CHAPTER XIX 

 THE TELEPHONE AND TELEGRAPH 



260. History of Telephony. Less than forty years ago 

 there were no telephones. Today there are more than 

 10,000,000 in use and they are found in every civilized coun- 

 try on the globe. The United States has more than 7,000,000 

 telephones. In New England alone there are over 1,000,000 

 miles of telephone wire, hundreds of central offices, and over 

 half a million telephones. 



The telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell 

 in Boston in 1876. At first it was looked upon as a toy and 

 considered as of little value. So strong was this general 

 opinion that it was hard to get money to develop it. Today 

 the money invested in telephony runs into billions and the 

 telephone has proved one of the greatest inventions of all 

 time. It has made possible instant talk over a wire between 

 millions of people. One can talk from Boston to Chicago, 

 and even hundreds of miles farther, almost as easily as across 

 the street. 



No business ever grew so rapidly. Although it was pos- 

 sible to talk over a crude telephone wire in 1876, it was not 

 until years later that the invention was really established on 

 a sound footing. 



261. Telephone Principles. Many people use the tele- 

 phone daily without having the slightest conception of the 

 principles upon which it operates. The fundamental principle 



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