Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-02-16
STORY OF THE TELEPHONE
As Told Last Evening by the Inventor, Mr..
Bell.
How the Idea Represented in the In
strument for Transmitting Speech
Was Finally Conceived.

To listen to the story Of how an inventor
reached the conception of great inven-
ton Is unique experience especially when
the story teller is the inventor himself.
Such, however, was the experience of the
members Of the Mems Socity of the Church
of the Covenant and their guests last even
ing when they heard Mr.. Alexander Ora
ham Bell, the distinguished inventor of the
telephone which bears his name, relate in
simple yet wonderfully attractive style the
steps by which the telephone assumed tan
gible shape. Mr.. Bell has a species of mag
netism which would be sufficient to give
him prominent place as public speaker,
even If the subject matter, as was the case
last night, was not of Importance.
The occasion was the regular monthly
meeting of the society, and after the busi-
ness meeting, which was held in one of the
upper rooms, the members came down in
the lecture room, where they met their
guests. Mr.. Charles S. Clark, the presi-
dent OF the society, presided, and after q
violin solo had been admirably rendered
by MIR. NJ. c. Hopkins, with piano accom-
paniment by Mr.. Harvey Murray, Mr.. Bell
was introduced as the speaker of the even
ing.
Early Telephone Models.
Upon two tables were placed models of the
telephone transmitter, showing its develop
ment from the early forms. which Mr. Bell
had brought from his laboratory, which Is
now located in Georgetown. Mr.. Bell also ex-
hibited silver model Of the first tele-
phone transmitter, which,, he said, repre-
sented the first money earned by the tele-
phone, as the model had been made from
the proceeds of a lecture he had delivered
In Boston on the telephone about the year
1874 when that instrument was not only a
VI l0aG cd lei,
er;-bie skepticism by the majority of per-
sons outside Of scientific circles.
In the course of his remarks Mr. Bell
said that In those early days he received
great deal OF encouragement from scien-
tific men, and what he most valued was
the reception accorded to his ideas by the
late Prof. Henry, who was then secretary
OF the Smithsonian Institution, and whom
Mr. Bell said was the recognized head OF
scientific men Of that time.
Encouraged by Prof. Henry.
He said he had come to WASHINGTON to
look after some patents on the telephone,
but even then the possibility of transmit
ting through it for any great distance in
telligibie sounds was hardly admitted. He
said that after he had unfolded his ideas
to Prof. Henry and had told him that he
expected to be able to transmit speech
through his instrument Prof Henry re-
marked to him that he believed that he
Mr.. Bell said he felt immensely encour-
aged by these words coming from such
source, and even though all the world
should look upon him as a crank he said
he felt renewed confidence in the practical
character of his conception. He explained
to Prof. Henry he was confronted with
difficulty in perfecting his ideas, and that
was his lack of information about electric
ity. Prof. Henry's only comment, said Mr..
Bell, was the laconic one get it,
Reaching the Result.
Mr.. Bell spoke of two lines of investiga-
ton which he had entered into independ-
emily and with the object of reaching re-
suits that were entirely different from the
one he finally arrived at. One was the
study of sound, when he started originally
because he intended to be a teacher of
music, and the second was teaching visible
speech to the deaf. He recounted the vari-
Gus stages of his investigation, his failures
as well as his successes, and 1t proved such
fascinating recital that although he spoke
of his audience throughout.
Upon the conclusion of his remarks a
solo was sung by Mr.. Perry Turpin, which
received hearty encore, as did that of the
violin solo of Mr.. Hopkins. The company
was then invited to partake of refresh
ments, which was prepared by the social
committee, of which Mr.. Sanford NJ. Whit
well was chairman, and under whose
supervision the entire evenings program
was prepared.