The times., 1899-07-17
WHERE MISCHIEF MAY REIGN.
The Humorous Possibilities of the
Usc of Wireless TelcErnphy.


Wireless telegraphy has come to the fore
and it is believed that within few years
The great network of copper threads which
nov lines streets and railroad thorough
fares will have been consigned to the melt
ing pot and the merry unseen air wave Will
be pressed into service. The possibilities
CT the new invention are unlimited, and
with the development OF the transmitters
and receivers. messages may be sent with
great economy and rapidity.
There is but one drawback in the new
system and this may cause unlimited
trouble fer future generations. AS the
messages are conveyed by the ether, and
are flying out into a vast space OF sky, any
one who has receiver within an eight
een-mile radius of the path of the wave
can receive the message. or rather a copy
of it, Therefore, there is likely to be
trouble.
When the new system has become pop
uIar and receivers are plentiful, each mes
sage aimed in certain direction can be
received and read by every person having
a receiver within a radius Of eighteen
miles. All that is required is that the re-
ceiver be left open and the Morse print
ing machine will record every word sent
to your fellow citizens by any sender in
any city.
So might the dear, trusting wife sit up
at home and wait for her hubby, who
was compelled to 90 to New York on busi-
ness" and now and then she could read
over the messages recorded on the tape
Of the receiver in the house Mayhap
hubby would be very anxious to stay In
message to his friend in New York would
be eagerly read by the wife:
Cant come to the fight Am having
very interesting game. Wife thinks l am
away Who won the third race?"
Whereupon would the husband receive
cordial welcome from his wife when
he returned from New York"
And what glorious feast the new sys-
TEN would be for the loving gossips OF
neighborhood. There could be few fam
lily secrets, and the traditional skeleton
would be forced to seek a new vocation
When the good gossip went out for
call she could carry along roll of printed
messages on tape and these would furnish
many splendid scandals. Mrs. Jones hus-
band was arrested in New York. Mrs
White was going to sue for divorce. Mrs.
Brown owed everybody in town. Mr.. Jinks
was drunk all the time. Mr.. Binks was
I X
All this and mere might be eagerly dis
| cussed.
Again, it would be dangerous for a swain
| to try to make lave to more than one RI
at a time Imagine calling en- one of the
dear creatures and being confronted with
something of this kind, to which your sig
nature is attached:
Miss Jones' Can l not escort you to
| the theatre tonight. VIII call at $50"
bo ~ n
explain. but the message would furnish
| splendid evidence.
The results OF the use of the new sys-
TEN might also furnish splendid campaign
material, and mix-ups would be frequent
! Imagine receiver in a Washington news
paper office ticking oil the following ad-
dressed to Gen. X. a. a. Michigan" and
signed Wv Mex"
| Why do you not resign. Do you want
to kill the whole party"
| OF course, no one would know what the
message meant, but then it would seem
rather odd. Or mayhap this message from
| Washington to Chicago might seem mys-
terious:
Send 1.COO. 600 pounds canned roast and
| embalmed. Any old kind will do. 1t is for
the Army. You know!"
Then again, the plots of many men
would be quite apt to gang aglee If few
! messages like lue IOllONluS duuItSSSu "
| NJ A. Hanna, and dated Columbus. Ohio
were found recorded on the receiver at
the headquarters of Democratic cam
/ paign committee:
DO not get mad. boss. This antitrust
| fight is only bluff. We do not mean it.
| We are looking out for our people"
| 1t might even come to pass that such
a message as this addressed to wv. Mex.
Washington" and signed M A. H.,
might be recorded on the receiver owned
| by w. j. Bryan;
Things are looking bad. We will have
to buy up several States. We cannot ditch
the trusts and our chances are Mad unless
we coerce as in 1896
| And If the air waves ever got tangled up
there would be a circus. Imagine staid
| old clergyman on a visit TO New York
! sending a message to his wife, and having
the air wave through accident get into a
channel intended for message from
| theatrical manager to soubrette. The
| messages being numbered, the soubrette