t, for a
musical tone is a regular succession of vibrations. But the vibrations
of speech are irregular and complicated, and in order to transmit
them the current has to be varied in strength without being altogether
broken. The waves excited in the air by the voice should merely produce
corresponding waves in the current. In short, the current ought to
UNDULATE in sympathy with the oscillations of the air. It appears
from the report of Herr Von Legat, inspector of the Royal Prussian
Telegraphs, on the Reis telephone, published in 1862, that the inventor
was quite aware of this principle, but his instrument was not well
adapted to apply it. No doubt the platinum contacts he employed in the
transmitter behaved to some extent as a crude metal microphone, and
hence a few words, especially familiar or expected ones, could be
transmitted and distinguished at the other end of the line. But Reis
does not seem to have realised the importance of not entirely breaking
the circuit of the current; at all events, his metal spring is not in
practice an effective provision against this, for it allows the metal
contacts to jolt too far apart, and thus interrupt the current. Had he
lived to modify the spring and the form or material of his contacts so
as to keep the current continuous--as he might have done, for example,
by using carbon for platinum--he would have forestalled alike Bell,
Edison, and Hughes in the production of a good speaking telephone. Reis
in fact was trembling on the verge of a great discovery, which was,
however, reserved for others.

His experiments were made in a little workshop behind his home at
Friedrichsdorff; and wires were run from it to an upper chamber. Another
line was erected between the physical cabinet at Garnier's Institute
across the playground to one of the class-rooms, and there was a
tradition in the school that the boys were afraid of creating an uproar
in the room for fear Herr Reis should hear them with his 'telephon.'

The new invention was published to the world in a lecture before the
Physical Society of Frankfort on October 26, 1861, and a description,
written by himself for the JAHRESBERICHT, a month or two later. It
excited a good deal of scientific notice in Germany; models of it were
sent abroad, to London, Dublin, Tiflis, and other places. It became a
subject for popular lectures, and an article for scientific cabinets.
Reis obtained a brief renown, but the reaction soon set in. The P