The Telephone Fifty Years Ago

The first telephone that was ever used was not electrical, nor was it a scientific instrument in any sense of the term. A little more than 50 years ago the employees of a large inanufactory beguiled their leisure hours by kiteflying. Kites large and small went tip daily, and the strife was to see who could get the largest. The twine which held them was the thread spun and twisted by the ladies of the village. One day to the tail of the largest kite was attached a kitten sewed in a canvas bag. with a netting over the mouth to give it-air. When the kite was at its greatest height- 200 feet or more -the me-wing could be distinctly heard by those holding the string. To the clearness of the atmosphere was attributed the hearing of the kitten's voice. This is the first account we remember of ing along a line.