﻿PREHISTORIC 
  TELEPHONE 
  DAYS 
  

  

  233 
  

  

  Photograph 
  by 
  Gilbert 
  Grosvenor 
  

  

  FATHER 
  AND 
  SON: 
  ALEXANDER 
  MELVILLE 
  BELL 
  (1819-I905) 
  AND 
  ALEXANDER 
  

  

  GRAHAM 
  BELL 
  IN 
  1905 
  

  

  and 
  these 
  led 
  gradually 
  to 
  the 
  invention 
  

   of 
  the 
  telephone 
  itself. 
  

  

  But 
  I 
  need 
  not 
  enlarge 
  upon 
  this 
  sub- 
  

   ject 
  here, 
  as 
  you 
  are 
  already 
  familiar 
  with 
  

   the 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  telephonic 
  art, 
  

   and 
  I 
  wish 
  to 
  confine 
  my 
  remarks 
  as 
  much 
  

   as 
  possible 
  to 
  boyish 
  incidents, 
  with 
  which 
  

   you 
  may 
  not 
  be 
  familiar. 
  

  

  PRINCE 
  LUCIEN 
  BONAPARTE 
  

  

  Prince 
  Lucien 
  Bonaparte 
  was 
  a 
  dis- 
  

   tinguished 
  scientific 
  man, 
  residing, 
  I 
  be- 
  

   lieve, 
  in 
  London, 
  who 
  made 
  personal 
  tours 
  

   of 
  Scotland, 
  mapping 
  out 
  the 
  geographical 
  

   boundaries 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  Scottish 
  dia- 
  

   lects. 
  As 
  my 
  father 
  was 
  a 
  recognized 
  

   authority 
  upon 
  dialects, 
  the 
  Prince 
  in- 
  

   vited 
  him 
  to 
  dinner 
  to 
  talk 
  over 
  the 
  sub- 
  

   ject, 
  and 
  I 
  also 
  was 
  included 
  in 
  the 
  invi- 
  

   tation. 
  I 
  was 
  only 
  a 
  boy 
  at 
  the 
  time, 
  but 
  

   old 
  enough 
  to 
  be 
  duly 
  impressed 
  with 
  the 
  

   distinguished 
  honor 
  of 
  dining 
  with 
  a 
  real 
  

   live 
  prince., 
  

  

  I 
  did 
  not 
  understand 
  very 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  

   subjects 
  of 
  conversation, 
  and 
  was 
  more 
  

   impressed, 
  I 
  think, 
  by 
  the 
  dignity 
  and 
  

   elegance 
  of 
  the 
  three 
  waiters, 
  who 
  stood 
  

   at 
  attention 
  behind 
  our 
  three 
  chairs. 
  One 
  

  

  put 
  a 
  plate 
  with 
  something 
  on 
  it 
  right 
  in 
  

   front 
  of 
  me, 
  and 
  I 
  was 
  especially 
  inter- 
  

   ested 
  in 
  the 
  mysterious 
  appearance 
  of 
  a 
  

   hand 
  the 
  moment 
  I 
  let 
  my 
  knife 
  or 
  fork 
  

   rest 
  on 
  my 
  plate, 
  followed 
  by 
  the 
  sudden 
  

   disappearance 
  of 
  the 
  plate 
  and 
  the 
  arrival 
  

   of 
  another. 
  

  

  I 
  am 
  afraid 
  I 
  was 
  much 
  more 
  interested 
  

   in 
  this 
  strange 
  phenomenon 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  

   discussions 
  that 
  were 
  going 
  on 
  between 
  

   my 
  father 
  and 
  the 
  Prince. 
  I 
  amused 
  

   myself, 
  however, 
  by 
  counting 
  the 
  number 
  

   of 
  courses 
  until 
  finally 
  I 
  lost 
  count. 
  My 
  

   boyhood 
  recollection 
  was 
  that 
  there 
  were 
  

   over 
  twenty 
  courses, 
  but 
  I 
  am 
  a 
  little 
  

   more 
  doubtful 
  about 
  that 
  now. 
  

  

  SIR 
  CHARLES 
  WHEATSTONE 
  

  

  I 
  was 
  also 
  quite 
  young 
  when 
  I 
  had 
  

   the 
  opportunity 
  of 
  meeting 
  Sir 
  Charles 
  

   Wheatstone. 
  The 
  interview 
  at 
  which 
  I 
  

   was 
  present 
  had 
  nothing 
  to 
  do 
  with 
  elec- 
  

   tricity 
  or 
  the 
  electric 
  telegraph, 
  but 
  re- 
  

   lated 
  to 
  a 
  very 
  different 
  subject 
  alto- 
  

   gether. 
  

  

  You 
  have 
  probably 
  all 
  heard 
  of 
  the 
  

   celebrated 
  automaton 
  chess-player 
  of 
  the 
  

   Baron 
  von 
  Kempelen, 
  which 
  appeared 
  in 
  

  

  