Evening star., 1927-08-28
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

When the telephone was exhibited
at the Philadelphia Centennial 81
First Telephone yere wears ago espressed aeaDes
in Practical Use. s,as whether TIT. it would Guid
practical use. Another year was re-
quired for it to demonstrate its
utility. In The Star OF August 20.
1877. Is the following relative to the
first application Of the new invention:
THE telephone has at last been
put to practical use. One of these in.
struments has been put up at the
establishment Of the contractor for
manufacturing the wire for the Brook
lyn Bridge, connecting his establish.
ment with the bridge superintendent s
office. The piers of the Brooklyn
Bridge are also being connected by
telephones with the superintendent
office, so that all the movements of
the travellers" in carrying the wires
across from pier to pier can be COM
municated and directed without the
use of signal flags as at present. The
distances being short, sounds are
distinctly transmitted. A New York
paper says the extension Of these tele
phones all over the city in place of
the electric telegraph is thought to
Half century ago the tramp prob
lem was coming to be regarded as
very serious social ques-
The Tramp ton. Owing to the de-
prohlem preston OF the early
AAooAoAn' seventies there were
many men in the "army of the un-
employed" A case that attracted gen.
eral attention was commented on in
The Star Of August %. 1877: =.
"A st. Louis paper recently pub
lished the diary of a tramp who died,
apparently from exposure, near that
city some time ago, and an effort
seems to be made in some quarters to
get up a feeling of sympathy for that
class of persons because the writer of
the record in question had evidently
been q man of fair intelligence and
education.
"This effort should not be success
ful-at least not on the grounds as
signed. nor on account of any facts
which appear in this particular case.
There 10 no reason, in the first place.
why men Of fair intelligence and edu
cation may not become the most con
firmed, depraved and dangerous OF
tramps. On the contrary. they are
apt to be the very worst Of their class
once their instincts turn their steps
in that direction, Then, again, there
is nothing in the record Of this mans
wanderings, so far as we have read
it, that showed him to be in the
slightest degree deserving of sym.
pathy or aid during his lifetime. His
diary sets forth with considerable
fullness his daily and nightly expert
ences-where and how he slept, where
he got food, and, perhaps more i'm
portant than all, where he was sup
piled with whisky-but, significantly
enough, there is not single word in
1t to show that he ever earnestly and
in good faith applied anywhere for
work. There is. to be sure. in one
days entry remark that he was
told he could get work at Greens.
burg: in the next that he walked to
Greensburg, but got no work: but NO
reason Is assigned for not getting it.
whether there was no work to be had.
whether the wages did not suit, or
whether he really did not apply for
it-no expression of disappointment at
his hard fate in being refused en-
ployment and obliged to beg for the
necessaries Of life, instead of being
able to earn livelihood by honest
toll and thus become once more-if
he ever had rbeen--a respectable and
self.respecting citizen"