The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-04-02
NO KICK ON HELLO
Local Operators Think It the Best
phone Greeting.
IT HAS "A DISTINCTIVE USE
Amy Other Word would Tend to Con-
fusion In Telephone Con-
yersatiOn.

-ea + /. f. (. ! I
In face OF the strenuous, opposition of
Appleton Wis. women to the use Of the
Woro hello" as conversation opener
over the telephone, Miss Alice Irwin,
Echlef operator Of the Northwestern Tele-
phone Exchange company, believes it is
the word best adapted to that use in the
English language. While the crusade of
the Appleton women against "hello" be-
cause it is "horrid and vulgar" may sue
coed for the time being, in the substitu-
ton or some other word or words, Miss
Irwin does not believe that the reform
Will be lasting or far-reaching. In the
! large cities she. declares it Will be quite
Impossible to substitute a word or sent
ence which will be found as satisfactory
or as Ineligible as hello
In the first place." said Miss Irwin,
i see no sense in trying to ring in
another word for one which, so far as /
can see, answers the purpose very well.
| It may be considered vulgar from GER
tain lofty pedestals of ultra-polite So
c1ety, but the person of ordinary good
breeding will probably see no objection
to its continued use in capacity which
has identified it with the telephone.
Il suppose, OF course, that the women of
Appleton and OF Evanston, ILL.,, who have
followed their example, objected princi-
! pally to the useof the word because Of
|, that long-standing disposition of the
vaudeville stage to transposing the sylla-
pies when 'telephoning the brewery But
| nellO is; no more offensive than many
other words in good standing that can be
! twisted or abbreviated so as to have a
vulgar meaning.
| me TACT is that experience has demon
strated that the familiar greeting over the
wire can be more readily understood than
almost any other word you can think of.
! NO matter how indistinct ones enuncia-
ton may be, hello rings clear. even
though what follows may be quite unin-
telligible. II a person said good morn
ing or how do you do?' the person at
the other end OF the line would have no
means of knowing, without additional ex-
PLANTATION, that the party wanted was re-
! spending. Any number of persons talking
over other wires might be inquiring about
some ones health or passing common
place remark about the weather
Central long since discarded hello so
as to distinguish her from the patrons
OF the line. In our Office she simply asks:
Number?' and when some one saws
hello. you know thatsthe connection has
been made.
I might urge the same objections
against the words yes .well'--with the
| rising inflection-'ma' am or sir Too
many persons use those words in ordinary
! conversation. Hello is the best word be-
cause IL IS. more distinctive than any
other word can think Of and particular
| ~ because custom has SO long sanctioned
its use that it will be impossible to break
away from 1t and
| At this juncture a deep male voice
pied, Miss Twins voice. and she alb
| ruptly hung up the receiver
The AePleton women say that hello"
! IS not nice word and that it is s.brusk
and vulgar Another objection to it's use
/
which no refined person would use in
] greeting q person on the street