Page 14 - MyFaithMag MAR 2018

14 INSPIRATION

Waldo Malan

A RINGING SUCCESS

ne of the greatest 19th Century 1999), Alexander Bell considered his most
inventions that still finds prime famous invention an intrusion on his real work
Oplace in modern communications as a scientist and refused to have a telephone
technology is the telephone. While telephonic in his study! (Could modern day cell phone
communications have evolved in parts of fanatics learn a lesson from this?)
the world from copper wire to satellite and
fibre-optic variations, the principle of sound In 1872 Bell became professor of Vocal
transmission remains as one of the foremost Physiology and Elocution at the Boston
tools in global communications. University School of Oratory, where he
was excited to also be in a city full of many
The inventor of the telephone is the famous scientists and inventors. He continued his
Alexander Graham Bell, born on 3 March 1847 research in sound, particularly to find a way to
in Edinburgh, Scotland. Both his grandfather transmit musical notes and articulate speech.
and father were authorities in elocution Although he was committed to his research
and speech correction, and Alexander was he found it difficult to devote enough time to
groomed to pursue the same career from a experimentation since his days and evenings
young age. His knowledge of the nature of were occupied by teaching and giving private
sound saw him becoming a teacher to the classes. The only solution for Bell was to stay
deaf (the fact that both his mother and wife awake late into the night, running experiment
were deaf certainly played a role in choice of after experiment; he was concerned that his
career), and also assisted him in the invention work would be discovered and took great
of the telephone. According to Elizabeth pains to lock up his notebooks and laboratory
MacLeod, author of Alexander Graham Bell: equipment.
An Inventive Life (Toronto: Kids Can Press,

"THE LIFE OF ALEXANDER BELL IS A

TESTIMONY TO THE POWER OF THE
HUMAN MIND AND THE POTENTIAL

THAT IS LOCKED UP ON THE INSIDE

OF EACH HUMAN BEING."