t a million farmers have been brought as close to the great cities as they are to their own barns。
What telephones have done to bring in the present era of big crops； is an interesting story in itself。 To compress it into a sentence； we might say that the telephone has completed the labor…saving movement which started with the McCormick reaper in 1831。 It has lifted the farmer above the wastefulness of being his own errand…boy。 The average length of haul from barn to market in the United States is nine and a half miles； so that every trip saved means an extra day's work for a man and team。 Instead of travelling back and forth； often to no purpose； the farmer may now stay at home and attend to his stock and his crops。
As yet； few farmers have learned to appreciate the value of quality in telephone service； as they have in other lines。 The same man who will pay six prices for the best seed…corn； and who will allow nothing but high…grade cattle in his barn； will at the same time be content with the shabbiest and flimsiest telephone service； without offering any other excuse than that it is cheap。 But this is a transient phase of farm telephony。 The cost of an efficient farm system is now so little not more than two dollars a month； that the present trashy lines are certain sooner or later to go to the junk…heap with the sickle and the flail and all the other cheap and unprofitable things。
CHAPTER VII
THE TELEPHONE AND NATIONAL EFFICIENCY
The larger significance of the telephone is that it completes the work of eliminating the hermit and gypsy elements of civilization。 In an almost ideal way； it has made intercommunication possible without travel。 It has enabled a man to settle permanently in one place； and yet keep in personal touch with his fellows。
Until the last few centuries； much of the world was probably what Morocco is to…daya region without wheeled vehicles or even roads of any sort。 There is a mythical story of a wonderful speaking…trumpet possessed by Alexander the Great； by which he could call a soldier who was ten miles distant； but there was probably no substitute for the human voice except flags and beacon…fires； or any faster method of travel than the gait of a horse or a camel across ungraded plains。 The first sensation of rapid transit doubtless came with the sailing vessel； but it was the play…toy of the winds； and unreliable。 When Columbus dared to set out on his famous voyage； he was five weeks in crossing from Spain to the West Indies； his best day's record two hundred miles。 The swift steamship travel of to…day did not begin until 1838； when the Great Western raced over the Atlantic in fifteen days。
As for organized systems of intercommunication； they were unknown even under the rule of a Pericles or a Caesar。 There was no post office in Great Britain until 1656a generation after America had begun to be colonized。 There was no English mail…coach until 1784； and when Benjamin Franklin was Postmaster General at Philadelphia； an answer by mail from Boston； when all went well； required not less than three weeks。 There was not even a hard…surface road in the thirteen United States until 1794； nor even a postage stamp until 1847； the year in which Alexander Graham Bell was born。 In this same year Henry Clay delivered his memorable speech on the Mexican War； at Lexington； Kentucky； and it was telegraphed to The New York Herald at a cost of five hundred dollars； thus breaking all previous records for news…gathering enterprise。 Eleven years later the first cable established an instantaneous sign…language between Americans and Europeans； and in 1876 there came the perfect distance…talking of the telephone。
No invention has been more timely than the telephone。 It arrived at the exact period when it was needed for the organization of great cities and the unification of nations。 The new ideas and energies of science； commerce； and cooperation were beginning to win victories in all parts of the earth。 The first railroad had just arrived in China； the first parliament in Japan； the first constitution in Spain。 Stanley was moving like a tiny point of light through the heart of the Dark Continent。 The Universal Postal Union had been organized in a little hall in Berne。 The Red Cross movement was twelve years old。 An International Congress of Hygiene was being held at Brussells； and an International Congress of Medicine at Philadelphia。 De Lesseps had finished the Suez Canal and was examining Panama。 Italy and Germany had recently been built into nations； France had finally swept aside the Empire and the Commune and established the Republic。 And what with the new agencies of railroads； steamships； cheap newspapers； cables； and telegraphs； the civilized races of mankind had begun to be knit together into a practical consolidation。
To the United States； especially； the telephone came as a friend in need。 After a hundred years of growth； the Republic was still a loose confederation of separate States； rather than one great united nation。 It had recently fallen apart for four years； with a wide gulf of blood between； and with two flags； two Presidents； and two armies。 In 1876 it was hesitating halfway between doubt and confidence； between the old political issues of North and South； and the new industrial issues of foreign trade and the development of material resources。 The West was being thrown open。 The Indians and buffaloes were being driven back。 There was a line of railway from ocean to ocean。 The population was gaining at the rate of a million a year。 Col… orado had just been baptized as a new State。 And it was still an unsolved problem whether or not the United States could be kept united； whether or not it could be built into an organic nation without losing the spirit of self…help and democracy。
It is not easy for us to realize to…day how young and primitive was the United States of 1876。 Yet the fact is that we have twice the population that we had when the telephone was invented。 We have twice the wheat crop and twice as much money in circulation。 We have three times the railways； banks； libraries； newspapers； exports； farm values； and national wealth。 We have ten million farmers who make four times as much money as seven million farmers made in 1876。 We spend four times as much on our public schools； and we put four times as much in the savings bank。 We have five times as many students in the colleges。 And we have so revolutionized our methods of production that we now produce seven times as much coal； fourteen times as much oil and pig… iron； twenty…two times as much copper； and forty…three times as much steel。
There were no skyscrapers in 1876； no trolleys； no electric lights； no gasoline engines； no self…binders； no bicycles； no automobiles。 There was no Oklahoma； and the combined population of Montana； Wyoming； Idaho； and Arizona was about equal to that of Des Moines。 It was in this year that General Custer was killed by the Sioux； that the flimsy iron railway bridge fell at Ashtabula； that the 〃Molly Maguires〃 terrorized Pennsylvania； that the first wire of the Brooklyn Bridge was strung； and that Boss Tweed and Hell Gate were both put out of the way in New York。
The Great Elm； under which the Revolutionary patriots had met； was still standing on Boston Common。 Daniel Drew； the New York financier； who was born before the American Constitution was adopted； was still alive； so were Commodore Vanderbilt； Joseph Henry； A。 T。 Stewart； Thurlow Weed； Peter Cooper； Cyrus McCormick； Lucretia Mott； Bryant； Longfellow； and Emerson。 Most old people could remember the running of the first railway train； people of middle age could remember the sending of the first telegraph message； and the children in the high schools remembered the laying of the first Atlantic Cable。
The grandfathers of 1876 were fond of telling how Webster opposed taking Texas and Oregon into the Union； how George Washington advised against including the Mississippi River； and how Monroe warned Congress that a country that reached from the Atlantic to the Middle West was 〃too extensive to be governed but by a despotic monarchy。〃 They told how Abraham Lincoln； when he was postmaster of New Salem； used to carry the letters in his coon… skin cap and deliver them at sight； how in 1822 the mails were carried on horseback and not in stages； so as to have the quickest possible service； and how the news of Madison's election was three weeks in reaching the people of Kentucky。 When the telegraph was mentioned； they told how in Revolutionary days the patriots used a system of signalling called 〃Washington's Tele… graph；〃 consisting of a pole； a flag； a basket； and a barrel。
So； the young Republic was still within hearing distance of its childhood； in 1876。 Both in sentiment and in methods of work it was living close to the log…cabin period。 Many of the old slow ways survived； the ways that were fast enough in the days of the stage…coach and the tinder…box。 There were seventy…seven thousand miles of railway； but poorly built and in short lengths。 There were manufacturing industries that employed two million； four hundred thousand people； but every trade was broken up into a chaos of small competitive units； each at war with all the others。 There were energy and enterprise in the highest degree； but not efficiency or organization。 Little as we knew it； in 1876 we were mainly gathering together the plans and the raw materials for the building up of the modern business world； with its quick； tense life and its national structure of immense coordinated industries。
In 1876 the age of specialization and community of interest was in its dawn。 The cobbler had given place to the elaborate factory； in which seventy men cooperated to make one shoe。 The merchant who had hitherto lived over his store now ventured to have a home in the suburbs。 No man was any longer a self…sufficient Robinson Crusoe。 He was a fraction； a single part of a social mechanism； who must necessarily keep in the closest touch with many others。
A new interdependent form of civilization was about to be developed； and the telephone arrived in the nick of time to make this new civilization workable and convenient。 It was the unfolding of a new organ。 Just as the eye had bec