Evening journal., 1911-05-16
WHO WANTSTO SEE
PERSON ON WIRE
Telephone Enabling Those
Talking to See Each Other
Are all Right Sometimes

It is stated by a scientific journal
Of standing that an apparatus has at
last been devised by means of which
people conversing by telephone can
see each other, says the August Lip
pincott's. To certain classes of per-
sons this may be all right. Certainly
a young man in Philadelphia who Is
engaged to be married to young
woman in Boston and who daily COM
municates with her over the long dis
tance wire will get lot OF comfort
out of an invention Of this sort, but
after all it will be something Of an
aggravation, too, unless some other
ingenious individual comes along who
will invent a machine whereby the
Philadelphia youth can simultaneous
ly squeeze the young woman's hand.
The tortures of Tantalus are a fa-
mihar figure Of speech. but they will
seem as nothing along side of that
youngsters feelings when he per-
ceiyes the radiant vision of chosen
loveliness before his eyes and hears
that beloved voice, and then-on,
we'll. why expaiate upon the horror
OF that situation? There isn't a pair
OF lovers In the world who will deny
the advanta ges to be derived from
the wireless handshake, If such a
thing can ever be brought into be-
ing
But there are times when we do not
wish the person at the other end of
the line to see us. We ourselves
have seen a man of high character
surrounded by a lot of boon compan-
ions and with pretty good bridge
hand in his fist. telephoning home
that he is Unexpectedly detained down
town on business.
Then again, we ourselves have been
hauled out Of bed along about mid
night more than once by recent ar
rivals In town. and held conversation
of the most formal sort over the wire
but clad in a suit of mauve pajsmae
which we wouldn't have exposed Ia
public gaze for all the abandoned
farms in New England. Time and
time again. arrayed in our red. white
'and blue flannel bathrobe. have We
conversed by phone with persons oI
social distinction. who, if they one,
saw us thus decked out, would eras,
our names from their list in a jiffy
and as for the ladies of the averag,
household, with spectograph attach
ment on the phone, it is hardly wortl
saying, so obvious is it, that they coulc
never be dragged to the telephone {,
answer a call unless they were dressed
for It.
All this is entirely apart from tn,
disadvantage of having the persor
spoken to gaze into your eyes as yo,
speak. One Of the chief delights Of tn
telephone as IL exists is the ease witt
which man face to face with tn
necessity therefor can prevaricat
without his expression giving hir
away, and We greatly fear that i'm thi
respect alone the use of such an in
vention will destroy. rather than en-
hance for thousands of people the el
fcieucy of useful household con
venience
About the only real value Of the ne'
device will be as relief to individua
chaperons, for with such an instru
hiFhA dNdildDit II VIII ntGOIue com
paratively easy matter to establish
/ central chaperon station. whereby on
capable duenna may keep her eve o
any number of courting couples with
in the range of her switchboard. Thu
! mothers and maiden aunts need n
longer stay up until the wee smal
, hours of the night because Strepho
and Phyllis must be attended by
guardian, capable of throwing Sire
i phon out of the window II the occa
sion demands, but can retire at rea
sonable hour. to be notified by a {
@ d. ring from central when the dis
, trict chaperon has reason TO believ
the circumstances demand the sigma
In respect to these. perhaps. tn
scheme is good one Otherwise
seems to possess disadvantages whic
more than Offset its benefits