﻿232 
  

  

  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  GEOGRAPHIC 
  MAGAZINE 
  

  

  Jk 
  jr 
  

  

  Photograph 
  from 
  Underwood 
  & 
  Underwood 
  

  

  DR. 
  BELL 
  RECEIVING 
  THE 
  FREEDOM 
  OE 
  HIS 
  NATIVE 
  CITY 
  UPON 
  THE 
  OCCASION 
  OE 
  HIS 
  

   RETURN 
  ON 
  A 
  VISIT 
  ElETY 
  YEARS 
  AFTER 
  MAKING 
  HIS 
  HOME 
  IN 
  AMERICA 
  

  

  The 
  inventor 
  is 
  holding 
  in 
  his 
  hands 
  the 
  silver 
  cylinder 
  containing 
  the 
  certificate 
  presented 
  

   to 
  him 
  by 
  Lord 
  Provost 
  Chesser 
  (at 
  the 
  right) 
  symbolizing 
  Edinburgh's 
  open 
  door 
  to 
  her 
  

   distinguished 
  son. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  age 
  of 
  18 
  years 
  I 
  communi- 
  

   cated 
  to 
  Mr. 
  Ellis 
  my 
  discovery 
  that 
  in 
  

   uttering 
  the 
  vowel 
  elements 
  of 
  speech 
  

   faint 
  musical 
  tones 
  could 
  be 
  heard 
  ac- 
  

   companying 
  the 
  sound 
  of 
  the 
  voice. 
  

  

  These 
  feeble 
  tones 
  seemed 
  to 
  be 
  char- 
  

   acteristic 
  of 
  the 
  different 
  vowels, 
  and 
  

   had 
  the 
  same 
  pitches 
  as 
  the 
  resonance 
  

   tones 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  cavities 
  formed 
  in 
  

   the 
  mouth 
  when 
  the 
  vowel 
  positions 
  were 
  

   silently 
  assumed 
  and 
  the" 
  resonance 
  tones 
  

   brought 
  out 
  by 
  tapping 
  against 
  a 
  pencil 
  

   held 
  against 
  the 
  cheek 
  or 
  throat. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Ellis 
  expressed 
  great 
  interest, 
  but 
  

   informed 
  me 
  that 
  I 
  had 
  been 
  anticipated 
  

   by 
  Helmholtz, 
  who 
  had 
  not 
  only 
  analyzed 
  

   vowel 
  sounds 
  into 
  their 
  constituent 
  mu- 
  

   sical 
  elements, 
  but 
  had 
  actually 
  produced 
  

   vowel 
  sounds 
  by 
  a 
  synthetical 
  process, 
  by 
  

   combining 
  musical 
  tones 
  of 
  the 
  required 
  

   pitches 
  and 
  relative 
  intensities. 
  He 
  had 
  

   produced 
  these 
  musical 
  tones 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  

   tuning-forks 
  which 
  were 
  kept 
  in 
  vibra- 
  

  

  tion 
  by 
  an 
  electrical 
  current, 
  and 
  had 
  con- 
  

   trolled 
  the 
  relative 
  intensities 
  by 
  resona- 
  

   tors 
  applied 
  to 
  the 
  forks. 
  

  

  At 
  this 
  time 
  I 
  knew 
  nothing 
  whatever 
  

   about 
  electricity, 
  and 
  found 
  myself 
  quite 
  

   unable 
  to 
  understand, 
  from 
  Mr. 
  Ellis' 
  ex- 
  

   planation, 
  how 
  tuning-forks 
  could 
  be 
  

   made 
  to 
  vibrate 
  by 
  an 
  electrical 
  current. 
  

  

  Helmholtz' 
  work 
  had 
  not 
  then 
  been 
  

   translated 
  into 
  French 
  or 
  English 
  and 
  I 
  

   was 
  unable 
  to 
  read 
  it 
  in 
  the 
  original 
  Ger- 
  

   man. 
  I 
  therefore 
  took 
  up 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  

   electricity, 
  and 
  began 
  to 
  experiment 
  with 
  

   electrical 
  apparatus 
  in 
  the 
  hope 
  that 
  I 
  

   might 
  ultimately 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  construct 
  

   Helmholtz' 
  vowel 
  apparatus 
  and 
  repeat 
  

   his 
  experiments. 
  

  

  When 
  at 
  last, 
  after 
  my 
  arrival 
  in 
  

   America, 
  I 
  succeeded 
  in 
  vibrating 
  tuning- 
  

   forks, 
  and 
  tuned 
  plates 
  and 
  reeds 
  by 
  elec- 
  

   trical 
  means, 
  I 
  made 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  electri- 
  

   cal 
  inventions 
  based 
  upon 
  the 
  utilization 
  

   of 
  musical 
  notes 
  as 
  telegraphic 
  signals; 
  

  

  