The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1903-01-23
This Generation Too Much for Auntie

HIS OCDChdbAOh hVV IAuSh AOE fAuuSAS
The New York Sun publishes an in
teresting article on Telephone Eli
quette, as follows: glil7ea 8a
The telephone has been accepted with
out hesitation by the younger genera
ton, but it has suggested uneasy ques-
tions to older persons who have not
been accustomed to it all their lives.
Nowadays the apartment hotel has the
telephone in the bedroom and the same
is true of many private houses. Thus it
comes about that young men and wo-
men, or older ones for that matter. talk
to one another under very informal
circumstances. Only the older genera
ton seems to be shocked thereat.
One question asked is this: Should q
young woman who has just stepped out
of bed talk to young man who has
called her up from his rooms Such
questions feaze the more conservative
persons who have not from youth been
accustomed to the informal swiftness of
the telephone.
Sometimes they are shocked by the
familiar use of the telephone and there
are families in which the telephone is
relegated to the lower part of the house.
There only servant or some person
fully clothed can answer it.
There are men and women who re-
fuse to accept dinner invitations over
the telephone, although that method Of
asking people has become popular.
May be they forsee the rebellion against
the telephone that comes from the con-
servatives.
"It's appealing" said an elderly
aunt who was spending week in town,
to see how they use the telephones now
adays. Only last night when there was
a dinner party on, Mary, who was dress
ing, answered the telephone which is in
her room. And it was one of the men
calling her up to say that he had been
detained downtown and was dressing
then as quickly as possible but didn't
want dinner to be kept waiting for him.
"There the two of them stood talking
to one another just as il they were en-
tirely dressed and had stopped for a
little chat on the street / tell you this
generation is little too much for me. "
Nobody would insist that persons who
talk to one another over the telephone
should look just as they do in private
life. That would be carrying prudish-
ness to a degree almost incompatible
with the conditions of life as they exist
In New York. But there is a compro-
mise.
Many men who would serd a mes
sage over the telephone under informal
conditions would ask for servant and
not the mistress of the house herself. That
can be easily enough arranged. Usually
it is more convenient unless the tele-
phone happens to be in the lady's
room.
A story is told of one man in New
York who called up the home of a
friend under just such circumstances
from his own room and was astonished
to recognize the voice of the lady of the
house. He knew from the time of the
day that she must be in about the same
state of undress that he was. So he put
his excuses in the third person.
"Mr Smith, he said. very much re-
grets that owing to detention at busis
ness to-day he will be somewhat late at
Mrs. Jones's dinner"
That seemed to rob the interview of
its too great informality and satisfied his
scruples.
1t was out of respect for them that
the lady answered in French that she
was Nine. Jones's maid and would give
her the gentleman's message. This was
followed by giggle which showed that
the lady had played her part in the
comedy entirely out of respect to his
| feelings.
| But there are persons who are ponder
ing over the long distance intimacies
| ~. 10 kelo,ot,o,,o eaa.,,s - v1rodr,co