Washington telegraph., 1911-05-05
NOTABLE BIRTHDAY
PASSES UNN0TICED
Thirty five Yeass of the Telephone
Its Remarkable Development
and Future

'mouy, the anniversary of the bnth
of the telephone has just passed into
history. For it Was thirty five
years ago this spring that Alexan-
der Graham Bell received from the
United States government the pat
ent that was destined to give a
tremendous boost to civilization.
With this official action the un>
known professor of elocution and
student OF acoustics joined the
ranks of the world greatest invent.
ors. His path was far from
smooth one, back in 1876, when
some folks doubted, others scoffed
at aud most people ignored the pro-
duct OF his genius. They called it a
scientific toy, aud as such it seemed
for time doomed to remain in OBJ
security.
Financial man laughed outright
at DIR. Bell's scheme to self his pat
ent for 00,00e. It was scoffiug
of the same sort that Morse had re-
ceived, forty years before, when he
tried to induce the government to
pay him 500, 200 for his pet, the
telegraph.
Today the telephone system that
bears the name of the inventor has
more than twelve million miles of
wire in operation-enough to girdle
The earth many hundreds of times
The value of the telephone proper
ties in the Uuited States today ag,
gregates a sum that makes the 800,
O00. that DR.. Bali requested look like
The proverbial thirty cents,
1t was not long before the march
Of progress seized upon the tele-
Nsone. The wizards of the electri>
cal field put their time into perfect
ing the technical details OF the
scientific toy"
The usefulness of the instrument
Increased, and with it the demand
for share of its benefits. Today
the annual earnings of the telephone
in he United States are no less than
5000 100000 One manufacturing
concern, the Weslean Electric com
pany, has T 900, 600 Of its telephones
in use.
The fact that DR.. Bell himself is
sid alive to fee the wonderful con-
west his toy has made, emphasizes
the youthfulness of the telephone
Thirty FIVE years seems short tina
for an sgercy so widely known and
so universally accepted AS u ueces>
sity.
Here are some of the achieve
naents af the telephone in its brief
span of existence;
1t has made possible what is
-snown AS modern business mttb>
ods. y Every business man has
felephoue at his elbow, and fluids it
his most trustworthy asst, tant The
telephone came into the office and
into the discard went d lays, con
fusion, uncertainties, etc etc,
1t has invaded the homes Of the
people themselves. Here it par>
iorms faithfully its many tasks, saw
ing time and steps, providing pre-
vidiug protection aud atfording the
means of social diversion.
Without it the skycraper in the
busy city would be impossible. Tel
tphone systems aud elevators-take
these away aud the modern office
building will be useless.
II has smpothed the way for thou,
Sauds of railway trains. la service
ON the ci patching circuits of 81
600 miles OF road, supplanting the
old, familiar telegraph, with never
an accident dus to its use-t5at i
tie record Of the railway telephone
1 day.
1t has banishsd isoleton on more
than two million American farms.
IA the rural dist,i IS the telephone
Iva. done inca 'cAlahle good. Many
say this it the most valuable service
lhe handy Little in, trument has per-
ldrmtd.
Toe rural phone enables the
farmer to conduct his business with
he greatest profit to himself tie
keeps posted on the prices Of his
roducts and he econam;zes by cut
liug out bis trips to town WHEN a
Telephone message wild s0fiice The
loneliness which has made farm life
a. hordsn to so many people, especi-
my Is the wou"n and children; the
l..1 lhaL I-l-as nnasasainn ~ thnn,