Apkil 28, 1916] 



SCIENCE 



603 



as showing what has been done on this side of 

 the Atlantic, and it is earnestly desired by the 

 council of the Royal Photographic Society that 

 the United States should continue to be fully 

 represented in this exhibition. 



C. E. K Mees 

 Kodak Park, 

 eochestee, n. y. 



the carnegie foundation 

 The president of the Carnegie Foundation 

 for the Advancement of Teaching has printed 

 and distributed a long discussion of the poli- 

 cies of the foundation. Although this has 

 been sent to thousands of teachers it is curi- 

 ously, but characteristically, marked " Confi- 

 dential." As it can not be discussed directly, 

 the writer has reprinted the articles on the sub- 

 ject which appeared in Science . several years 

 ago and will be glad to send a copy to any 

 reader of this note who may care to ask for it. 

 It is desirable at least to watch the Greeks, 

 both when they bear gifts and when they take 

 them away. 



J. McKeen Cattell 

 Gakeison-on-Htjdson, N. Y., 

 A,pril 15, 1916 



SCIENTIFIC BOOKS 



The Telephone and Telephone Exchange, Their 

 Invention and Development. By J. E. 

 Kingsbury, M.I.E.E. Longmans Green & 

 Co. 1915. Cloth. 558 pages, lYO illustra- 

 tions. Price $4.00 net. 

 Considering that the telephone, in its serv- 

 iceable form, is an American invention; that 

 the telephone switchboard and exchange were 

 first developed in America, and that the num- 

 ber of telephones per unit of population is 

 much greater in America than in any other 

 part of the world, it is remarkable that this is 

 the first book that pretends to give a compre- 

 hensive outline of the history of telephonic 

 development, and that this first book should 

 have been written in England. This is an 

 index of the general condition of inventors, 

 engineers and engineering, all the world over. 

 As a body, engineers are rarely gifted with 

 talents for literature, or for historical re- 



search; yet collectively, they have transformed 

 the surface of this planet, and have revolu- 

 tionized its modes of living. However, if one 

 should ask of a local resident near some monu- 

 mental structure, grand bridge, or imposing 

 viaduct, as to who erected it, the answer would 

 be likely to be limited to the name of a capi- 

 talist. 



This book traces very entertainingly the 

 development of the Bell telephone, from its 

 early conception in the mind of the inventor, 

 to the standard instrument on so many a table 

 of to-day. The author modestly disavows the 

 title " history " for his book. Nevertheless, a 

 very large amount of historical research must 

 have been carried on by him, in order to make 

 up the interesting narrative contained in these 



The following list of chapter headings will 

 convey an idea of the scope of the historical 

 work: Introductory, The spoken word. The 

 growth of an idea. The undulatory current. 

 The solution of the problem. Development and 

 demonstration. The production of a commer- 

 cial instrument. The application to commer- 

 cial uses. The telephone exchange, The battery 

 or variable-resistance transmitter, The micro- 

 phone, Philipp Eeis and his work. Call bells. 

 The telephone switchboard. The organization 

 of the industry in the United States, Competi- 

 tion, Consolidation and development. Intro- 

 duction of the telephone in Europe and 

 abroad. Public apathy and appreciation, The 

 multiple switchboard, Outside or line con- 

 struction. Ten years' progress. The Develop- 

 ment of dry-core cable. Early exchange sys- 

 tems. Telephone engineering on a scientific 

 basis. The branching system. The common- 

 battery system. Automatic and semi-automatic 

 switchboards. Long-distance service. Instru- 

 ments, Eates, The economics of the telephone. 

 The telephone and governments. Conclusion. 



The task of considering the invention and 

 development of each individual element in a 

 modern telephone system is a very difficult one. 

 There are so many claimants, and their 

 claims are so antagonistic. The author has 

 carried out this task in his own way, and with 

 a fairmindedness that merits approbation. It 



