 repositories in New York City that reveal in fascinating detail the application of the telephone principle to the service of mankind. In one on lower Broadway are preserved the records that tell the entire story of the effort to introduce and carry on the service of intercommunication by the spoken word. Here are the reports and correspondence of the pioneers whose work and faith were the foundations of today's great industry. Here are the records that disclose the early vision of a unified system and of universal service and that mark the progress toward that ideal. Here among the memories of an industry's birth are the early directories with about a few dozen names to illustrate the slow but growing acceptance of the telephone's aid to living. And here are two treasured relics of appealing significance to the men and women of the bell system who come like pilgrims to this eloquent room. One is the grant issued on March the 7th, 1876, proclaiming Alexander Graham Bell to be the inventor of the medium of communication we call the telephone, though it was then officially designated as an improvement in telegraphy. The other is the notebook of Bell's assistant Thomas Watson with his casually pencil record of the first complete sentence that human ear ever heard over a wire. Bell's sudden call on March the 10th, 1876. Mr. Watson, come here, I want you. The amazing circumstance it is that the first of all telephone calls should have been, I want you, as though to signify the reason for all the calls to follow. In the other repository on West Street are exhibits of corresponding significance. It is a museum that reveals the development of the telephone art as expressed in apparatus. To begin this physical record of scientific accomplishment are the harmonic telegraph instruments of Bell's early experiments and the other instruments that followed before the telephone itself emerged from its first laboratory. You may see here a coil of the actual wire over which passed those historic words, I want you. There is the great company of telephones which progressively represent the improving standards of service. There are switchboards at which set the friendly operators of another day. Here an appropriately labeled or historic transmitters through which speech first rolled the radio waves across the seas and others with which presidents have talked for the heads of many nations in dedicating new telephonic links to distant lands. Here are sections of cable to mark the development that brought about today's technical and manufacturing cramps with their amazing capacity for circuits. From a few dozen wires to thousands is the progress that this dated sequence tells. Here too is another historical sequence of exhibits to illustrate a story of intense interest to every student of telephone accomplishment. The story of the search for amplifying devices that would help to send intelligible speech over longer and longer spans of wire. And here are portraits of men, scientists and engineers of yesterday and of today whose names are written large on the honor roll of communications development. Visitors from all parts of the world have viewed these reminders of the treasure hunt for knowledge from which might come at the builder's hands, the agency of service that now is in your charge. Mutely they tell of the effort to meet a challenge, the challenge of social need. Such a story can only be outlined here with now and then a scene to suggest the problems faced. As a preface, let us mark an announcement of 1877, the first published offering of instruments for wire conversation but only for distances up to 20 miles. And now, let us reconstruct from the record an incident of 1880 remembering that the date is only two years after the first commercial switchboard began the service of intercommunication. The scene is a building on Washington Street in Boston. This is the telephone office, isn't it? Sure. All the telephone talk goes right through this room. Well then perhaps you can help me. You see, I have no telephone. It's mostly the business people who have. That's why I'm here. And I want to talk with my son about his father. All right. I guess we can fix it for you. The telephone's right here. Where is he? He's in Chicago. Chicago? He's a contractor now and he's doing very well. I'm quite sure he has a telephone. I just must talk with him. You want to talk to him on a wire? Thank you, sir. Did you hear that, John? Here's the lady who wants to talk to Chicago. Oh, I'm sorry, madam. There are no wires to Chicago. We have a wire to sail on that's 15 miles and one to lower that's 25 miles. But you can't hear over them very well. They're always noisy. We have to telegraph messages over the most of the time. The longest wire is to Worcester. That's 40 miles. But it's no good for talking. But I don't understand. I saw all the wires on the roof and I thought they went many places. And I did so wrong to talk with my son. I wish you could. You can. Someday, I'm sure you can someday. But this is a new business. Nobody knows much about it yet. Dear, I thought if I came here, there are no wires. What will I do? Haven't you better telegraph? That's more than quick. Oh, yes. I know it's quick. But it's not the same thing. Oh, I did so wrong to hear my son's voice. And I wanted to tell him something myself. And I wanted to hear his answer myself. Thank you, young gentleman. We're sorry we can't help you. I hope it's not bad news. Oh, no. Well, someday there'll be a wire, a quiet wire. And then you can talk with each other. Yes. I hope so. I'm very sorry we can't help you now. Goodbye. Goodbye. What was the use of all that stuff about a wire to Chicago? You must have lost some of your buttons, John Cardi. That's what I think. It's going to come someday, Harry. Something tells me it's coming. It has to come. Why does it have to come? We're busy enough now. For the Boston Folk Warning Express companies and banks and wholesale houses? Who wants to talk to Chicago? That lady does. She expected to. You know, Boston banks would talk to Chicago banks if they could. And Chicago people would talk to Boston people. They'll be a wire someday because it's needed. And to other cities just as far away. Something tells me. Something tells you. It's one of the little folk who's been whispering to you. It's coming, Harry. It's got to come. We're going to talk to Chicago and farther yet. It's all of Mr. Bell's discovery. That's complete. It's a principle. Someone will find out how to use it better. Something tells me. Something tells me.