The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-04-09
THE UNSOCIABLE HELLO GIRL.
SENI-OFFICIAL STATEMENTS PUT
HER IN A NEW LIGHT.
Telephone Girl Dances That She DOetnt
Go TO-May Not Even Associate with
Her Fellow EmployeeS-NuStn't Chat
In business IIOurs-Js = Poor Talker

Telephone Girl Dances That she Doesn't
Go TO-May Not Even Associate with
Her Fellow EmployeeS-MuStnt Chat
In business WOurs-Js n Poor Talker.
The decision Of the New York Telephone
Company 20 transfer, 80 far a. possible
the hello girls in its employ TO the exchanges
nearest to their homes may promote more
sociability among them In the meantime
they must struggle along with an undo
served reputation for being sociable. It
seems that they are by no means 30 sociabe
a. the public has been led TO believe.
sFor some reason OF other said the
manager Of a central exchange, 'the tee-
phone girls work and ways, her social
pleasures, her habits when on duty and
of duty, seem 10 be a subject Of never
failing interest TO certain part OF the
community. This fact has been made use
Of on occasion 10 advertise certain enter
tainuents with which the hello girls had
absolutely no connection.
For instance, / remember having my
attention called ono day TO come handbills
which proclaimed that on q particular
Sunday afternoon a dance would be given
At an Fast Side hall, which would be largely
attended by the telephone girls from the
Cortlandt street exchange. I made few
INQUIRIES and learned that this was the first
Intimation any Of the girls had that they
were erected 20 attend a dance on that
day. or any other day, for that matter.
sOn another occasion some young men
operators at private switchboards and a
few Of their friends hired hall, got up
dance and invited, among Others, several
Al. - - tk..Fr vriN he
result that the affair was reported far and
wide az a hello girls ball.
an all probability ere half DOZEN hello
girls 20 appear together at an entertain
ment the news would he printed that an
Organization Of telephone operators was
responsible for the ifair.-
with few exceptions" said the head
OF the telephone school, 'the hello girls
depend upon their outside environment
for their pleasures not on their buslne
associates, and for this reason telephone
operators don't get a chance 70 become
acquainted while on duty.
in a large dry goods store. say, or 10
almost any sort Of worluoom, employees
may converse with one another while on
duty, and at the lunch hour a great many
will meet at the same time under conditions
which foster more or Les intimacy. Here
IL In different
when ON duty the girls are not allowed
TO talk TO each other. One girl may sit
for DAYS beside another without exchanging
bali a dozen words. The two may he IN
different lunch relays-nOt more than twenty
or twenty-five 60 10 luncheon at the same
tme-and even II they do 60 10 the lunch
room at the same hour they may not sit
at the same table.
During the rest periods in the morning
aud the afternoon have noticed that the
girls who meet, instead Of getting In a
bunch and jabbering, prefer 10 lie down or
lounge Ia a chair and read. There IL no
clubbing together, apparently, at any time
for social entertainments. Such a thing
operators does not exist.
The Cortland street central, which Is