Evening star., 1922-08-03
BELLS INVENTIVE CAREER DUE
TO EARLY ELOCUTION STUDY
Device to Clean Wheat Conceived In Boy
hood When Tainted by Mill Owner
as Mischievous Lad.

The story of how he came to be an
inventor was recorded by DIR. Alexan-
der Graham Bell in the course OF his
last published article. prehistoric
Telephone Days" contained in the
National Geographic Magazine for
March. 1922
Especial interest attaches to this
article, not only because Of its his
toric value as relating the steps lead
ing up to the invention OF the teie-
phone but because 1t Is one OF the
few occasions when Dr. Bell. in his
many writings. engaged In personal
"reminiscences.
Il will have to go back to my
grandfather. Alexander Bell of Lon
don. England" DR.. Bell wrote.
He was an elocutionist and cor
rector Of defective utterance. He was
the first in the family to take up the
study Of the mechanism of speech
with the object of correcting defects
of speech by explaining to his pupils
the correct positions of the vocal or
gans in uttering the sounds that were
defective
Ranked Low mt School.
"My grandfather took a great dea,
of interest in my education. My
great indifference to the usual schooI
studies and I took a very low rank In
my classes. The subjects in which
really excelled, such as music, botany
and natural history. formed no par,
Of the school curriculum.
hobby. 1 learned to play the piano a.
such an early age that I have nc
recollection now of time when
could not play. I seem to have picked
it up by myself without any specia
instruction, and although / knew
anything 1 heard by ear and coult
improvise at the piano for any Length
of time am inclined to think. how
ever, that my early passion for music
had a good deal to do in preparing me
for the scientific study of sound.
"As a child 1 took a great deal o.
interest in flowers and plants anC
formed a large herbarium, arranged
according to the Linnean system OF
botany. My collection of plants grad
ually gave way to COLLECTIONS OF
shells and birds eggs. Then. came
butterflies and beetles and finally the
skeletons of small animals, like frogs
and toads, mice and rats.
Got Pig for Dissection.
"on one occasion my father pre-
sented me with a dead sucking pig
and the distinguished professor Of
anatomy was called upon for lee
ture. So a special meeting Of the So
ciety for the Promotion of Fine Art:
Among Boys was held in my study
South Charlotte street, Edinburgh)
This was sacred to me. and there my
collections presented an imposing ar
ray of anatomical specimens.
IT can see in these natural-htstor!
collections a preparation Tor scien'
tifc work. The collection or ma.
terial involved the close observation
of the likenesses and differences OF
objects of very similar kind. and the
orderly arrangement, as In museum
stimulated the formation of generali-
cations of various kinds.
MY father encouraged me IN max
ing collections of all sorts and In ar
ranging the specimens in accordance
with my own ideas rather than ir
conformity with the ideas OF others
I am inclined to think that the MAX
ing Of these collections formed an i'm.
portant part of my education, ant
was responsible for my early BEN
toward scientific pursuits.
Had to Learn Shakespeare.
sMy grandfather was well known a,
\ shakespearean scholar and a public
reader of Shakespeare plays: SO, Of
course, had to make myself familiar
with the plays Of Shakespeare ant
commit to memory long, passage.
from Hamlet Macbeth Julius Cae
sar' and The Merchant OF Venice.
mechanism Of speech and permitted
me to be present at the instruction o
some Of his pupils, so that I nigh
observe for myself his methods o
correcting defective utterance.
IT have found it necessary to allud,
IN nv grandfather. and to his worl
IN correcting defective utterance, no
only on account Of the influence h
exerted upon my own life. but becaus
the profession he founded became ii
process of time a family profession
which was handed down to his chill
dren and grandchildren. His tw,
sons, for example. followed 1t.
Study Of Vibrations.
"T took up the study Of the natur
] of fhe vibrations going on in the All