1890 would also be about 30 years after the invention of the telephone and 2 years after the invention of the strowger switch (first automated telephone switch)

"Ey, look! We gotta publish this book by the end of the week and the thermodynamics guy already wasted so much time that we're behind schedule! Pretend those people were morons, alright?! Now, c'mon, get to writing, you're on preface duty after that!"