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The Genius of the

Reticent Inventor

by Maxine Carter-Lome, publisher

“The Boston Advertiser prints an interesting account of an the fair and showing off his invention. Besides, it was a busy time at the
experiment in carrying out a conversation by word of mouth over university in Boston where he was teaching and he had student tests to
a telegraph wire, made by Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas grade. Perhaps he was nervous or afraid that if his invention did not
Watson. … In a distance of two miles, with Mr. Bell in Boston work properly, he would be embarrassed.
and Mr. Watson in Cambridge, conversation was carried on for Bell’s fiancée Mabel Hubbard and her father, Gardiner Hubbard,
about half an hour, generally in an ordinary tone of voice, but tried to persuade him otherwise. It was, they pointed out, a chance of a
often in whispers. The credit for this important discovery is due lifetime to showcase his invention in front of newspaper reporters and
to Mr. Bell.” scientists from all over the world. Judges would present awards to the
– Arizona Citizen, November 18, 1876 best and most promising inventions. Bell held his ground. Mabel took
matters into her own hands.
he 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition, celebrating the On June 24, Mabel surprised Bell with an afternoon carriage ride to
100th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, was the get him away from the university for a few hours. For Bell, it was a
Tfirst World Fair held in America. The 10 million-plus people chance to briefly leave the pressures of work behind. What he did not
who attended the May 10th to November 10th manufacturing trade know was that Mabel had arranged for the carriage driver to take them
show witnessed a wide range of newfangled products that included to the train station. She had secretly bought Bell a round-trip ticket to
everything from bananas to telephones. Among the visitors and Philadelphia, and she and her mother had packed him a bag the night
exhibitors that year were George Eastman (Kodak), George before that was in the carriage with them.
Westinghouse, a young Thomas Edison with his electric pen and Recognizing he had been tricked, Bell refused to board the train
automatic telegraph until Mabel threatened to call off their engagement. Reluctantly he got
system, and a very on the train, believing the trip was a waste of his time.
reluctant Alexander Bell gave the first public demonstration of his instrument on a
Graham Bell, whose sweltering afternoon in June in front of an audience that included
contraption, above Emperor Pedro of Brazil and Lord Kelvin standing 20 feet away from
all others, ended Bell when he picked up the transmitter and spoke into his machine.
up as the talk of When Pedro put the receiver to his ear, he uttered his now-famous
the fair. words, “My God, it talks!” Lord Kelvin took the receiver and reportedly
Bell had no said, “It is the most wonderful thing I have seen in America!”
interest in going to From that day on everything changed for Bell. The public was
enthralled by the technology’s possibilities. By 1900 there were nearly
Mabel Hubbard Bell 600,000 phones in Bell’s telephone system; that number shot up to 2.2
(1857-1923). She million phones by 1905, and 5.8 million by 1910.
suffered a near-fatal
bout of scarlet fever close
to her fifth birthday in Studying Speech and Sound
1862 while visiting her Alexander Bell was born in 1847 in Edinburgh, Scotland, and was
maternal grandparents home schooled until age 11 by his mother, Eliza, who was hearing
in New York City, and impaired. She could only hear by using a rubber ear tube. People who
was thereafter left wanted to speak to her spoke directly into the ear tube.
permanently and Bell’s father, Alexander M. Bell, was a professor of speech elocution
completely deaf. She
and her father were at the University of Edinburgh, and well-known as a teacher for
significant supporters of children with hearing and speech problems. Aleck, as he was called
Bell and his inventions. then, grew up watching his father research the mechanics of speech,
The Bell family poses exploring how people spoke and what parts of the mouth made certain
for a photo in 1885. sounds. Perhaps his father’s work and his mother’s own challenges are
photo: National Geographic what led a teenage Alexander to apply his curiosity and love of science

18 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles