The New York herald., 1879-11-24

Johnss Wood where may be met all that is most
aesthetic among the devotees OF high art and there
are certain publishers who delight in gathering
round them the rising young men OF the schooi.
the passports to the favor of these Sosii
ought be executed and disbelief in the existence
of Deity. The visitor will Ind much to interest
and amuse him in aesthetic society. 1t is at the
same possible h. will reflect that Carlyle
was right when heeaid that Economists. ''nigh
buried under tables for minor branches OF industry
have altogether overlooked the grand ovcrtopping
hypocrisy branch" that he will wonder with a
touch of sadness what their pitiful masquerad-
duct them selves in such fashion. And yet
they probably only amusing Themselves, for does
not Herbert Spencer tell that he met with quo
tation from German author to the effect that the
aesthetic sentiment originated in the play impulse!
We must not then look on lite too seriously; and
there more more harmful than this mania
for high art and aesthetics which has developed
among us so many mutual admiration societies.
THE TELEPHONE IN FRANCE.
SPREAD OF THE sYsrEM-rHE GOVERNMENT
DEPARTMENTS TAKING HOLD OF IT-FUsIoN
OF THE RIVAL COMPANIES
PARIS. Nov. T. 1879.
The war which threatened to break out between
the three telephone companies tall American) seeking
a foothold in Paris has been nipped in the bud by
compromise which will doubtless be much for
the interest of the public for that of the compa
nes themselves. 10 go back little. the Of
July l6 led to renewed activity on the part OF Mr.
Edsons representatives and also to the development
of third party under the lead of several
gentlemen from Chicago, the latter seeking
to employ forms of telephones already introduced
by the Bell Company in the United States
Having granted concession to run wires to the
Cover Company the government found itself under
some pressure to do the same for the others, and
finally did so, expressing hope at the same time
that way OF uniting the several interests would
be found. This has now been reached. and visit to
the large and elegant quarters fitted by the Cover
Company shows that the introduction of this latest
American novelty is fairly under way. The facts
and figures Of interest illustrating the progress
of American enterprise abroad. The new combina-
ton is entitled The General Telephone Company
Edison, Cover and other systems. The honorary
directors are Thomas A. Edison. of Monlo Park, n j..
and Frederic A. Cover, Of Providence, r. I. 1t
intended to include the OF Professor Bell but
this found inexpedient, because the Bell tele-
phone patent has been declared invalid in France
owing to previous publication Of the principles Of
the instrument in this country.
The capital OF the is fixed at 10 600 OOOf.,
Of which about one-half is devoted to tho
purchase Of the Edison. Cover and other interests,
and the rest to construction and maintenance. The
capital is stated to be all subscribed and the shares
ment of affairs is in the hands Of board of drec-
tors. with an executive committee, of which Mr..
Cornelius Roosevelt, of New York. is member. The
central Office is located at the headquarters of the
Cover Company. No. 66 Rue Neuve dos Petits
Champs. where active preparations are in progress
METHOD OF OPERATIONS. fTrf
The premises occupy the upper floor of spacious
building and comprise ten rooms about fifteen feet
square. reception room 80 by 3o and an operating
room 40 by 20. Half the smaller rooms de-
voted to Offices and the rest to Mr. Covers abora-
tory and private apartments. The operating room
is divided along its walls into compar ments the
system of the French telegraph Offices, with CEN
trail switch board for connecting wires together and
a desk the middle of the room for the chief oper
ator. 1t is finished III American hard pine, and the
yellow tint the wood is already crossed with wires
in every direction. The estimated capacity of this
room lis two thousand lines, and some six hun
dred of these are already secured by the
union Of the telephone interests. The subscrip-
tions include the leading journals, bankers,
physicians, theatres, hotels and 30 on, quite upon
the American plan. NJ. Emile dc Girardin has
already an Edison telephone from his house the
Arc de Tromphe to the Avenue dc i'Opera, while tho
Rothschilds, the Credit Mobilier, the Preect Of the
Seine, the Minister of Posts and Telcgraphs and a
long list of lesser notabilties in the Paris world
have installed the instruments Oh Mr.. Cover. Tho
Office of the New York HERALD In the Avenue de
lOpera will naturally be among the first to adopt
the system and will offer it's fullest advantages to
those having business to transact ther&hs well
the habitu0s of its reading rooms. MIR. Cover
proposes special wires for
eas eas pass Without asay mnnan
Office and the telephone centre at all hours
The connected with the telephone system are
familiar enough the New York public, but TO the
Partisan mind 1t still savors OF wild fiction that
American In Paris wishing to find friends luduina
place should step into the HERALD Office aud In ten
minutes be able to make inquiries regarding it of all
the principal hotels; or without leaving his easy
chair secure places at the theatre make appointment
with friend. ascertain ii the American steamer is
arrived ut Havre and thus transact his business gem
orally The idea is still too startling, and people
are found who subscribe TO the system with express
provision that 1t shall first be proved practicable
means communication. But the projectors Of the
system go Oh with their plans, and the uniform OF
the messengers OF the Telephone Cover is already
to be seen here and there on the boulevards.
SYSTEM IN FRANCE.
Aside from the district system" familiar in
America, there several interesting uses OF the
telephones peculiar to European life. In Paris every
house, public or private has its concierge or janitor
on guard at the entrance, while but few have any
prompt means OF communication from the conciergc
to the tenants on the floors above. Speaking tubes
costly luxury and bells are of limited applca
ton. Even in q hotel like the Continental, where
bells and tubes have been made study, IL has been
found that two OF the Cover telephones put in. wire
aud all. in TWO hours give greater satisfaction than
a speaking tube which occupied two weeks i'll con-
struction aud cost twenty times as much the telc-
phones. Large concerns like the Credit Foncier,
H0tei de Vile report the same experience.
Lea take again that OF the coast guard.
Az everybody knows, the western and northern
coasts OF France provided with coast guard sta
tiois, within sight OF each other and connected by
telegraph with the nearost towns. AT intervals.
also there are batteries and military posts, though
tho latter are more numerous along the eastern
frontier IA a tclegr ph force ut each OF these
thousand points Is expensive. the government was
inclined to welcome the advent OF tho telephone
until II was found that IL. too required battery
aud some electrical knowledge. But with the adj
vent of the Cover telephone this last objection
obyiatcd for without the aid OF battery the instru
ment not only sounds whistle like a distant iog-
horn, but be made TO release spring that starts
a ciockwork bell which Will produce any amount OF
sound required: In the public telegraph service 1t
wae hrst thought that telephones would be of no
great in the presence OF we'll organized system
OF 'oldtnshioned telegrapls, Mr.. Cover puts IL.
THE TELEPHONE IN GERMANY.
But DR.. stephan. the telegraph director of Ger
many. has put III operation some six hundred tolc-
phone stations, ana France cannot afford to bc be-
hind in the progress made in this direction Expert
mcnts show that for distances under twenty
thirty miles, where the wires are not numerous
upon the poles, the Cover telephone (which
is. after all, only highly developed form of the