Morris tribune., 1899-07-22
A TALKING NEWSPAPER
Novel Idea Introduced in Isuda
pest.

A Novel Idea Introduced in Buda.
pest.
A small diamond-shaped board
screwd on to the wall of my room,
and provided with a couple of hooks
from which hang two tiny, round tel
ephone earpieces connected by two
wires. That is all But my hotel pro-
prietor has been singing it's praises for
the last twenty minutes, and as he con
fidently assured me that it will not
play any part in my hotel bill at the
end of my stay, there is no eathly
reason why | should enter any protest
against his protuse ecomiums. "This, !"
said he, lis the Telephone Messenger
or talking neWspaper-the only thing
of it's kind in the world. 1t Las now
been established in Budapest about
three years. 1t differs from the ordi-
nary telephone in the fact that the
latter is directly connected with the
central Office, whereas we are able to
connect from 200 or 300 subscribers in
one circuit. The city is divided into
thirty circuits. All day long news is
spoken into specially constructed ap-
paratus at the central office, varied
with entertainments, the opera and
linguistic lessons. 1t is not telephone
in the strict sense of the word. and
therefore, does not infringe the tele-
phonic rights of the government. II
combines the functions of your tape
machines and electrophones, while ii
Is ten times cheaper. That buzz you
heard just now was to prevent SUBJ
scribers talking to each other ON their
own account"
ut seems strange that such an ex-
cellent idea as this appears to be should
not be introduced in other towns than
Budapest" | ventured
''The answer is very simple. Of
course, the newspaper feature would
be impossible in London, where time
is everything, and a man could not sit
the whole day with the apparatus to
his ear, waiting for some particular
news or exchange prices. Then again,
other towns are not SO advantageously
situated in this respect as Budapest,
where the law empowers the company
to introduce the apparatus into any
house in the city in spite of the oh. &C.
tions of the landlord We have here
six thousand subscribers, and each pay
only eighteen forms year. With us
it is as in England with a certain soap
our families don't feel happy until
they get it. It is so cheap that many
of the rooms in my hotel are fitted up
with it. If the visitor finds it incon-
venient to go to the opera, all he has
to do is to put this apparatus to his ear,
and he can be entertained the whole
evening. The general public, too, can
have news in advance of the neWspa-
pers. Why, q few weeks ago, when
the German Kaiser gave that cele-
brated toast of his to the Hungarian
nation, thousands of families were
listening to it's recital half an hOu;-
later. Without this apparatus they
would have had to wait until next
day"
Have you a regular daily pro-
gramme?"
eyes, it rs announced in the morning,
and changes every half hour or so.
The greater part Of the morning rs TAX
en- up with prices on change, sum-
mary of the news in the daiIies At
noon we begin to get report OF the
doings in Parliament kilograms of
Importance are communicated at once,
the Telephone Messenger being in di-
rect connection with a leading Buda-
pest newspaper At about 2 O'clock the
morning news is in part repeated, then
come exchange prices, kilograms law
reports, a short, entertaining story,
theatrical items, and sometimes con-
cert, and for an hour in the evening we
get lesson IN English, Italian and
French. You have no idea what a ben
eft this is to the young generation,
and how popular these lessons are
among them. A complete set of gradu-
ated exercises has been published in
these languages. Each telephone sub
scriber who cares to listen holds copy
of the hook in question before him, and
the teacher speaks into the double mi
crophone transmitter at the central Of
flee. "-Budapest Letter to Pail Mall
Gazette.