New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-11-09

snrvor ot each station, and to substitute the
automatic work of machinery. This is for
eign exhibit. As shown, it is perhaps better
adapted for its present use III one OF the
smaller European States than in this country.
But if modified by Yankee ingenuity so that
n separate teegraphic circuit would not be re-
onrcd for each station, it might prove OF
service here The telephone is new lnstru-
ment of electrical science more likely than
some of the rest to find immediate use. Ii OPP
crates by transmitting the current through
mning-fork. The fork will only yibrate
given number of times in a second. A mes
sage can be sent through it by the usual
Morse code, there being no apparent nterfer-
encc between the tunlng-fork vibrations and the
message But at the other end of the line the
message can only be taken off through tuning
fork in unison with the first Consequently II
a tuning-fork of different pitch is interposed
at each of several stations served by one wlre'
and the messages are sent through forhs Oh
corresponding pitch from the head once, the
message to one station will not be repeated at
the others during transmission. Sir william
Thomson Mt the Glasgow meeting OF the Blltlsn
Association for the Advancement OF Science gave
foreign notorety to another of the Centennial
exhibits that has attracted great attention from
the Judges of the group to which it belongs.
It is n curious device that might fairly find
Mace in the magic of Arabian tales A menu
brane Is stretched over the end of short
speaking-trumpct The membrane carries
small piece Of metal which Is so to speak, the
arInature of n magnet. The magnet forms
part of a telegraph circuit, through which
current is passing. TO send message 1t Is
only ncedful to talk loudly into the trumpet.
The message is received by similar trum-
pet with membrane and armaturc at the
other end of the line; and that trumpet
being placed to the ear, repeats the sound
like an echo. Dom Pedro was with the sccn-
tifc people who tested this instrument on ore
occasion. SO accurately did it reproduce
sounds that each member of the party was in
turn recognized by pecullartics IN voice Or
accent. The final test was the reading OF a
paragraph from the news columns OF HE
TRIBUNE. OF what use is such an invention!
Wen, there may be occasions of state when II
is necessary for officials who are far apart to
talk with each other without the interference
of an opcrator. Or some lover may wish to
pop the question directly into the ear OF
lady and hear for himself her reply, though
miles away; it is not for us to guess now
courtships will he carried on in the twentieth
century. 1t is SAID that the human voice has
been conveyed by this contrivance over cir
cult of 60 miles. Music can be readily trans
mittcd. Think of sercnading by telegraph!
The calculating machine at the Fair Is
another of the new and strange Inventions
Primarily it is an "adder." But it adds differ
cnces in groups and under all sorts of circum-
stances Arrange it in one way and it will
turn out cube numbers for you as fast as you
can turn a crank. In another arrangement it
will turn out logaritlms as readily. Put on
stcam-power and it will do the work that it is
set to, without further attention. 1t furnishes
its results stamped III matrix ready for the
stcrcotyper; 10 proof-reading is required. To
the non-nathematical visitor its performances
are utter mystery. Yet few machines are SIM
pler. Take cubes for instance, l. 5, 27, 81,
&C.; subtract them from each other, and the
result il Z, 10, 81, 81, &c; subtract these from
each other and the result is Il set of numbers
that only differ from each other by
6. All that the machine does is to
add these differences, beginning with those
of 6 each. Yet in the endeayor to make
machine that would actually do this work
many distinguished mathcmatlcians have
failed-among them the illuStriOus English
man. Babbagc. His machine is now lying idle
and useless ut the Kensngton Museum. The
American difference engine" is pronounced
by our experts perfectly successful But what
is to he the effect on our posterity of invcn-
tons like this Already modified contryance
of the sort makes short work of the multiple
cation table Our grandchildrcn-nay, our chill
dscn-will be turning crank or twisting a
screw instead of working ont the four rules
with slate and pencil. Of the three Rs, that
which was the most essentially intellectual
threatens to become the most mechanical.