Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1907-12-20
fHE TELEPHONE AND THE FARM

The present active DEVELOPMENT OF tele
phone lines throughout the United States
brings to mind the fact that Il is compara.
lively few years since the invention OF the
telephone. which was first publicly exhibited
at the Centennial Exposition In Philade,.
Pn"' 1870 Since that time over 100000
'eIephohes nave been put I'm service
Alexander Bell, the inventor. formed
company for exploiting the device. which
was leased, not sold, to the users rho
general public Immediately realized the i'm
hlehse advantage of the telephone ana
soon every large city had its exchange rbe
BEL companies, however did not caro-
10 develop the smaller towns. and the VII
iage ana rural communities were not con-
sldered at all. This was but natural. ne
In large towns. high rentals could be
charged. short lines need only be huiIt. ana
small Investment brought large returns:
whereas in the country, the lines were
longer and the subscribers fewer.
IL was not until the advent of the IN
DEPENDENT telephone movement about
ten years ago, when local home owned
companies were formed to supply service
where the BELL" would moi. that teIo.
phones were placed i'm reach of the farmer.
this being rendered possible by the fact
that the original BELL" patents had ex-
pred and that numerous concerns had I'm
vented improvements on the original idea.
thuS placing in the hands of the great
American public, better telephone eauip-
ment than IL was possible TO secure from
tue monopoly, which did not SELL but only
rented It's products
The INDEPENDENTS turned their NJ.
tention' 10 the great mass OF undeveloned
territory to be found in rural communi
ties, and soon lines sprang up i'm every
direction. In Iowa and In the great North
west the farmers in various communities
nave combined. and ny each man buying
his own telephone and building tho limo
winch Is after ALL very simple process.
telephone service over an entire county or
state is possible. and the actual cost q,
operating these systems amounts to only n
Few cents per month for each phone.
Tho advantages of having a telephone ore
many First. is the advantage OF being
able to call ncighbor I'm case OF sickness.
hre' danger from tramps or other sudden
calamities
Second. come the social features. The
fact that appointments car De made mr.
social affairs discussed by the women folks
who are thus enabled TO visit the neighbors
ana learn what is taking place. without n
uresome drive over dark and muddy roads
III thcre is = good musician I'm the neigh
''t"''"' 'uc Ic''lNet Is taken down. the
neighhors all listen at their phones. and tho
music can he heard I'm twenty different
homes many miles apart thus enahIInp,
many TO enjoy what hitherto has only been
possible for n few.
Third, Is the immense financial advantnyo
the farmer himself gains by being nbIc 10
call up the nearest town and nnt ont ,hs,
market price OF load or corn. cotton etc
before he brings same into town. 1t is also
possible with the phone TO call nm tbc
bank, or the hardware store In case n
piece OF machinery Is broken. and duplicate
par's needed. or IL Is possible to call up tho
store ana nave them send something out bv
ncighbor who is coming your wav. I'm
other words. the telephone viii montbIv
save zen times what IL costs To tho farmer
ne county merchant soon realized that
MS business Is more than doubled nv tbc
ncighborhood phone line People buy more
when IL Is easy 10 ask for lie can buv
cotton quickly or can notify his customers
OF some special bargain. lie gets in touch
WIN MS customers every day instead OF
once or twice n week.
When the postofrice has phone. think
how easy TO call up and ask II there is nny
mail Instead of having TO drive in TO find
out ~
IL Is certainly a protection TO know that
the telephone will call help I'm case OF need.
and tramps carefully avoid farmhouses into
which they see the wires running as they
know that even though the men are AWAY.
help Is In easy call. and they would have
no chance to commit n crime and get away
undetected, as the whole county can be
notified OF their whereabouts.
Putting up the telephone line Is a very
simple matter, the poles can easily be cut
near the route OF the line. and are easily
placed In position The wires should be
OF special grade sold for this purpose. or
dinary fence wire will not do. The tele-
phone should be OF the best possible grade
ono concern, after ten years OF experience,
developed line OF Instruments known ms
Famous Farmer Fones," which are par.
ucularly suited to this service, as the parts
are few and their construction simple This
concern also furnishes, upon request, COM
plete instructions telling how to put up the
line and connect the telephones. and how
to. organize exchanges.