and Watson shouted so loud in his efforts to make his voice carry that the roomers complained.  So he took blankets and erected a sort of tent over the instruments to muffle the sound.  When the signal came from Bell that he was ready for the test, Watson crawled into the tent and began his shoutings.  The day was a hot one, and by the time that the test had been completed Watson was completely wilted.  But the complaints of the roomers had been avoided.  For one of the New York demonstrations the services of a negro singer with a rich barytone voice had been secured.  Watson had no little difficulty in rehearsing him for the part, as he objected to placing his lips close to the transmitter.  When the time for the test arrived he persisted in backing away from the mouthpiece when he sang, and, though Watson endeavored to hold the transmitter closer to him, his efforts were of no avail.  Finally Bell told Watson that as the negro could not be heard he would have to sing himself.  The girl operator in the laboratory had assembled a number of her girl friends to watch the test, and Watson, who did not consider himself a vocalist, did not fancy the prospect.  But there was no one else to sing, the demonstration must proceed, and finally Watson struck up “Yankee Doodle” in a quavering voice.

The negro looked on in disgust.  “Is that what you wanted me to do, boss?”

“Yes,” replied the embarrassed Watson.

“Well, boss, I couldn’t sing like that.”

The telegraph wires which were borrowed to demonstrate the utility of the telephone proved far from perfect for the work at hand.  Many of the wires were rusted and the insulation was poor.  The stations along the line were likely to cut in their relays when the test was in progress, and Bell’s instruments were not arranged to overcome this retardation.  However, the lectures were a success from the popular viewpoint.  The public flocked to them and the fame of the telephone grew.  So many cities desired the lecture that it finally became necessary for Bell to employ an assistant to give the lecture for him.  Frederick Gower, a Providence newspaper man, was selected for this task, and soon mastered Bell’s lecture.  It was then possible to give two lectures on the same evening, Bell delivering one, Gower the other, and Watson handling the laboratory end for both.

Gower secured a contract for the exclusive use of the telephone in New England, but failed to demonstrate much ability in establishing the new device on a business basis.  How little the possibilities of the telephone were then appreciated we may understand from the fact that Gower exchanged his immensely valuable New England rights for the exclusive right to lecture on the telephone throughout the country.

The success of these lectures made it possible for Bell to marry, and he started for England on a wedding-trip.  The lectures also aroused the necessary interest and made it possible to secure capital for the establishment of telephone lines.  It also determined Hubbard in his plan of leasing the telephones instead of selling them.  This was especially important, as it made possible the uniformity of the efficient Bell system of the present day.