Iron County register., 1886-04-22
HUMAN NATURE.
The Various Ways in Which It Is Displayed
in Telesraph Ofaces.

in Telegraph Offices.
One of the busiest places in this city
is the office of the Western Union Tele-
graph Company Its visitors during
the day are many, and from morning
until midnight the throng continues to
come and 60, and the street door closes
with lively clatter every few minutes.
They come in all styles, the old, the
young and middle-aged. They come in
garments of wealth, in the rags of pow
erty and in the seediness of hard luck.
which soon may change. Faces pale
with sadness, furrowed with care, bright
with anticipation or radiant with happi-
ness; all go through the not overwide
portal, and all upon the same sort OF
errand, either to get or send away mes
sages. Hope and despair jostle with
carelessness and selfish JOY, and each
seldom notes the other. Often the face
which comes smiling goes away dark
with trouble, and many times the dull
look begotten of hope deferred becomes
transformed, and the owner goes away
with buoyant step and a peace which
has not been experienced for long
time
A glance around the office viii give
the student of human nature a good
chance to guess at what is being written
by those who prepare their messages
right on the spot, and the manner of the
writers will often show something of the
characters and business habits of them.
4 commercial drummer will run into a
telegraph Office, slamming the door and
making the papers tiutter all over the
place. He will push his way to the desk.
seize blank, dive a pen into the ink,
and write message in just thirty sec
onds. Before he begins he will push
his hat high upon his brow, and turn
his head to one side. Then he will stride
up to the desk, and. looking Familiarity
at the clerk, will push the dispatch and
a big silver dollar toward that Junction.
ary, remarking: Send that away
quickly" A man who has not been ac-
customed to sending telegrams will take
more time about it, sometimes taking
as much time as it would take book
keeper to balance a cash account. He
will carefully count the words, and
study and restudy the message in order
to decide that he hasn't got too many
words, and to be sure that the message
will be clearly understood.
Ladies generally write their messages
at home and then take them carefully
folded to the office, where they will ask
many questions. They will want to
know how much the dispatch is going
to cost, and then if the address and sig
nature are to be included i'll the cost of
the transmission. Then they will want
to know how soon it will reach its des-
tination. Then they will carefully lay
down their parasols or sachels and
handkerchiefs and count the price for
the message. and when the cash is about
half counted they will stop to look
around and smile at whoever is stand
ing behind them waiting for a chance to
talk with the clerk. Finally, when the
money is paid and the clerk has been
carefully made to promise to send the
message Immediately, they will then
gather up their property and depart.
After they get out upon the sidewalk
they will frequently return to ask the
clerk if he can read the dispatch. as
they wrote it quite hurriedly. When a
lady happens to write the message in
the Office the process is doubled, as a
similar style of performance is carried
on at the desk, where she will want lots
of elbow room.
Of those who enter or send away the
announcement of death to relatives
far away their manner is always quiet,
| and new father coming in to let the
grandparents know that baby has ar
rived. will go in smiling all over his
face. Not infrequently the sender will
90 to the extra expense of a dime or Sc
to add a sentence which is intended as
a joke People sending for remittances
generally look anxious, and not 1nfre-
quently write with a rush, and spread
the ink on thick and black, as though to
thus express the exlgency which COM
PEELED the sending of a telegraph request
for funds.
And so they 60. Unconscious panto-
mimists, all of them, making, without
knowing it, mimic, sketchy picture OF
the lights and shadows. the f1eeting joys
or the sudden and more lasting griefs
which 90 to make up the dream called
ife.-Denrer Ta1bune-Repu6tican.