To shrivel up the miles and to stretch out the minutes--this has been one of the master passions of the human race.

And thus the larger truth about the telephone is that it is vastly more than a mere convenience.

It is not to be classed with safety razors and piano players and fountain pens.

It is nothing less than the high-speed tool of civilization, gearing up the whole mechanism to more effective social service.

It is the symbol of national efficiency and cooperation.
All this the telephone is doing, at a total cost to the nation of probably $200,000,000 a year--no more than American farmers earn in ten days.