Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1911-08-17


interests, ample work was laid out
Tor years to come =. with the same
foresight that had characterized MS
exploitation Of the telephone interests
ne had mapped out his career a.
'Speedwell," his Vermont farm, nam
cd after his mothers family
Mr.. Vail was finally persuaded to
take UP again the active duties Of
TIC management Of his great telephone
interests not by the assertion that
his personal interests would be en-
HANGED, but by the demonstration
that thete-L was a great work to he
done; work that benefited not only his
own company, his own country, but
the entire civilized world" THE lure
OF the work that had engrossed his
attention In early life when he left
the railway mail service to nurture
the infant telephone toy enterprise.
fired his Imagination with picture
of worldwide proportions. and he on
listed once moro to make that carly
| dream concrete realization"
Jumping over the fascinating history
Of the DEVELOPMENT of the telephone
| in this end and other countries. We
come to this writer's word picture
of Mr. Vail in the spring of 1907, Just
at seed time when he was busy super
| intending his farm II Vermont, twelve
and beautiful Welsh ponies were grazing
on the hills-a farm model In every way
/ yet carried on with strict eye to profit
| In tho twenty years of his absence from
the telephone world he had been doing
| many things" lie had organized a sys-
tom of trolleys and electric lights in
| South America, had shown his executive
ability and his great grasp Of affairs in
manifold ways. Soon after resuming
the management of the telephone inter-
ests came the panic of 1907. when he sent
of stockholders, representing the earn
| lngs of women and the reliance of
orphans as well as the investments OF
the big capitalist: our net earnings for
| III. last ten months were sl3,1l5,0G as
against sl1 597, 900 for the same period ir
1906 We have now in the banks over
| 900, and we will not need to borrow
any money for two years"
In 1910 Mr.. Vail signed a check FOL
$40, 900, for the control OF the Western
Union Telegraph company the wires OF
which through a modern invention car
also be Used for telephone business
simultaneously without interfering with
the telegraph circuits, thus communicating
the great national telephone system which
had been Mr.. Nairs ideal project from
the time he became general manager.
'ITis foreign travel Is now GU
down to a brief few weeks In Euro
pean cities, during which his wo.r
never ceases. He still finds rest anc
recreation on the farm at Lyndon
Vile, Vermont. but 1t comes from
change of scene. For his work follow
him even in the dsiet restfulness o
the countryy there his maturing plan
include even the broad sweep OF tn
green hills about"
In the midst of all this big business MI
, Vail has retained his interest in Yer
mont agriculture as atteSted by his gen
crosby in founding the agricultural an
industrial department oc Lyndon In
stitute organized in 1910 with the objec
Of giving practical and theoretical In
: structlon to Vermont boys who have no
the money to pursue an extensive colleG
, course.
Surely Vermont is coming into its ow
g when it can command the loyal an
enthusiastic support and citizenship of
great captain OF finance and industry Xix
Theodore Newton Vail.