the history of the telephone-第29节

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houted　into　the　mouthpiece：　〃Hi　diddle　diddlefollow　up　that。〃　Then　he　listened　for　an　answer。　The　look　on　his　face　changed　to　one　of　the　utmost　amazement。　〃It　says‘The　cat　and　the　fiddle；'〃　he　gasped；　and　forthwith　he　became　a　convert　to　telephony。　By　such　tests　the　men　of　science　were　won　over；　and　by　the　middle　of　1877　Bell　received　a　〃vociferous　welcome〃　when　he　addressed　them　at　their　annual　convention　at　Plymouth。

Soon　afterwards；　The　London　Times　surrendered。　It　whirled　right…about…face　and　praised　the　telephone　to　the　skies。　〃Suddenly　and　quietly　the　whole　human　race　is　brought　within　speaking　and　hearing　distance；〃　it　exclaimed；　〃scarcely　anything　was　more　desired　and　more　impossible。〃　The　next　paper　to　quit　the　mob　of　scoffers　was　the　Tatler；　which　said　in　an　editorial　peroration；　〃We　cannot　but　feel　im…　pressed　by　the　picture　of　a　human　child　commanding　the　subtlest　and　strongest　force　in　Nature　to　carry；　like　a　slave；　some　whisper　around　the　world。〃

Closely　after　the　scientists　and　editors　came　the　nobility。　The　Earl　of　Caithness　led　the　way。　He　declared　in　public　that　〃the　telephone　is　the　most　extraordinary　thing　I　ever　saw　in　my　life。〃　And　one　wintry　morning　in　1878　Queen　Victoria　drove　to　the　house　of　Sir　Thomas　Biddulph；　in　London；　and　for　an　hour　talked　and　listened　by　telephone　to　Kate　Field；　who　sat　in　a　Downing　Street　office。　Miss　Field　sang　〃Kathleen　Mavourneen；〃　and　the　Queen　thanked　her　by　telephone；　saying　she　was　〃immensely　pleased。〃　She　congratulated　Bell　himself；　who　was　present；　and　asked　if　she　might　be　permitted　to　buy　the　two　telephones；　whereupon　Bell　presented　her　with　a　pair　done　in　ivory。

This　incident；　as　may　be　imagined；　did　much　to　establish　the　reputation　of　telephony　in　Great　Britain。　A　wire　was　at　once　strung　to　Windsor　Castle。　Others　were　ordered　by　the　Daily　News；　the　Persian　Ambassador；　and　five　or　six　lords　and　baronets。　Then　came　an　order　which　raised　the　hopes　of　the　telephone　men　to　the　highest　heaven；　from　the　banking　house　of　J。　S。　Morgan　&　Co。　It　was　the　first　recognition　from　the　〃seats　of　the　mighty〃　in　the　business　and　financial　world。　A　tiny　exchange；　with　ten　wires；　was　promptly　started　in　London；　and　on　April　2d；　1879；　Theodore　Vail；　the　young　manager　of　the　Bell　Company；　sent　an　order　to　the　factory　in　Boston；　〃Please　make　one　hundred　hand　telephones　for　export　trade　as　early　as　possible。〃　The　foreign　trade　had　begun。

Then　there　came　a　thunderbolt　out　of　a　blue　sky；　a　wholly　unforeseen　disaster。　Just　as　a　few　energetic　companies　were　sprouting　up；　the　Postmaster　General　suddenly　proclaimed　that　the　telephone　was　a　species　of　telegraph。　According　to　a　British　law　the　telegraph　was　required　to　be　a　Government　monopoly。　This　law　had　been　passed　six　years　before　the　telephone　was　born；　but　no　matter。　The　telephone　men　protested　and　argued。　Tyndall　and　Lord　Kelvin　warned　the　Government　that　it　was　making　an　indefensible　mistake。　But　nothing　could　be　done。　Just　as　the　first　railways　had　been　called　toll…roads；　so　the　telephone　was　solemnly　declared　to　be　a　telegraph。　Also；　to　add　to　the　absurd　humor　of　the　situation；　Judge　Stephen；　of　the　High　Court　of　Justice；　spoke　the　final　word　that　compelled　the　telephone　legally　to　be　a　telegraph；　and　sustained　his　opinion　by　a　quotation　from　Webster's　Dictionary；　which　was　published　twenty　years　before　the　telephone　was　invented。

Having　captured　this　new　rival；　what　next？　The　Postmaster　General　did　not　know。　He　had；　of　course；　no　experience　in　telephony；　and　neither　had　any　of　his　officials　in　the　telegraph　department。　There　was　no　book　and　no　college　to　instruct　him。　His　telegraph　was　then；　as　it　is　to…day；　a　business　failure。　It　was　not　earning　its　keep。　Therefore　he　did　not　dare　to　shoulder　the　risk　of　constructing　a　second　system　of　wires；　and　at　last　consented　to　give　licenses　to　private　companies。

But　the　muddle　continued。　In　order　to　compel　competition；　according　to　the　academic　theories　of　the　day；　licenses　were　given　to　thir…　teen　private　companies。　As　might　have　been　expected；　the　ablest　company　quickly　swallowed　the　other　twelve。　If　it　had　been　let　alone；　this　company　might　have　given　good　service；　but　it　was　hobbled　and　fenced　in　by　jealous　regulations。　It　was　compelled　to　pay　one…tenth　of　its　gross　earnings　to　the　Post　Office。　It　was　to　hold　itself　ready　to　sell　out　at　six　months'　notice。　And　as　soon　as　it　had　strung　a　long…distance　system　of　wires；　the　Postmaster　General　pounced　down　upon　it　and　took　it　away。

Then；　in　1900；　the　Post　Office　tossed　aside　all　obligations　to　the　licensed　company；　and　threw　open　the　door　to　a　free…for…all　competition。　It　undertook　to　start　a　second　system　in　London；　and　in　two　years　discovered　its　blunder　and　proposed　to　cooperate。　It　granted　licenses　to　five　cities　that　demanded　municipal　ownership。　These　cities　set　out　bravely；　with　loud　beating　of　drums；　plunged　from　one　mishap　to　another；　and　finally　quit。　Even　Glasgow；　the　premier　city　of　municipal　ownership；　met　its　Waterloo　in　the　telephone。　It　spent　one　million；　eight　hundred　thousand　dollars　on　a　plant　that　was　obsolete　when　it　was　new；　ran　it　for　a　time　at　a　loss；　and　then　sold　it　to　the　Post　Office　in　1906　for　one　million；　five　hundred　and　twenty…five　thousand　dollars。

So；　from　first　to　last；　the　story　of　the　telephone　in　Great　Britain　has　been　a　〃comedy　of　errors。〃　There　are　now；　in　the　two　islands；　not　six　hundred　thousand　telephones　in　use。　London；　with　its　six　hundred　and　forty　square　miles　of　houses；　has　one…quarter　of　these；　and　is　gaining　at　the　rate　of　ten　thousand　a　year。　No　large　improvements　are　under　way；　as　the　Post　Office　has　given　notice　that　it　will　take　over　and　operate　all　private　companies　on　New　Year's　Day；　1912。　The　bureaucratic　muddle；　so　it　seems；　is　to　continue　indefinitely。

In　Germany　there　has　been　the　same　burden　of　bureaucracy；　but　less　backing　and　filling。　There　is　a　complete　government　monopoly。　Whoever　commits　the　crime　of　leasing　telephone　service　to　his　neighbors　may　be　sent　to　jail　for　six　months。　Here；　too；　the　Postmaster　General　has　been　supreme。　He　has　forced　the　telephone　business　into　a　postal　mould。　The　man　in　a　small　city　must　pay　as　high　a　rate　for　a　small　service；　as　the　man　in　a　large　city　pays　for　a　large　service。　There　is　a　fair　degree　of　efficiency；　but　no　high　speed　or　record…breaking。　The　German　engineers　have　not　kept　in　close　touch　with　the　progress　of　telephony　in　the　United　States。　They　have　preferred　to　devise　methods　of　their　own；　and　so　have　created　a　miscellaneous　assortment　of　systems；　good；　bad；　and　indifferent。　All　told；　there　is　probably　an　investment　of　seventy…five　million　dollars　and　a　total　of　nine　hundred　thousand　telephones。

Telephony　has　always　been　in　high　favor　with　the　Kaiser。　It　is　his　custom；　when　planning　a　hunting　party；　to　have　a　special　wire　strung　to　the　forest　headquarters；　so　that　he　can　converse　every　morning　with　his　Cabinet。　He　has　conferred　degrees　and　honors　by　telephone。　Even　his　former　Chancellor；　Von　Buelow；　received　his　title　of　Count　in　this　informal　way。　But　the　first　friend　of　the　telephone　in　Germany　was　Bismarck。　The　old　Unifier　saw　instantly　its　value　in　holding　a　nation　together；　and　ordered　a　line　between　his　palace　in　Berlin　and　his　farm　at　Varzin；　which　lay　two　hundred　and　thirty　miles　apart。　This　was　as　early　as　the　Fall　of　1877；　and　was　thus　the　first　long…distance　line　in　Europe。

In　France；　as　in　England；　the　Government　seized　upon　the　telephone　business　as　soon　as　the　pioneer　work　had　been　done　by　private　citizens。　In　1889　it　practically　confiscated　the　Paris　system；　and　after　nine　years　of　litigation　paid　five　million　francs　to　its　owners。　With　this　reckless　beginning；　it　floundered　from　bad　to　worse。　It　assembled　the　most　complete　assortment　of　other　nations'　mistakes；　and　invented　several　of　its　own。　Almost　every　known　evil　of　bureaucracy　was　developed。　The　system　of　rates　was　turned　upside　down；　the　flat　rate；　which　can　be　profitably　permitted　in　small　cities　only；　was　put　in　force　in　the　large　cities；　and　the　message　rate；　which　is　applicable　only　to　large　cities；　was　put　in　force　in　small　places。　The　girl　operators　were　entangled　in　a　maze　of　civil　service　rules。　They　were　not　allowed　to　marry　without　the　permission　of　the　Postmaster　General；　and　on　no　account　might　they　dare　to　marry　a　mayor；　a　policeman；　a　cashier；　or　a　foreigner；　lest　they　betray　the　secrets　of　the　switchboard。

There　was　no　national　plan；　no　standardization；　no　staff　of　inventors　and　improvers。　Every　user　was　required　to　buy　his　own　telephone。　As　George　Ade　has　said；　〃Anything　attached　to　a　wall　is　liable　to　be　a　telephone　in　Paris。〃　And　so；　what　with　poor　equipment　and　red　tape；　the　French　system　became　what　it　remains　to…day；　the　most　conspicuous　example　of　what　NOT　to　do　in　telephony。

There　are　barely　as　many　telephones　in　the　whole　of　France　as　ought　normally　to　be　in　the　city　of　Paris。　There　are　not　as　many　as　are　now　in　use　in　Chicago。　The　exasperated　Parisians　have　protested。　They　have　presented　a　petition　with　thirty…two　thousand　names。　They　have　even　organized　a　〃Kickers'　League〃the　only　body　of　its　kind　in　any　countryto　demand　good　service　at　a　fair　price。　The　daily　loss　from　bureaucratic　telephony　has　become　enormous。