Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-07

Covenant who has been consulted and will
probably conduct the services.
His Last Illness.
DR.. Bells health was considered excel
lent up to about a year ago. when he suf
fered severely from an attack OF diabetes.
The effects OF this attack wore off after
careful medical treatment however, and the
patient appeared to regain his usual state
OF health. He Is accustomed to spending
the early months of the summer at his cot
tage at Colonial Beach, Va, and during
MS sojourn there this summer, about three
weeks ago. he again fell a victim to dia-
betes. He was treated by DR.. Ninde of
Colonial Beach and DIR. ]. B. Briggs of this
city and appeared TO improve. The treat
ment did not appear to have the effect de-
sired however. and the patient was brought
to this city about a week ago and conveyed
to the residence of his son, DIR. Alexander
Graham Bell. Dr.. Thomas B. Futcher OF
johns hopkins University the distinguished
specialist who attended the late Senator
Hanna in his last Illness and was associated
with Dr. Osler at Johns Hopkins was
called TO attend the sick man. in consuIta-
ton with Dr. Briggs and DR.. James Mitchell
OF TINS city. AS result of the observation
ana conference Of the medical attendants a
decision was reached tor perform an opera
tlon on Tuesday last to remove a growth at
the end of the spine. by means of which 1t
was hoped 10 relieve the patient. The ope-
ration was highly successful, and the dis
ngu!shed patient rallied quickly from the
SHOCK and straiShtway began to gain
strength. All the trouble which had for
merry weakened him and retarded recovery
seemed to be removed. but he was yet IN
an extremely exhausted condition.
On saturday morning the attendants OBJ
served that the left lung of the patient
appeared to be affected and the affection
rapidly developed into pneumonia syrnp-
toms. Every effort was made to combat
the new complication. but the patient was
"a fpnF II Nc, TOM
the disease, and despite the efforts of his
attendants he grew weaker until this morn
ing when II became apparent that death
would triumph. The sick mans wife his
son Dr. Alex Graham Bell and his wife
Mrs Gardiner G. Hubbard Mr. William
her. a nephew; Mr.. David Fairchild. Miss
ADA Nartman, Mr. John Hitz and Drs.
Briggs and Claude McDermott We're ar the
bedside when the end came DR.. Bell was
Ifee from pain and expired peacefully as his
family gathered about him
Career as a Scientist.
Alexander Melville Bell is known far and
wide throughout the civilized world as the
man who, more than any other. conferred
the boon of speech those who from
birth or afhiction were dumb and who
by constant study and application devised
system whereby not only those who
could not speak were given form of ex-
preston, but those who could not hear
found a method OF understanding spoken
language. The members OF the Rell fap,iI,,
Tor three generations, including Alexander
Bel. the father of the man who died to-
day. and Alexander Graham Bell his SON
have worked on problems OF orthoepy and
phonetics.
In the second generation. through A1ax-
ander Melville Bell. their work resulted in
the system by which the deaf and dumb
are enabled to understand and make them
selves understood In the third generation
through Alexander Graham Bell IL result.
ed In the telephone And II was in an en-
deaNor TO perfect and improve the system
evolved by his father that led Alexander
Graham Bell TO make the great discovery
that resulted In the invention of the tele-
phone. So that throughout the civilized
world today the name of Alexander Mel
Vile Bell Is known, and his death brings
TO an end life with the workings OF which
probably more people are familiar than that
OF any ether American scientist or educator.
DIR. Bell was not an American by birth.
II was in Edinburgh, Scotland. on March
i. 1919, that he first saw the light OF day.
His father. Alexander Bell. was a distin-
gulshed teacher of elocution of the old
Scottish town and was deeply engaged In
the study of orthoepy and phonetics. He
had invented a method for removing Inn
pediments from the speech before his son
took mp his studies The elder Bell took
up the burden OF educating his son himself
ana gave him the benefit of his wide ex-
perience and great learning When young
man young Bell was sent to school at Dun
dee. where he remained short time He
was, OF course, principally interested In
those things that had been to his father
matters of such close study. and he was
but twenty-three years of age when he
announced the formulation of a new theory
In articulation and vocal expression.
The work of the young man seems to
have gone beyond that OF his father even
at this time. as the elder Bell did not SUBJ
scribe to all the conclusions his son had
reached. though approving the system al 9