The Holly chieftain., 1922-08-10
A GREAT UTILITY AND
ITS GREAT INVENTOR

seem an essential of social and busi
ness life. Yet in 1876, considerably
less than half century ago, the
telephone was so negligible, that
Bells instruments occupied only
one little corner of gallery in the
education building at Centennial
celebration. And Bell. himself,
thought so little of his invention
that he said he was too busy teach
ing to go to Philadelphia to prepare
his exhibit. Had it not been Tor a
Mr. Hubbard of the Mass. Board OF
Eduetion there would have been no
telephone exhibit. At the last mo-
rnent, however, at the. fearful en-
treaties of the woman, who after
Ualds became his wife, ne dashed
off to Philadelphia from Hoston
without bag or baggage and there
met Don Pedro, Emperor OF Brazii
and some scientists that won for his
instruments instant recognition and
the Inauguration of one OF the
greatest inventions OF all times.
For some time the telephone was
confined to business houses and was
a novelty in the home. The writer
can well remember the first time
he heard voice over phone, hav.
ing gone to meat market on some
errand 1t was a thrilling expert
ence, cquailed only by the occasion
when he heard his filst phonograph
or saw his first moing pictures
They were all thrilling experiences
Has the future in store thrills equal
in mower for the children of this
generation or is the day OF thrills
over.
How the use of the telephone has
grown andspread- In the larger
cities and towns practically every
one. who is any one, has phone
epd as for the business houses they
may have from one to dozen. TO-
day the ratabsf~e OF phones range
between thirteen and fourteen mil
lion in business. places and resi-
dences. The United States
leads all lands. while it has but one
sixteenth of the worlds population
it has two-thirds OF the worid $
rhoncs. The average daily exchange
end toll connections amounted last
year to over 35,O0O,O0O or total OF
twelve billion calls for the year.
The total wire mileage OF the beil
,orpanies is about 2s million miles.
More than slSOO00000 worth OF
plarts were added to the system
last year. There are over lebWo
stockholders
There are over 225,00O men and
women employed in the Bell Trie
phone System; 67 percent are women
Of whom fouififths are operators
Every month statements must De
sent to six million customers
some bookkeeping Job. at an eX-
perge of slOO.C00.G0O month, IN
cluding postage. There are l0oo'
telephone companies in the Bel
system.
On Tuesday morning, February IL
1877, the first dispatch ever sent 10
newspaper by a human voice over
i'm wires was sent to the Boston
Clobe. The distance was only elgh-
tecr miles but it was wonder ior
that day. The dispatch stated that
Prof. A. Graham Bell lectured on
his invention at Lycerm Hal 10
about 500 people. The first long
distance message, between Boston
and Providence, was achieved the
royt month. and the new ipventlon
was fairly launched. Thoughl tele-
nhony across the continent requires
3S separate steps yet III about III
teen minutes subscribers may be
talking across the land. OF course
It is gil a matter OF connecting up
tho various links in the chain since
Only one-fiftieth of q second is re-
qui.ed in the actual transmission
Of the spoken word. 1t goes with
the speed of light.
The President of the United
states is great user OF the teie-
phone. During the terms OF Presi-
dent Harrison and Cleveland, the
white House had but one solitary
Telephone and strangely enough
that was used principally by, the
servants. Today the executive man
sion has private branch exchange
and four male operators providing
& twenty-four hour service. fhere
is q telephone in every room OF the
White House and office building