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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



voice was thrown across the continent 

 and across the seas. And tonight the 

 strains of the "Star Spangled Banner," 

 borne on ethereal wings, are on their way 

 to countless havens throughout the uni- 

 verse. 



FORECASTING THE FUTURE FORTY YEARS 

 AGO 



I hold in my hand a wonderful docu- 

 ment. It is not a speech, only a prospec- 

 tus. I should like to read it all, but there 

 is time for only a small part of it. It is 

 dated away back 38 years ago. A young 

 man, then at Kensington, England, was 

 asked to say something about the future — 

 the future — of the telephone, and he pre- 

 pared a most remarkable paper. I wish 

 I had time to quote it at length, word for 

 word, but, realizing that the hour is late, 

 I shall give you only a small part of it, 

 and even that not in his exact words. 

 He says : "It is conceivable that cables 

 of telephone wires could be laid under- 

 ground or suspended overhead, connect- 

 ing up by branch wires private dwellings, 

 country houses, shops, manufacturing 

 establishments, etc., and also connecting 

 cities and towns and various places 

 throughout the country." He says fur- 

 ther : "I am aware that such ideas may 

 appear to you Utopian and out of place, 

 but, believing as I do that such a scheme 

 will be the ultimate result of the intro- 

 duction of the telephone to the public. I 

 impress upon you the advisability of 

 keeping this end in view that all present 

 arrangements may be ultimately realized 

 in this grand system." Then he goes on 

 with further details, and finally says : 

 "Although there is a great field for the 

 telephone in the immediate present, I be- 

 lieve there is still greater in the future. 

 By bearing in mind the great object to 

 be ultimately achieved, I believe that the 

 telephone company cannot only build up 

 a remunerative business, but also benefit 

 the public in a way that has never previ- 

 ously been attempted.'' 



A document like this, if written in ear- 

 lier years, dealing with subsequent events 

 of general human interest, would have 

 entitled its writer, when its predictions 

 had become realities, to a place among 

 the prophets. 



This remarkable paper closes in this 

 way: 



"I am, gentlemen, your obedient 

 servant, 

 "Aeexander Graham Beee." 



As the telephone art is an American 

 art, so the telephone habit is an Amer- 

 ican habit. A few days ago I asked one 

 of our young men to give me a few sta- 

 tistics. I thought that an occasion like 

 this would not be complete without some 

 statistics ; but I asked the young man for 

 statistics without figures, and this is what 

 he has given me : 



STATISTICS WITHOUT FIGURES 



The two States of New York and 

 Pennsylvania have as many telephones 

 as the whole of Great Britain, France, 

 Belgium, Italy, Serbia, and Russia com- 

 bined, while Ohio and Illinois have as 

 many as Germany, Austria-Hungary, 

 Bulgaria, and Turkey combined. 



This cautious young man puts in this 

 note: "This alignment of States is for 

 comparative purposes only, and is not in- 

 tended to have any other significance.'' 



The city of Chicago, with substantially 

 the same population as Paris, has four 

 times as many telephones as the French 

 capital. 



Boston and its suburbs, with about 

 one-third of the population of Berlin and 

 Vienna combined, have as many as both 

 of these European capitals. 



Sari Francisco, with substantially the 

 same population, has eight times as many 

 telephones as Edinburgh, while Wash- 

 ington, with only two-thirds of the popu- 

 lation of Edinburgh, has more than three 

 times as many telephones as the Scottish 

 capital. 



Here the young man inserts this note : 

 "Apologies to Dr. Bell. Edinburgh still 

 maintains its claim to the honor of being 

 his birthplace. Let Edinburgh beware!" 



New York City and its immediate 

 suburbs have as many telephones as Lon- 

 don, Brussels, Paris, Petrograd, Rome. 

 Belgrade, Tokio, Berlin, Vienna, Buda- 

 pest, Sofia, and Constantinople all com- 

 bined. 



Note. — "Here there is no indication 

 of anything but the strictest neutrality. 

 The comparison is between New York 



