Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1882-03-31

human rats looked longingly at the
riches of the candy stands, and sou 8
worth made the difference between per-
feet happiness and half pleasure. You
gave them the sous worth, and what q
glad smile came to the lips, and accom-
panied with it was the delicious half
bow and half-courteSy, and invariable,
''Merci, monsieur" One little tot, t,who
could not speak, filled her tiny mouth
with the unheard-of delicacies she had
received. and too young to say ..merci,"
put up her lips to be kiSsed.-C0r. To-
ledo Blade.
Women as Telegraph Operators.
An official of the Western Union
Company, speaking of men as tele.
graphers. said to the reporter: "The
general public has a very insufficient
idea OF what il owes to female opera
tors. Little more than five years ago
we were the slaves of our men. They
formed high-priced, q thoroughly in
dependent body. They made money
and spent it. Telegraph operators are
rs Bohemian in their instincts as actors
and newspaper men. They never
work while they have cash or credit to
play on. Their pay-days fall bi-month-
ly. and every payday left us crippled
for operators till the rovstering ab-
sentees had run their money through.
If we yentured to expostulatc, they
would refuse to work at all. If we eX-
pressed disapprobation at any thing
they did they would let messages ac-
cumulate till there would be half a
days, and even longer, delay in the
most important business. There was no
actual trades union among them, but
they stuck together and had things
pretty much their own way.
Then the suggestion was made
that we should employ women as ope-
rators. The late President Orton was
the originator OF this idea. His friends
would frequently send young ladies,
who had learned telegraphy in private
schools. to him for employment, and
he knew that a number whom he had
found positions in business houses for
were capable of excellent work. Final
ly we employed few on the short and
easy lines. They did their work ad-
mirably. They were not as fast as the
men, and could not work the heavy dis
tance wires But for all ordinary work
they were quite capable and satisfac-
tory.
"The male operators made a viyor-
Gus kick. and distinguished themselves
by no little boorishncss toward their
sister professors. but they had to cave
in. They made a strike of it and held
out for 4 week, when the usual break
up occurred. and they staggered in till
all were forced to terms. From that
time forth the public were better served
than it had ever been before. The old
rule or ruin reign of the dandy opera
tor was over. But the greatest con-
venience the employment of women
rendered possible was the establish
ment of the small local offices in hotels
and the uptown districts. where it
would never have paid to keep high
toned male operator ut salary of al
most as much as the Office brought in.
Many of our local offices were at the
start attended to by young women who
took commission on their returns rs
pay. Now, however, we have them all
under salary. Out of town we have
hundreds, l was going to say, OF offices
in the care of female operators. They
are small offices, at places where man
would not stay. For instance. at vii
lage of couple of score of houses we
could not afford to keep an operator at
a city salary. But by paying some
young girl who lives there twenty five
or thirty dollars q month, which is more
than she could earn in such a place at
much harder labor. we are able to keep
the line open to furnish facilities which
the residents find frequent need of.
The same remarks apply to many
branch offices here and in other cities
where business is light, but there is
still demand for local service. If it
was not for our women operators these
places would not be supplied with tele-
graphic service at all.
Ii the public have been benefited by
the introduction of the female opera
tives into telcgraphy, the male
operatives certainly have not.
There has been q marked decline IN
salaries since the women entered tho
business. The best operators, giants
in their line. who send and take mes
sages with incredible speed, still make
handsome salaries enough, rs salaries
in telegraphy 60. and less able opera
tors, by doing extra work, earn good
livings. But among the mass of opera
tors salaries have been seriously cut
into. Women are doing for from S25
to $50 a month now what ten years ago
men got from $50 to $50 and 800 for
doing. The pay of operators outside
has similarly suffered. Many manu-
factories and large business houses en-
joy private telegraph lines. These used
to employ men. Now women do the
service at nearly all of them. In the
same way. at hundreds of minor coun-
try stations. where q man. by combin-
ing tho wretched salaries of station
agent for the railroad and operator for
the telegraph company. contrived to
exc out comfortable living. women
now do their wo-k for even less than
halt their old remuneration.
"And it's going to be worse yet." +"
said an operator, who was standing
guard over Park Row lunch-counter,
to reporter. ''For the telegraph COL
leges keep grinding 'em out like corn
at mill. Give 'em $50 month and q
looking-glass and q cheap novel. and
ehSy NoAA uoh OIL AhOAC. WAot oAOW
has decent man got alongside Of such
opposition, I'd like to know?"
Ibid he say that?" asked the young
lady at the - Hotel, when the re.
porter communicated the remarks to
her, and asked if they were true.
"He did"
The young lady tapped the lever OF
her instrument with expressive vehe-
mence.
"Well. all I've got to say is that he
is an OPERATOR" she replied. - don't
know any worse name for him than
that" "-NeW YOr& Sunday Ners.
Supervisor Griffith. of Remsen, Onei-
da County, N. Y. has bureau that
once belonged to Baron Steuben.
While carefully examining it lately
some young men found secret drawer
which contained lock of hair within
an envelope. Possibly this memento
may have had something to do with the
oil Rarop,u na1;hacv and dicl;Eo for fr,