the history of the telephone-第25部分

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　batteries　and　regiments　were　organized　into　fifteen　divisions。　Each　group　of　three　divisions　was　wired　to　a　general；　and　the　five　generals　were　wired　to　the　great　Oyama　himself；　who　sat　ten　miles　back　of　the　firing…line　and　sent　his　orders。　Whenever　a　regiment　lunged　forward；　one　of　the　soldiers　carried　a　telephone　set。　If　they　held　their　position；　two　other　soldiers　ran　forward　with　a　spool　of　wire。　In　this　way　and　under　fire　of　the　Russian　cannon；　one　hundred　and　fifty　miles　of　wire　were　strung　across　the　battlefield。　As　the　Japanese　said；　it　was　this　〃flying　telephone〃　that　enabled　Oyama　to　manipulate　his　forces　as　handily　as　though　he　were　playing　a　game　of　chess。　It　was　in　this　war；　too；　that　the　Mikado's　soldiers　strung　the　costliest　of　all　telephone　lines；　at　203　Metre　Hill。　When　the　wire　had　been　basted　up　this　hill　to　the　summit；　the　fortress　of　Port　Arthur　lay　at　their　mercy。　But　the　climb　had　cost　them　twenty…　four　thousand　lives。

Of　the　seven　million　telephones　in　the　United　States；　about　two　million　are　now　in　farmhouses。　Every　fourth　American　farmer　is　in　telephone　touch　with　his　neighbors　and　the　market。　Iowa　leads；　among　the　farming　States。　In　Iowa；　not　to　have　a　telephone　is　to　belong　to　what　a　Londoner　would　call　the　〃submerged　tenth〃　of　the　population。　Second　in　line　comes　Illinois；　with　Kansas；　Nebraska；　and　Indiana　following　closely　behind；　and　at　the　foot　of　the　list；　in　the　matter　of　farm　telephones；　are　Connecticut　and　Louisiana。

The　first　farmer　who　discovered　the　value　of　the　telephone　was　the　market　gardener。　Next　came　the　bonanza　farmer　of　the　Red　River　Valleysuch　a　man；　for　instance；　as　Oliver　Dalrymple；　of　North　Dakota；　who　found　that　by　the　aid　of　the　telephone　he　could　plant　and　harvest　thirty　thousand　acres　of　wheat　in　a　single　season。　Then；　not　more　than　half　a　dozen　years　ago；　there　arose　a　veritable　Telephone　Crusade　among　the　farmers　of　the　Middle　West。　Cheap　telephones；　yet　fairly　good；　had　by　this　time　been　made　possible　by　the　improvements　of　the　Bell　engineers；　and　stories　of　what　could　be　done　by　telephone　became　the　favorite　gossip　of　the　day。　One　farmer　had　kept　his　barn　from　being　burned　down　by　telephoning　for　his　neighbors；　another　had　cleared　five　hundred　dollars　extra　profit　on　the　sale　of　his　cattle；　by　telephoning　to　the　best　market；　a　third　had　rescued　a　flock　of　sheep　by　sending　quick　news　of　an　approaching　blizzard；　a　fourth　had　saved　his　son's　life　by　getting　an　instantaneous　message　to　the　doctor；　and　so　on。

How　the　telephone　saved　a　three　million　dollar　fruit　crop　in　Colorado；　in　1909；　is　the　story　that　is　oftenest　told　in　the　West。　Until　that　year；　the　frosts　in　the　Spring　nipped　the　buds。　No　farmer　could　be　sure　of　his　harvest。　But　in　1909；　the　fruit…growers　bought　smudge…potsthree　hundred　thousand　or　more。　These　were　placed　in　the　orchards；　ready　to　be　lit　at　a　moment's　notice。　Next；　an　alliance　was　made　with　the　United　States　Weather　Bureau　so　that　whenever　the　Frost　King　came　down　from　the　north；　a　warning　could　be　telephoned　to　the　farmers。　Just　when　Colorado　was　pink　with　apple　blossoms；　the　first　warning　came。　〃Get　ready　to　light　up　your　smudge…pots　in　half　an　hour。〃　Then　the　farmers　telephoned　to　the　nearest　towns：　〃Frost　is　coming；　come　and　help　us　in　the　orchards。〃　Hundreds　of　men　rushed　out　into　the　country　on　horseback　and　in　wagons。　In　half　an　hour　the　last　warning　came：　〃Light　up；　the　thermometer　registers　twenty…nine。〃　The　smudge…pot　artillery　was　set　ablaze；　and　kept　blazing　until　the　news　came　that　the　icy　forces　had　retreated。　And　in　this　way　every　Colorado　farmer　who　had　a　telephone　saved　his　fruit。

In　some　farming　States；　the　enthusiasm　for　the　telephone　is　running　so　high　that　mass　meetings　are　held；　with　lavish　oratory　on　the　general　theme　of　〃Good　Roads　and　Telephones。〃　And　as　a　result　of　this　Telephone　Crusade；　there　are　now　nearly　twenty　thousand　groups　of　farmers；　each　one　with　a　mutual　telephone　system；　and　one…half　of　them　with　sufficient　enterprise　to　link　their　little　webs　of　wires　to　the　vast　Bell　system；　so　that　at　least　a　million　farmers　have　been　brought　as　close　to　the　great　cities　as　they　are　to　their　own　barns。

What　telephones　have　done　to　bring　in　the　present　era　of　big　crops；　is　an　interesting　story　in　itself。　To　compress　it　into　a　sentence；　we　might　say　that　the　telephone　has　completed　the　labor…saving　movement　which　started　with　the　McCormick　reaper　in　1831。　It　has　lifted　the　farmer　above　the　wastefulness　of　being　his　own　errand…boy。　The　average　length　of　haul　from　barn　to　market　in　the　United　States　is　nine　and　a　half　miles；　so　that　every　trip　saved　means　an　extra　day's　work　for　a　man　and　team。　Instead　of　travelling　back　and　forth；　often　to　no　purpose；　the　farmer　may　now　stay　at　home　and　attend　to　his　stock　and　his　crops。

As　yet；　few　farmers　have　learned　to　appreciate　the　value　of　quality　in　telephone　service；　as　they　have　in　other　lines。　The　same　man　who　will　pay　six　prices　for　the　best　seed…corn；　and　who　will　allow　nothing　but　high…grade　cattle　in　his　barn；　will　at　the　same　time　be　content　with　the　shabbiest　and　flimsiest　telephone　service；　without　offering　any　other　excuse　than　that　it　is　cheap。　But　this　is　a　transient　phase　of　farm　telephony。　The　cost　of　an　efficient　farm　system　is　now　so　little　not　more　than　two　dollars　a　month；　that　the　present　trashy　lines　are　certain　sooner　or　later　to　go　to　the　junk…heap　with　the　sickle　and　the　flail　and　all　the　other　cheap　and　unprofitable　things。



CHAPTER　VII

THE　TELEPHONE　AND　NATIONAL　EFFICIENCY

The　larger　significance　of　the　telephone　is　that　it　completes　the　work　of　eliminating　the　hermit　and　gypsy　elements　of　civilization。　In　an　almost　ideal　way；　it　has　made　intercommunication　possible　without　travel。　It　has　enabled　a　man　to　settle　permanently　in　one　place；　and　yet　keep　in　personal　touch　with　his　fellows。

Until　the　last　few　centuries；　much　of　the　world　was　probably　what　Morocco　is　to…daya　region　without　wheeled　vehicles　or　even　roads　of　any　sort。　There　is　a　mythical　story　of　a　wonderful　speaking…trumpet　possessed　by　Alexander　the　Great；　by　which　he　could　call　a　soldier　who　was　ten　miles　distant；　but　there　was　probably　no　substitute　for　the　human　voice　except　flags　and　beacon…fires；　or　any　faster　method　of　travel　than　the　gait　of　a　horse　or　a　camel　across　ungraded　plains。　The　first　sensation　of　rapid　transit　doubtless　came　with　the　sailing　vessel；　but　it　was　the　play…toy　of　the　winds；　and　unreliable。　When　Columbus　dared　to　set　out　on　his　famous　voyage；　he　was　five　weeks　in　crossing　from　Spain　to　the　West　Indies；　his　best　day's　record　two　hundred　miles。　The　swift　steamship　travel　of　to…day　did　not　begin　until　1838；　when　the　Great　Western　raced　over　the　Atlantic　in　fifteen　days。

As　for　organized　systems　of　intercommunication；　they　were　unknown　even　under　the　rule　of　a　Pericles　or　a　Caesar。　There　was　no　post　office　in　Great　Britain　until　1656a　generation　after　America　had　begun　to　be　colonized。　There　was　no　English　mail…coach　until　1784；　and　when　Benjamin　Franklin　was　Postmaster　General　at　Philadelphia；　an　answer　by　mail　from　Boston；　when　all　went　well；　required　not　less　than　three　weeks。　There　was　not　even　a　hard…surface　road　in　the　thirteen　United　States　until　1794；　nor　even　a　postage　stamp　until　1847；　the　year　in　which　Alexander　Graham　Bell　was　born。　In　this　same　year　Henry　Clay　delivered　his　memorable　speech　on　the　Mexican　War；　at　Lexington；　Kentucky；　and　it　was　telegraphed　to　The　New　York　Herald　at　a　cost　of　five　hundred　dollars；　thus　breaking　all　previous　records　for　news…gathering　enterprise。　Eleven　years　later　the　first　cable　established　an　instantaneous　sign…language　between　Americans　and　Europeans；　and　in　1876　there　came　the　perfect　distance…talking　of　the　telephone。

No　invention　has　been　more　timely　than　the　telephone。　It　arrived　at　the　exact　period　when　it　was　needed　for　the　organization　of　great　cities　and　the　unification　of　nations。　The　new　ideas　and　energies　of　science；　commerce；　and　cooperation　were　beginning　to　win　victories　in　all　parts　of　the　earth。　The　first　railroad　had　just　arrived　in　China；　the　first　parliament　in　Japan；　the　first　constitution　in　Spain。　Stanley　was　moving　like　a　tiny　point　of　light　through　the　heart　of　the　Dark　Continent。　The　Universal　Postal　Union　had　been　organized　in　a　little　hall　in　Berne。　The　Red　Cross　movement　was　twelve　years　old。　An　International　Congress　of　Hygiene　was　being　held　at　Brussells；　and　an　International　Congress　of　Medicine　at　Philadelphia。　De　Lesseps　had　finished　the　Suez　Canal　and　was　examining　Panama。　Italy　and　Germany　had　recently　been　built　into　nations；　France　had　finally　swept　aside　the　Empire　and　the　Commune　and　established　the　Republic。　And　what　with　the　new　agencies　of　railroads；　steamships；　cheap　newspapers；　cables；　and　telegraphs；　the　civilized　races　of　mankind　had　begun　to　be　knit　together　into　a　practical　consolidation。

To　the　United　States；　especially；　the　telephone　came　as　a　friend　in　need。　After　a　hundred　years　of　growth；　the　Republic　was　still　a　loose　confederation　of　separate　States；　rather　than　one　great　united　nation。　It　had　recently　fallen　apart　for　four　years；　with　a　wide　gulf　of　blood　between；　and　with　two　flags；　two　Presidents；　and　two　armies。　In　1876　it　was　hesitating　h