty　people；　who　have　thus　been　witnesses　to　a　feat　never　before　attemptedthe　sending　of　news　over　the　space　of　sixteen　miles　by　the　human　voice。〃


This　Globe　despatch　awoke　the　newspaper　editors　with　an　unexpected　jolt。　For　the　first　time　they　began　to　notice　that　there　was　a　new　word　in　the　language；　and　a　new　idea　in　the　scientific　world。　No　newspaper　had　made　any　mention　whatever　of　the　telephone　for　seventy…five　days　after　Bell　received　his　patent。　Not　one　of　the　swarm　of　reporters　who　thronged　the　Philadelphia　Centennial　had　regarded　the　telephone　as　a　matter　of　any　public　interest。　But　when　a　column　of　news　was　sent　by　telephone　to　The　Boston　Globe；　the　whole　newspaper　world　was　agog　with　excitement。　A　thousand　pens　wrote　the　name　of　Bell。　Requests　to　repeat　his　lecture　came　to　Bell　from　Cyrus　W。　Field；　the　veteran　of　the　Atlantic　Cable；　from　the　poet　Longfellow；　and　from　many　others。

As　he　was　by　profession　an　elocutionist；　Bell　was　able　to　make　the　most　of　these　opportunities。　His　lectures　became　popular　entertainments。　They　were　given　in　the　largest　halls。　At　one　lecture　two　Japanese　gentlemen　were　induced　to　talk　to　one　another　in　their　own　language；　via　the　telephone。　At　a　second　lecture　a　band　played　〃The　Star…Spangled　Banner；〃　in　Boston；　and　was　heard　by　an　audience　of　two　thousand　people　in　Providence。　At　a　third；　Signor　Ferranti；　who　was　in　Providence；　sang　a　selection　from　〃The　Marriage　of　Figaro〃　to　an　audience　in　Boston。　At　a　fourth；　an　exhortation　from　Moody　and　a　song　from　Sankey　came　over　the　vibrating　wire。　And　at　a　fifth；　in　New　Haven；　Bell　stood　sixteen　Yale　professors　in　line；　hand　in　hand；　and　talked　through　their　bodiesa　feat　which　was　then；　and　is　to…day；　almost　too　wonderful　to　believe。

Very　slowly　these　lectures；　and　the　tireless　activity　of　Hubbard；　pushed　back　the　ridicule　and　the　incredulity；　and　in　the　merry　month　of　May；　1877；　a　man　named　Emery　drifted　into　Hubbard's　office　from　the　near…by　city　of　Charlestown；　and　leased　two　telephones　for　twenty　actual　dollarsthe　first　money　ever　paid　for　a　telephone。　This　was　the　first　feeble　sign　that　such　a　novelty　as　the　telephone　business　could　be　established；　and　no　money　ever　looked　handsomer　than　this　twenty　dollars　did　to　Bell；　Sanders；　Hubbard；　and　Watson。　It　was　the　tiny　first…fruit　of　fortune。

Greatly　encouraged；　they　prepared　a　little　circular　which　was　the　first　advertisement　of　the　telephone　business。　It　is　an　oddly　simple　little　document　to…day；　but　to　the　1877　brain　it　was　startling。　It　modestly　claimed　that　a　telephone　was　superior　to　a　telegraph　for　three　reasons：


〃（1）　No　skilled　operator　is　required；　but　direct　communication　may　be　had　by　speech　without　the　intervention　of　a　third　person。


〃（2）　The　communication　is　much　more　rapid；　the　average　number　of　words　transmitted　in　a　minute　by　the　Morse　sounder　being　from　fifteen　to　twenty；　by　telephone　from　one　to　two　hundred。


〃（3）　No　expense　is　required；　either　for　its　operation　or　repair。　It　needs　no　battery　and　has　no　complicated　machinery。　It　is　unsurpassed　for　economy　and　simplicity。〃


The　only　telephone　line　in　the　world　at　this　time　was　between　the　Williams'　workshop　in　Boston　and　the　home　of　Mr。　Williams　in　Somerville。　But　in　May；　1877；　a　young　man　named　E。　T。　Holmes；　who　was　running　a　burglar…alarm　business　in　Boston；　proposed　that　a　few　telephones　be　linked　to　his　wires。　He　was　a　friend　and　customer　of　Williams；　and　suggested　this　plan　half　in　jest　and　half　in　earnest。　Hubbard　was　quick　to　seize　this　opportunity；　and　at　once　lent　Holmes　a　dozen　telephones。　Without　asking　permission；　Holmes　went　into　six　banks　and　nailed　up　a　telephone　in　each。　Five　bankers　made　no　protest；　but　the　sixth　indignantly　ordered　〃that　playtoy〃　to　be　taken　out。　The　other　five　telephones　could　be　connected　by　a　switch　in　Holmes's　office；　and　thus　was　born　the　first　tiny　and　crude　Telephone　Exchange。　Here　it　ran　for　several　weeks　as　a　telephone　system　by　day　and　a　burglar…alarm　by　night。　No　money　was　paid　by　the　bankers。　The　service　was　given　to　them　as　an　exhibition　and　an　advertisement。　The　little　shelf　with　its　five　telephones　was　no　more　like　the　marvellous　exchanges　of　to…day　than　a　canoe　is　like　a　Cunarder；　but　it　was　unquestionably　t