Evening journal., 1912-06-28
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
The Voice That Made Eng
land Accept the Telephone
By Holland

When the complete history Of the
manner in which the telephone was
introduced and then slowly accepted
by the public is written, II will be
found 70 contain some OF the most
dramatic and Sensational incidents
ever recorded in the story Of the de-
velopment OF a great invention. Edi-
son once said that the history Of the
Introduction OF the Morse electric tele-
graph did not begin to contain so
many dramatic and peculiar incidents
as did the history Of the introduction
and development Of the telephone.
The late Frederick Cover. who in
troduced the telephone into France.
was in association with Prof. Alex
ander Graham Bell az the time the
latter was demonstrating the tele-
phone to the people of Providence,
r. l. Cover was a newspaper re-
porter who became fascinated with
the lectures and demonstrations OF
Prof Bell After his successful in
PRODUCTION OF the telephone into
France Cover became interested in
aeronautics and was lost when max
ing a balloon ascension in that coun-
try about twtnty-five years ago.
~ sometimes think" said Mr. Cover
q few years before his death, that If
II had not been for the strange and
happy chance by means OF which Kate
Field recovered her singing voice the
| telephone would not have been adopt
ed when it was by the British people
| Indeed il might not have been adopt
ed by that people until years later.
Kate Field. as very young wo-
man, expected to make q great career
upon the operate or concert stage.
She was born in ST. Louis and was
thought to possess a voice Of great
promise. After a thorough training
she began her career as professional
singer. but by reason Of an accident
she lost her voice completely So
she decided to become speaking act
ress. and she went to London Just
about the time the telephone was hrst
introduced 70 the American public.
"Ip due course, the telephone was
sent TO Great Britain for the purpose
of exploiting II. but the people OF
Great Britain we're very conservative
Many Of them thought the thing was
nothing but a trick, and many others
looked upon II as q mere toy. Il was
impossible 10 get the British pubic
interested in the telephone from
commercial point Of view
Queen Victoria heard tnat an Amer
ican inventor had discovered a way
bv which the voice could be sent long
distances over the wire She was
much interested in all that she heard
about the invention, but those who
surrounded her assured her that at
best It was mere toy and there was
probably some trick about u anyway
"The Queen. however. was persist
ent in her desire 10 have a practical
test of the apparatus 60 it was az last
! requested Of the telephone representa-
tsives that they metal telephone in
Osborne House. that the Qneen might
herself test the invention.
while this was being done with
the sounding end some two miles
away. one of the representatives Of
the invention wgs told that the Qneen
had said that If anyone could sing
through the telephone so that she
could distinguish the song, she would
believe all she had been told Of its
possibilities. Said this representa-
tive
81 once heard a woman. Kate Field
sing who had a perfect voice for
transmission through the telephone.
If she had not lost her voice com
nletely some time ago, ! would have
her sing for the Queen"
But she has recovered g. he was
told Manuel Garcia, the greatest
vocal teacher IN the world has brought
her voice back. and she is in London
now"
Arrangements we're speedily made
for Kate Field to sing through the
telephone 70 Queen Victoria She
learned what the Queens favorite
songs were. and at the proper time
sang them beautifully over the tele-
phone The Queen listened and was
enrapiured She was convinced that
there was no trick nor deceit in the
telephone
"of course. the representatives Of
Prof. Bell realized the commercial ad-
vantage there was in this incident.
II became speedily known throughout
Great Britain that an American sing
er. Kate Field had sung over the tele-
phone for the Queen and she had dis
tinctly heard the melody The Incl
dent changed opinion in Great Britain
and the telsphone was slowly but
suerelv accepted as a commercial ap-
psratus"
! copyright. 1912. by Y y Edwards,
All rights reserved)
Tomorrow MT. Edwards will tell Of
"The Man Who Showed the Country