New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-05-27

a IL n - II
If: 5ii' !; /. if: (: !. J]VSS
communiCa- " IL p
ton. were il Il +\S\e II ~ 4 1
not for this NJ ~ III
long distance L " ~ 47fAs3f III
wall; and any tt%A MfNi *
Onewho knows - %Nl NA<N
anything OF 49,
love knows So = E4l
that the primal ~
need of lovers
IS communication Lovers have so deep a dstrust
OF each Others love that they need TO be assured
Oh II rom hour TO hour To the philosopher it may
well seem strange that this gertrude of all certitudes
should thus be IN need of progressive corroboraton
But so II IS, and the pampered modern lover NAV
wei wonder how his great grandfather and great
grandmother supported the DAYS or even kept their
love alive, on such famine ratons as letter once
month 4 letter once q month They must have
had enormous faith in each other. those lovers of
old-tme or they must have suffered as we can
hardly bear TO think Owe who write TO each other
twice day, telegraph three times telephone sin and
transmit phOnOgraphIC record of signs to each
other night and morn The telephone has made
toy OF distance, and made of absence IN many
cases Suttclent presence. II Is almost worth while
TO be apart on occasion just for the sake of bringing
each other SO magcally near. 1t Is the Arabian
Nights come true As in them. YOU have only to say
word and the Jim of the electric FIRE waiting for
your commands. The word has changed Once it
"Abracadabra Now it is Central. But
the miracle IS Just the
One might almost venture upon the generalization
4
telephone OF course. there exceptions but as a
rule tragedies happen through delays IN cornmunlca-
ton.
Ii there had been a telephone in Mantua Romeo
would never have bought poison of the apOthecarv
Instead he would have asked leave TO use his long
distance telephone Calling up Verona he would
first cautiously disguise his voice IT, as usual the
old nurse answered, all well, but if a bearded voice
set all the wires attending he would OF course
hastily ring OF, and abuse Central for giving him
the wrong number. And Central" would under
Nr.1f4 hf1rt-
he that Lord Capulet had gone TO the Coun-
ell, and ring up again This time he would probably
get the nurse and cOntide 10 her his number in
Mantua. Next morning uhet and her nurse had
only TO drop in the nearest drug store and conde
TO Romeo the whole plot which Bathazar SO sadly
bungled. All that needed was d telephone and
Romeo would have understood that Juliet was only
feigning death for life with him.
But as IN the case OF our Danish knight, there was
not pay-statiOn as vet III all the wide world.
and IL was fully five hundred wears TO the nearest
worth considering by the modern mind. that not
only would the final catastrophe have been averted
by the telephone but that those beautiful speeches
to and from Juliet balcony made at such des-
perate risk to both lovers had the telephone only
been IN existence, could have been made in com
pete security from the secusion OF their distant
apartments
Seriously speaking, there are few love tragedies
few serious historic crises OF any kind that
might not have been averted by the tele-
- phone. Strange indeed. when considers
I 2 !. !. !. ]. !: i. !.
- little, Is that fallacy of senti-
~ mentalsm which calls science the
~IF = ii = enemy of love.
II n ~ Far from being its enemy.
t WI ! science Is easily seen TO be It's
& y n u most romantic servant. for all
NJ its strenuous and delicate learning
vi II II brings 70 the feet of love for a
N11D playthIng Not only viii it carry
the voice OF love across space and
X time, but II VIII even bring it back
to YOU from eternity 1t VIII only carry
your ears the voices OF the living, but 1t
Will also keep safe Tor YOU the SWeeter OF the