the talents which alexander graham bell took with him when he sailed from England seem to have combined especially to help him succeed in inventing the telephone. his mind was inventive. he had a sensitive and excellent training in music. he was second to none in his understanding of the organs of speech and the production of speech sounds. his interest in electricity was growing day by day. and his intense desire to help the deaf, stemming from days when his mother began to lose her hearing, led him directly to friendship with men who gave him financial backing.