Morning journal and courier., 1883-03-08
The Telephone Girls.

The Indiguitfes They Suffer, the Nils s. takes They Make, and How They Can Read Your Character Over the Wire. IFrom the Philadelphia Timesl
 It has been found absolutely necessary to employ girls in telephone offices because of their greater patience. They also have quick CT ears and are more obedient to rules and susceptible of discipline, but their natural restraint of temper and freedom from out bursts of bad language is considered their primary recommendation. On an average every girl, while on duty, and their usual hours are from seven or eight in the morning until seven in the evening, has the supervi- sion of eighty telephones. Under the new system each girl has group of one hundred wires, and each wire has at least one tele- phone. As the number of girls increased the company introduced clause into their agreements with subscribers, providing that ''any use of the telephone for profane, inde- cent or rude language, or for any purpose other than respectful, bona fide business or social messages, shall terminate the contract, /" and the company insists on this to the best of~its nsility, afAough' not always paeetin g. with entire success. The young girls em- ployed, coming from refined homes, though poor, have always shown great sensitiveness against any indignity or indecorous speech reaching them through the telephones It sometimes happens that one of them seated
 
 telephone girls get from hearing messages all day long and not being allowed to speak 8 syllable to each other, will burst into tears and will become almost hysterical Very of ten she will not tell what is said, but usually an insult has been offered, very often coming from clerk or other person in the employ of subscriber, so that it is hard to discover the culprit. Quito often when the superin- tendent calls upon young broker or other person to complain about an objectionable message, they say 1t was intended for ''the other fellow" or was an ''aside" directed to some one in the room, or get out of it by some such excuse. ''As the expression of his disapproval in language more forcible than elegant seems to be considered manly prerogative," said one of the brightest girls in the central office on Saturday, five never notice such indignities when they occur, but we have our thoughts. Now that telephone over wonder is a perfect gentleman, has 8 nice voice, a real sweet voice, and always says please and thank you and is just beautiful. We all respect and admire him very much. We can tell gentleman through the telephone every time. Now that horri thing there-pointing to 8 green serpentine wire that ended in numbered knob-she is a mean, cross, ugly old thing We know it by her voice. I feel so angry with her some times I could say almost anything. She is inpatient overbear1ng and uncharitable, and when she feels disagreeable goes to the tele- phone principally to abuse the girl who is so unfortunate as to get her call. There is hardly woman's voice that reaches us that is not irritable, and I must say that few of us have the charity to be able to answer them back with meekness. A great many amusing mistakes are made,' the speaker went on. 'A few days ago g gentleman, who is a builder, was communicating with the of- fee of a large manufacturing place on the suburbs, and calling me he said he could not make the other party hear him. Tell him, said he, 'that say dam the foundations ; dam the whole lot of them.' I dropped the phone in consternation. had never heard such language in my life. I refused to re- peat the message and told the superintendent. It was thought strange, because the gentle man was member of the church and had the reputation of being very particular. We'll. I have never ceased hearing about it. When they came to inquire, the message had been about draining some of the foundations , for new buildings where the rain from large territory came down declivity, and what he said was only about the way to keep it of. He often leases me by saying, Operator, how about the foundations?