The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-09-11
Front Goes to the Rear
ln the March of Progress


does not have to go to theeguest's room
to find out what is wanted; >;the telephone
saves that trip; but he puts the order
into effect in the quickest possible time.
because his actions are all a matter Of
record and his chances of promotion-to
say nothing of the simpler process OF
merely holding down his job7-depend di-
rectly upon his ability to, be almost as
quick as the telephone itself. In many
cases, of course the telephone does away
entirely with the need of his services.
The guest, for example, wishes to ask
some question about trains, the breakfast
hour, what is going on ait the theaters
or how long it will take him to go from
one part of the city to another-ques-
lions, before the invention of the tele-
phone, that would have neceSSitated ring
ing for a boy, asking him the question,
and awaiting until he had gone back to
the Office for the exact information. But
nowadays the guest simply takes down
his telephone receiver and asks the clerk.
who is a true. handy encyclopedia of use
full knowledge and wade mecum for doubt
full strangers, and who tells him what he
wants to know without leaving his deck
in the main office. Or the guest perhaps,
wants a few moments conversation with
smoebody else whom he knows is staying
in the same hotel-and here again he
avoids having to call a boy to find out
whether the other guest is receiving call
ers and avoids also the necessity or
dressing up for his call, call by tele-
phone being quite as proper in dress
ing gown as in any other costume. Par
ticularly in large apartment hotels. where
the guests are mostly permanent resi-
dents, these telephone calls are in con-
slant progress. Society" it is said. has
even evolved a system of etiquette for
telephone callers. And in the case OF
party of friends travelling together the
value of the system is equally obvious.
for however far apart they may be quar-
tered in the same hotel. the telephones
from room to room enable them to COM
municate as freely as if they were all
living in one large suite of apartments
The Boys Are Busy
The bellboy of a large hotel leads
busy life He is always on duty, for there
is no hour of the twenty -four when he
is not likely to be called upon. and the
telephone system of the hotel, with It's ZDo
or 800 telephones, is like a big metropol-
itan system with thousands of connections.
Day or night 1t is always in operation.
part of the time working independently.
and simply assisting conversations from
one part of the hotel to the other; while
at other times it becomes part OF tne
larger system, and the individual guest
has at his service the use of some miles
of wire to talk with somebody in the Guy
wire to converse with somebody at much
longer distance. Each room. in city
where there are no competing companies.
is thus connected with every other tele-
phone in the city.
Telephones In Hotels
Telephones naturally were first placed
in the rooms Of large city hotels. but the
system is year by year finding favor In
smaller and smaller places. 1t not only
reduces the number of bellboys, but in
small hotels operators are not necessary,
the clerks being able to operate the
switchboard besides attending to their
other duties Moreover. the hotel pro-
prietor finds that the telephone is source
of revenue, because he shares with the
company the toll receipts. The bellboy
is still indispensable In MOTEL management.
and will remain so; and the telephone Is
his valuable ally, besides performing many
duties outside his province.