the history of the telephone-第27节

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ven　to　each　new　proposition。

A　new　instinct　of　speed　has　been　developed；　much　more　fully　in　the　United　States　than　elsewhere。　〃No　American　goes　slow；〃　said　Ian　Maclaren；　〃if　he　has　the　chance　of　going　fast；　he　does　not　stop　to　talk　if　he　can　talk　walking；　and　he　does　not　walk　if　he　can　ride。〃　He　is　as　pleased　as　a　child　with　a　new　toy　when　some　speed　record　is　broken；　when　a　pair　of　shoes　is　made　in　eleven　minutes；　when　a　man　lays　twelve　hundred　bricks　in　an　hour；　or　when　a　ship　crosses　the　Atlantic　in　four　and　a　half　days。　Even　seconds　are　now　counted　and　split　up　into　fractions。　The　average　time；　for　instance；　taken　to　reply　to　a　telephone　call　by　a　New　York　operator；　is　now　three　and　two…fifth　seconds；　and　even　this　tiny　atom　of　time　is　being　strenuously　worn　down。

As　a　witty　Frenchman　has　said；　one　of　our　most　lively　regrets　is　that　while　we　are　at　the　telephone　we　cannot　do　business　with　our　feet。　We　regard　it　as　a　victory　over　the　hostility　of　nature　when　we　do　an　hour's　work　in　a　minute　or　a　minute's　work　in　a　second。　Instead　of　saying；　as　the　Spanish　do；　〃Life　is　too　short；　what　can　one　person　do？〃　an　American　is　more　apt　to　say；　〃Life　is　too　short；　therefore　I　must　do　to…　day's　work　to…day。〃　To　pack　a　lifetime　with　energythat　is　the　American　plan；　and　so　to　economize　that　energy　as　to　get　the　largest　results。　To　get　a　question　asked　and　answered　in　five　minutes　by　means　of　an　electric　wire；　instead　of　in　two　hours　by　the　slow　trudging　of　a　messenger　boythat　is　the　method　that　best　suits　our　passion　for　instantaneous　service。

It　is　one　of　the　few　social　laws　of　which　we　are　fairly　sure；　that　a　nation　organizes　in　proportion　to　its　velocity。　We　know　that　a　four…mile…an…　hour　nation　must　remain　a　huge　inert　mass　of　peasants　and　villagers；　or　if；　after　centuries　of　slow　toil；　it　should　pile　up　a　great　city；　the　city　will　sooner　or　later　fall　to　pieces　of　its　own　weight。　In　such　a　way　Babylon　rose　and　fell；　and　Nineveh；　and　Thebes；　and　Carthage；　and　Rome。　Mere　bulk；　unorganized；　becomes　its　own　destroyer。　It　dies　of　clogging　and　congestion。　But　when　Stephenson's　Rocket　ran　twenty…nine　miles　an　hour；　and　Morse's　telegraph　clicked　its　signals　from　Washington　to　Baltimore；　and　Bell's　telephone　flashed　the　vibrations　of　speech　between　Boston　and　Salem；　a　new　era　began。　In　came　the　era　of　speed　and　the　finely　organized　nations。　In　came　cities　of　unprecedented　bulk；　but　held　together　so　closely　by　a　web…work　of　steel　rails　and　copper　wires　that　they　have　become　more　alert　and　cooperative　than　any　tiny　hamlet　of　mud　huts　on　the　banks　of　the　Congo。

That　the　telephone　is　now　doing　most　of　all；　in　this　binding　together　of　all　manner　of　men；　is　perhaps　not　too　much　to　claim；　when　we　remember　that　there　are　now　in　the　United　States　seventy　thousand　holders　of　Bell　telephone　stock　and　ten　million　users　of　telephone　service。　There　are　two　hundred　and　sixty…four　wires　crossing　the　Mississippi；　in　the　Bell　system；　and　five　hundred　and　forty…four　crossing　Mason　and　Dixon's　Line。　It　is　the　telephone　which　does　most　to　link　together　cottage　and　skyscraper　and　mansion　and　factory　and　farm。　It　is　not　limited　to　experts　or　college　graduates。　It　reaches　the　man　with　a　nickel　as　well　as　the　man　with　a　million。　It　speaks　all　languages　and　serves　all　trades。　It　helps　to　prevent　sectionalism　and　race　feuds。　It　gives　a　common　meeting　place　to　capitalists　and　wage…workers。　It　is　so　essentially　the　instrument　of　all　the　people；　in　fact；　that　we　might　almost　point　to　it　as　a　national　emblem；　as　the　trade…mark　of　democracy　and　the　American　spirit。

In　a　country　like　ours；　where　there　are　eighty　nationalities　in　the　public　schools；　the　telephone　has　a　peculiar　value　as　a　part　of　the　national　digestive　apparatus。　It　prevents　the　growth　of　dialects　and　helps　on　the　process　of　assimilation。　Such　is　the　push　of　American　life；　that　the　humble　immigrants　from　Southern　Europe；　before　they　have　been　here　half　a　dozen　years；　have　acquired　the　telephone　habit　and　have　linked　on　their　small　shops　to　the　great　wire　network　of　intercommunication。　In　the　one　community　of　Brownsville；　for　example；　settled　several　years　ago　by　an　overflow　of　Russian　Jews　from　the　East　Side　of　New　York；　there　are　now　as　many　telephones　as　in　the　kingdom　of　Greece。　And　in　the　swarming　East　Side　itself；　there　is　a　single　exchange　in　Orchard　Street　which　has　more　wires　than　there　are　in　all　the　exchanges　of　Egypt。

There　can　be　few　higher　ideals　of　practical　democracy　than　that　which　comes　to　us　from　the　telephone　engineer。　His　purpose　is　much　more　comprehensive　than　the　supplying　of　telephones　to　those　who　want　them。　It　is　rather　to　make　the　telephone　as　universal　as　the　water　faucet；　to　bring　within　speaking　distance　every　economic　unit；　to　connect　to　the　social　organism　every　person　who　may　at　any　time　be　needed。　Just　as　the　click　of　the　reaper　means　bread；　and　the　purr　of　the　sewing…machine　means　clothes；　and　the　roar　of　the　Bessemer　converter　means　steel；　and　the　rattle　of　the　press　means　education；　so　the　ring　of　the　telephone　bell　has　come　to　mean　unity　and　organization。

Already；　by　cable；　telegraph；　and　telephone；　no　two　towns　in　the　civilized　world　are　more　than　one　hour　apart。　We　have　even　girdled　the　earth　with　a　cablegram　in　twelve　minutes。　We　have　made　it　possible　for　any　man　in　New　York　City　to　enter　into　conversation　with　any　other　New　Yorker　in　twenty…one　seconds。　We　have　not　been　satisfied　with　establishing　such　a　system　of　transportation　that　we　can　start　any　day　for　anywhere　from　anywhere　else；　neither　have　we　been　satisfied　with　establishing　such　a　system　of　communication　that　news　and　gossip　are　the　common　property　of　all　nations。　We　have　gone　farther。　We　have　established　in　every　large　region　of　population　a　system　of　voice…nerves　that　puts　every　man　at　every　other　man's　ear；　and　which　so　magically　eliminates　the　factor　of　distance　that　the　United　States　becomes　three　thousand　miles　of　neighbors；　side　by　side。

This　effort　to　conquer　Time　and　Space　is　above　all　else　the　instinct　of　material　progress。　To　shrivel　up　the　miles　and　to　stretch　out　the　minutesthis　has　been　one　of　the　master　passions　of　the　human　race。　And　thus　the　larger　truth　about　the　telephone　is　that　it　is　vastly　more　than　a　mere　convenience。　It　is　not　to　be　classed　with　safety　razors　and　piano　players　and　fountain　pens。　It　is　nothing　less　than　the　high…speed　tool　of　civilization；　gearing　up　the　whole　mechanism　to　more　effective　social　service。　It　is　the　symbol　of　national　efficiency　and　coperation。

All　this　the　telephone　is　doing；　at　a　total　cost　to　the　nation　of　probably　200；000；000　a　year　no　more　than　American　farmers　earn　in　ten　days。　We　pay　the　same　price　for　it　as　we　do　for　the　potatoes；　or　for　one…third　of　the　hay　crop；　or　for　one…eighth　of　the　corn。　Out　of　every　nickel　spent　for　electrical　service；　one　cent　goes　to　the　telephone。　We　could　settle　our　telephone　bill；　and　have　several　millions　left　over；　if　we　cut　off　every　fourth　glass　of　liquor　and　smoke　of　tobacco。　Whoever　rents　a　typewriting　machine；　or　uses　a　street　car　twice　a　day；　or　has　his　shoes　polished　once　a　day；　may　for　the　same　expense　have　a　very　good　telephone　service。　Merely　to　shovel　away　the　snow　of　a　single　storm　in　1910　cost　the　city　government　of　New　York　as　much　as　it　will　pay　for　five　or　six　years　of　telephoning。

This　almost　incredible　cheapness　of　telephony　is　still　far　from　being　generally　perceived；　mainly　for　psychological　reasons。　A　telephone　is　not　impressive。　It　has　no　bulk。　It　is　not　like　the　Singer　Building　or　the　Lusitania。　Its　wires　and　switchboards　and　batteries　are　scattered　and　hidden；　and　few　have　sufficient　imagination　to　picture　them　in　all　their　complexity。　If　only　it　were　possible　to　assemble　the　hundred　or　more　telephone　buildings　of　New　York　in　one　vast　plaza；　and　if　the　two　thousand　clerks　and　three　thousand　maintenance　men　and　six　thousand　girl　operators　were　to　march　to　work　each　morning　with　bands　and　banners；　then；　perhaps；　there　might　be　the　necessary　quality　of　impressiveness　by　which　any　large　idea　must　always　be　imparted　to　the　public　mind。

For　lack　of　a　seven　and　one…half　cent　coin；　there　is　now　five…cent　telephony　even　in　the　largest　American　cities。　For　five　cents　whoever　wishes　has　an　entire　wire…system　at　his　service；　a　system　that　is　kept　waiting　by　day　and　night；　so　that　it　will　be　ready　the　instant　he　needs　it。　This　system　may　have　cost　from　twenty　to　fifty　millions；　yet　it　may　be　hired　for　one…eighth　the　cost　of　renting　an　automobile。　Even　in　long…　distance　telephony；　the　expense　of　a　message　dwindles　when　it　is　compared　with　the　price　of　a　return　railway　ticket。　A　talk　from　New　York　to　Philadelphia；　for　instance；　costs　seventy…five　cents；　while　the　railway　fare　would　be　four　dollars。　From　New　York　to　Chicago　a　talk　costs　five　dollars　as　against　seventy　dollars　by　rail。　As　Harriman　once　said；　〃I　can't　get　from　my　home　to　the　depot　for　the　price　of　a　talk　to　Omaha。〃

To　say　what　the　net　profits　have　been；　to　the　entire　body　of　people　who　have　invested　money　in　the　telephone；　will　always　be　more　or　less　of　a　guess。　The　general　belief　that　immense　fortunes　were　made　by　the　lucky　holders　of　Bell　stock；　is　an　exaggeration　that　has　been　kept　alive　by　the　promoters　of　wildca