The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1905-03-11
TELEPHONE SYSTEM
Use and Abuse BY Some OF Its
Patrons.
is A MATRIMONIAL BUREAU
REQUIRES the Patorenee of Job and the
Disposition Of an Angel to Listen to
Levers Making Dates and Women
Discussing the Fashions.

4 telephone office is a school where
gatience is taught, After having
served several years as hello CEN
kr1L- a young lady has either one of
ehe sweetest dispositions in the world
ar else is candidate for lunatic
asylum. Sometimes they are driven
~ desperation and get married. II
each one Of the telephone girls wno
aave been and now are engaged IN the
Astoria telephone Office could write a
book, publishing only what they have
a5sird going over the wires. ii would
result in numerous divorces and drive
u pole cat into convulsions.
As rule, telephones are for busi-
ness purposes and to get quick action
Setween the business men and con-
Sumsr. or between he and some one
m some other line of business, or for
sending in orders. The service is usu-
ally prompt and satisfactory and is
great saving in time. Sometimes, wnen
some women are discussing the spring
fashions, or the Easter bonnet delays
result and the business man who is
always in hurry and has an idea
Eilat when he is on the line he owns
stock in the company, sometimes gets
warm under the collar and uses cuss
words. But who can blame him. 1t
zones under the head of justifiable
profanity.
There are some women, however
Kho regard the telephone service as II
means of gossiping about their neigh
Dor, discussing the latest fashions, the
sew Easter hat, or baby's tooth. or
what lovely time they had at a party
the night before during which tim,
they tell of everyone who was there
ghat they wore, how horrid some peo-
pie looked and what a mean, nasty
thing Miss Blank was. All of this
sonsumes from an hour to half q day
while some indulsent man or woman
who unfortunately happens to be on
Ihe same line, is cursing because cen
tral informs him that the line is busy
and the man wants to know IL the
party that has been using it all the
forenoon owns the system. The OPP
orators have to take all the abuse and
be cheerful and patent. 1t is said
that telephone girls make charming
EiveS Well, they ought to. Any
xouug lady that can put up with the
xbuse heaped upon her over party
line. mas a constitution to stand the
abuse Of ore husband without finch
ing.
But the telephone on the party lines
nfords considerable amusement and
pleasure for the customers. A number
1f women take a chair, sit close 20 the
phone, take down the receiver and
spend pleasant afternoon listening to
what is going on over the lines. She
knows when Mary and Charley make
z date, when they are going TO the the
ater. what a lovely time they had at
the whist club; the opinion one wo-
Ian entertains Of her neighbor; an the
faults and shortcomings Of everyone
in tine neighborhood, what they are go
Iug 10 have for dinner, AS soon as
Eney get all the information in the
neighborhood they ring up some lady
friends in distant part Of the city
and inform her Of the latest scandal
rho in return repeats it to some one
else and party lines are kept hot.
Sone women have been known to
stand at the telephone for two hours
telling what a hornd tiwe the hal
last night On account Of babys tooth.
and from u to 20 women are con-
suited Oh "babys teething" ana the
best cure. During aH Of this time
some other customer on the same line
Is abusing central hc.ause the line "ig
busy" Husbands come home for their
dinners and md nothing u the house.
simply berause the Wife Was unable 10
get the butcher or the baker Oh ac-
eoun, of the line being busy, or else
she became 50 animated in telling OF
ne shortcomings Of her ncig 1bor over
.hs line as 20 forget all about dinner.
The telephone system is intended for
she transmission Of business. It was
1eyer intended as a purveyor Of scan-
gal nor matrimonial bureau, It IS
not the proper method Of making love
aor of discussing the spring fashions
~ the exclusion Of other people VIII
pay for and desire to use the line
These are some Of the reasons wn,
people complain of the poor service
The fault is not always with the Of
fee. but with the customers, who seen
% have no knowledge Of what a tele
phone system is for. If people woult
use the system for what it was orig
inally intended. a great deal Of un
necessary trouble and annoyance coul
De avoided and people would appre
eiate the system. They certainly ough