The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1905-01-07
The Use Of the Telephone MOI
Commended for Love Tales.
BUSINESS AND SOCIETY DIFFER
Dorothy Dix In the San Francisco 6uI.
ietin Gives Come Good Advice as TO
the Use Of the Telephone
Which Should Do Needed.

To the thoughtful observer there are
a great many modern Improvement,
that don't seem TO improve tningi
much. and that are doubtful blessings
One Of these In the telephone. or course
we simuly couldn't get along with.
out II now. when we all live on the END
Of a wire. no TO speak. and am no,
arguing against It's usefulness or con.
venience In business and society.
But whenever see young girl al
the telephone I wish will all my hear
and soul that II had never been invent.
ed. A girl and n telephone make the
worst combination Of idiocy, indis.
cretition and bad taste that was ever
devised. and II had daughters
would no more keep telephone handy
In the house than | would keep prussiC
acid lying around loose.
This sounds like a sweeping state
ment. but ! defy anybody 10 deny III
justice. Just listen TO the next girl you
happen TO see talking over the tele-
phone Doesn't her conversation rur
about like this:
'Hello. Central! Gimme 1889
Hello! Is that Mr. Blanks ONCE? Say
can ] speak TO Jim Smlthers7 Hello!
Is that you. Jim7 Hellol Say, can't
you guess who II Is? You don't know
He-he-he! Say. It's your little bride
Don't you recognize the voice? Oh
say, you are joilying me about my
voice. He--he-he-he! Yes. it's Lulu
Wasn't the Jlnkins bali perfectly grand
yesterday Say. now. you are string
ing me about your heart being broken
II wasn't me. II was that red-headed
Brown girl. though what people see In
her TO admire ] don't see. Say, I JUS,
called you up 10 ask II you were COM
ing up tonight. You haven't been up
In a long time. Not that care, OF
course, You'll conner And bring a box
of candy. Oh. say, but you are too
sweet for anythingl II your mouth
wasn't 10 far of ia kiss you. He
he--he-Hello! Hello, Central! What
made you cut me Off so7 wasn't half
through with what was going TO say"
This Is n verbatim report OF a conver-
sation that I was recently privileged to
hear, and Its like can be duplicated in
a million American homes, and the
strange part OF II Ia that the girls that
talk this sort OF fub-dub nonsense
that sounds 30 bold. and brazen. and
vulgar. do not mean a thing by 1t, and
do not realize the folly OF which they
are guilty. One would think that when
n girl spoke TO a man over public
wire she would at least have enough
sense and good taste to couch her COM
to him in formal and digni-
fed language. Instead OF this being
the case. girls seem to regard talking
the telephone as giving them
certain license, and they say things TO
the man In n distance that they would
not think OF saying to his face. 1t Is a
common thing TO hear them address a
man as dearest" or darling" or
honey" or love" through the tele-
phone. and suggest kissing him, when
they wouldn't think OF doing such
hing II the man were on the spot. ready
10 take advantage of the invitation
hey extended.
II the girl, though. makes herself
common and immodest by telephoning
o young men. she does the young man
/ practical wrong. for she frequently
oses him his job. Nothing puts young
nan In worse light with his employer
han to be continually called away from
lis work to converse with some fool
ylrl over the telephone, and II young
women had any Idea OF the terror and
niger that I'LL the breast of the average
,oung man when they call him up by
wire. and of the swear words he thinks,
hey would In mercy forbear.
To the idle girl II seems great fun
o fiirt over the telephone, but to the
,oor young man who feels the cold
lard, unsympathetic eyes of his en-
'loyer boring into his back while he
ries to answer the girl al the other end
( the wire II Is a situation full OF acute
Misery. He doesn't want to offend the
,irl by ringing off, and he doesn't want
o lose his job by talking, and earning
he sobrlquet of telephone Romeo,
Perhaps there is no way to stop the
elephone nuisance unless you gag the
iris, but it is a pity that when one
oes call young man up and talk
onsense to him over the wire that she
ant realize how much she is cheapen-
1t. d..