the history of the telephone-第28节

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　lucky　holders　of　Bell　stock；　is　an　exaggeration　that　has　been　kept　alive　by　the　promoters　of　wildcat　companies。　No　such　fortunes　were　made。　〃I　do　not　believe；〃　says　Theodore　Vail；　〃that　any　one　man　ever　made　a　clear　million　out　of　the　telephone。〃　There　are　not　apt　to　be　any　get…rich…quick　for…　tunes　made　in　corporations　that　issue　no　watered　stock　and　do　not　capitalize　their　franchises。　On　the　contrary；　up　to　1897；　the　holders　of　stock　in　the　Bell　Companies　had　paid　in　four　million；　seven　hundred　thousand　dollars　more　than　the　par　value；　and　in　the　recent　consolidation　of　Eastern　companies；　under　the　presidency　of　Union　N。　Bethell；　the　new　stock　was　actually　eight　millions　less　than　the　stock　that　was　retired。

Few　telephone　companies　paid　any　profits　at　first。　They　had　undervalued　the　cost　of　building　and　maintenance。　Denver　expected　the　cost　to　be　two　thousand；　five　hundred　dollars　and　spent　sixty　thousand　dollars。　Buffalo　expected　to　pay　three　thousand　dollars　and　had　to　pay　one　hundred　and　fifty　thousand　dollars。　Also；　they　made　the　unwelcome　discovery　that　an　exchange　of　two　hundred　costs　more　than　twice　as　much　as　an　exchange　of　one　hundred；　because　of　the　greater　amount　of　traffic。　Usually　a　dollar　that　is　paid　to　a　telephone　company　is　divided　as　follows：

Rent　。。。。。。。。。。。。　4c　Taxes　。。。。。。。。。。。　4c　Interest　。。。。。。。。　6c　Surplus　。。。。。。。。。　8c　Maintenance　。。。。　16c　Dividends　。。。。。。　18c　Labor　。。。。。。。。。。　44c　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　1。00


Most　of　the　rate　troubles　（and　their　name　has　been　legion）　have　arisen　because　the　telephone　business　was　not　understood。　In　fact；　until　recently；　it　did　not　understand　itself。　It　persisted　in　holding　to　a　local　and　individualistic　view　of　its　business。　It　was　slow　to　put　telephones　in　unprofitable　places。　It　expected　every　instrument　to　pay　its　way。　In　many　States；　both　the　telephone　men　and　the　public　overlooked　the　most　vital　fact　in　the　case；　which　is　that　the　members　of　a　telephone　system　are　above　all　else　INTERDEPENDENT。

One　telephone　by　itself　has　no　value。　It　is　as　useless　as　a　reed　cut　out　of　an　organ　or　a　finger　that　is　severed　from　a　hand。　It　is　not　even　ornamental　or　adaptable　to　any　other　pur…　pose。　It　is　not　at　all　like　a　piano　or　a　talking…　machine；　which　has　a　separate　existence。　It　is　useful　only　in　proportion　to　the　number　of　other　telephones　it　reaches。　AND　EVERY　TELEPHONE　ANYWHERE　ADDS　VALUE　TO　EVERY　OTHER　TELEPHONE　ON　THE　SAME　SYSTEM　OF　WIRES。　That；　in　a　sentence；　is　the　keynote　of　equitable　rates。

Many　a　telephone；　for　the　general　good；　must　be　put　where　it　does　not　earn　its　own　living。　At　any　time　some　sudden　emergency　may　arise　that　will　make　it　for　the　moment　priceless。　Especially　since　the　advent　of　the　automobile；　there　is　no　nook　or　corner　from　which　it　may　not　be　supremely　necessary；　now　and　then；　to　send　a　message。　This　principle　was　acted　upon　recently　in　a　most　practical　way　by　the　Pennsylvania　Railroad；　which　at　its　own　expense　installed　five　hundred　and　twenty…five　telephones　in　the　homes　of　its　workmen　in　Altoona。　In　the　same　way；　it　is　clearly　the　social　duty　of　the　telephone　company　to　widen　out　its　system　until　every　point　is　covered；　and　then　to　distribute　its　gross　charges　as　fairly　as　it　can。　The　whole　must　carry　the　wholethat　is　the　philosophy　of　rates　which　must　finally　be　recognized　by　legislatures　and　telephone　companies　alike。　It　can　never；　of　course；　be　reduced　to　a　system　or　formula。　It　will　always　be　a　matter　of　opinion　and　compromise；　requiring　much　skill　and　much　patience。　But　there　will　seldom　be　any　serious　trouble　when　once　its　basic　principles　are　understood。

Like　all　time…saving　inventions；　like　the　railroad；　the　reaper；　and　the　Bessemer　converter；　the　telephone；　in　the　last　analysis；　COSTS　NOTHING；　IT　IS　THE　LACK　OF　IT　THAT　COSTS。　　THE　NATION　THAT　MOST　IS　THE　NATION　WITHOUT　IT。



CHAPTER　VIII

THE　TELEPHONE　IN　FOREIGN　COUNTRIES

The　telephone　was　nearly　a　year　old　before　Europe　was　aware　of　its　existence。　It　received　no　public　notice　of　any　kind　whatever　until　March　3；　1877；　when　the　London　Athenaeum　mentioned　it　in　a　few　careful　sentences。　It　was　not　welcomed；　except　by　those　who　wished　an　evening's　entertainment。　And　to　the　entire　commercial　world　it　was　for　four　or　five　years　a　sort　of　scientific　Billiken；　that　never　could　be　of　any　service　to　serious　people。

One　after　another；　several　American　enthusiasts　rushed　posthaste　to　Europe；　with　dreams　of　eager　nations　clamoring　for　telephone　systems；　and　one　after　another　they　failed。　Frederick　A。　Gower　was　the　first　of　these。　He　was　an　adventurous　chevalier　of　business　who　gave　up　an　agent's　contract　in　return　for　a　right　to　become　a　roving　propagandist。　Later　he　met　a　prima　donna；　fell　in　love　with　and　married　her；　forsook　telephony　for　ballooning；　and　lost　his　life　in　attempting　to　fly　across　the　English　Channel。

Next　went　William　H。　Reynolds；　of　Providence；　who　had　bought　five…eights　of　the　British　patent　for　five　thousand　dollars；　and　half　the　right　to　Russia；　Spain；　Portugal；　and　Italy　for　two　thousand；　five　hundred　dollars。　How　he　was　received　may　be　seen　from　a　letter　of　his　which　has　been　preserved。　〃I　have　been　working　in　London　for　four　months；〃　he　writes；　〃I　have　been　to　the　Bank　of　England　and　elsewhere；　and　I　have　not　found　one　man　who　will　put　one　shilling　into　the　telephone。〃

Bell　himself　hurried　to　England　and　Scotland　on　his　wedding　tour　in　1878；　with　great　expectations　of　having　his　invention　appreciated　in　his　native　land。　But　from　a　business　point　of　view；　his　mission　was　a　total　failure。　He　received　dinners　a…plenty；　but　no　contracts；　and　came　back　to　the　United　States　an　impoverished　and　disheartened　man。　Then　the　optimistic　Gardiner　G。　Hubbard；　Bell's　father…in…law；　threw　himself　against　the　European　inertia　and　organized　the　International　and　Oriental　Telephone　Companies；　which　came　to　nothing　of　any　importance。　In　the　same　year　even　Enos　M。　Barton；　the　sagacious　founder　of　the　Western　Electric；　went　to　France　and　England　to　establish　an　export　trade　in　telephones；　and　failed。

These　able　men　found　their　plans　thwarted　by　the　indifference　of　the　public；　and　often　by　open　hostility。　〃The　telephone　is　little　better　than　a　toy；〃　said　the　Saturday　Review；　〃it　amazes　ignorant　people　for　a　moment；　but　it　is　inferior　to　the　well…established　system　of　air…　tubes。〃　〃What　will　become　of　the　privacy　of　life？〃　asked　another　London　editor。　〃What　will　become　of　the　sanctity　of　the　domestic　hearth？〃　Writers　vied　with　each　other　in　inventing　methods　of　pooh…poohing　Bell　and　his　invention。　〃It　is　ridiculously　simple；〃　said　one。　〃It　is　only　an　electrical　speaking…tube；〃　said　another。　〃It　is　a　complicated　form　of　speaking…　trumpet；〃　said　a　third。　No　British　editor　could　at　first　conceive　of　any　use　for　the　telephone；　except　for　divers　and　coal　miners。　The　price；　too；　created　a　general　outcry。　Floods　of　toy　telephones　were　being　sold　on　the　streets　at　a　shilling　apiece；　and　although　the　Government　was　charging　sixty　dollars　a　year　for　the　use　of　its　printing…telegraphs；　people　protested　loudly　against　paying　half　as　much　for　telephones。　As　late　as　1882；　Herbert　Spencer　writes：　〃The　telephone　is　scarcely　used　at　all　in　London；　and　is　unknown　in　the　other　English　cities。〃

The　first　man　of　consequence　to　befriend　the　telephone　was　Lord　Kelvin；　then　an　untitled　young　scientist。　He　had　seen　the　original　telephones　at　the　Centennial　in　Philadelphia；　and　was　so　fascinated　with　them　that　the　impulsive　Bell　had　thrust　them　into　his　hands　as　a　gift。　At　the　next　meeting　of　the　British　Association　for　the　Advancement　of　Science；　Lord　Kelvin　exhibited　these。　He　did　more。　He　became　the　champion　of　the　telephone。　He　staked　his　reputation　upon　it。　He　told　the　story　of　the　tests　made　at　the　Centennial；　and　assured　the　sceptical　scientists　that　he　had　not　been　deceived。　〃All　this　my　own　ears　heard；〃　he　said；　〃spoken　to　me　with　unmistakable　distinctness　by　this　circular　disc　of　iron。〃

The　scientists　and　electrical　experts　were；　for　the　most　part；　split　up　into　two　camps。　Some　of　them　said　the　telephone　was　impossible；　while　others　said　that　〃nothing　could　be　simpler。〃　Almost　all　were　agreed　that　what　Bell　had　done　was　a　humorous　trifle。　But　Lord　Kelvin　persisted。　He　hammered　the　truth　home　that　the　telephone　was　〃one　of　the　most　interesting　inventions　that　has　ever　been　made　in　the　history　of　science。〃　He　gave　a　demonstration　with　one　end　of　the　wire　in　a　coal　mine。　He　stood　side　by　side　with　Bell　at　a　public　meeting　in　Glasgow；　and　declared：

〃The　things　that　were　called　telephones　before　Bell　were　as　different　from　Bell's　telephone　as　a　series　of　hand…claps　are　different　from　the　human　voice。　They　were　in　fact　electrical　claps；　while　Bell　conceived　the　ideaTHE　WHOLLY　ORIGINAL　AND　NOVEL　IDEAof　giving　continuity　to　the　shocks；　so　as　to　perfectly　reproduce　the　human　voice。〃

One　by　one　the　scientists　were　forced　to　take　the　telephone　seriously。　At　a　public　test　there　was　one　noted　professor　who　still　stood　in　the　ranks　of　the　doubters。　He　was　asked　to　send　a　message。　He　went　to　the　instrument　with　a　grin　of　incredulity；　and　thinking　the　whole　exhibition　a　joke；　shouted　into　the　mouthpiece：　〃Hi　diddle　diddlefollow　up　that。〃　Then　he　listened　for　an　answer。　The　lo