Evening star., 1927-04-03
BY I'll. G.. WELLS.

the best music whenever we wished! Chalia
pin and Melba would sing to us; President Cool
Idge and Mr.. Baldwin would talk to simply.
earnestly. directly: the most august in the
world would wish good evening and pass
friendly word; should fire or shipwreck hap
pen. we were to get the roar Of the flames and
cries for help. Anita Loos and Charlie Chaplin,
hitherto SO silent, would tickle our humor and
A. A Milne and Sir James Barrie would join
with us to delight the little ones when the chill
Einsten would adapt himself to the available
powers of transmission or President Nicholas
Murray Butler, the authentic voice of America,
the grand commander of all existing orders, the
honorary doctor of every attainable university
in the world, would remind of the broad
fundamentals of wisdom and nobility. There
would be debates and, in a compact 10 minutes,
Julian Huxley, for example, and Bernard Shaw
would settle about Darwinism forever. Then
finally to religion; and should hear masses
or preachers chose-Dean Inge in his
pulpit or the Paestrina given from St.
Peters itself All sporting results before we
went to bed would be included, the weather
forecast, advice about gardens, the treat
ment Of influenza and the exact time. One
would live in new world and ask in all the
neighbors
Such the dream Of thousands OF men
painting perously their ladders and rather
irritated and impatient to get that aerial fixed
correctly. 1t did not turn out like that In
stead Of firstrate came tenth-rate music, played
by the Little Winkle-Beach Pier Band; mystic
rious unknowns Uncle Bray and Aunt Twadde.
usurped hour with the children-one
precious hour when parents and children came
together mentally; we were told short stories
and read out scientific articles of quality any
magazine would reject; Shaw, when he tried
to speak up, was censored by the authorities.
such as they were, and Prof. Julian Huxley was
interrupted; Murray Butler, it was found could
only speak in large print on superfne paper;
a dog began barking untimely and the news
was drowned by the oscillations of an excited
neighbor. Across it all dear old Mother Nature
cast her net of "atmospherics'' with humor
all her own. We began to ask ourselves for
the first time what in particular the broadcast
ing was giving that we could not get far
better In some other fashion.
Music one can have at home now very per-
fectly and beautifully rendered by the gramo
phone Some Of the newer records are mar
velously true There, indeed, one can get the
very best performers and the music of ones
choice. One summon music when one
thinks fit by day or night repeat it. control It,
finish 1t as one Wills Even for jazz or dance
music broadcasting has but very slight ad-
vantage, that once 1t is started II goes on with
out any change of record. But dance music
only goes on for a small part OF the evening.
and at any moment it may give way to DR.
FIatulent being thoughtful and kindly in non
sectarian way
X X = X
Religious services are also more perfectly
available as gTamophone records News and
time signals and so forth could be sent into a
house far more conveniently IL there were a
silent recording apparatus such as the ticker
Broadcasting shouts out It's information once
and cannot be recalled. If you miss word,
that would Is missed for good. Names and hg
ures are easily missed. If you do not hear news
at the time, you do not even know that IL has
been given. 1t is absurd to suppose that
science and invention could not furnish us with
silent receiving set as cheap and comfortable
as c listening set II this side of wireless enter
prises was turned over to ordinary ticker trans
mission.