The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-09-18
TELEPHONE IN COUNTRY.
insight Into the Use of the Farm
ers' Visiting Line"


4 short time ago the statement was
made in a certain weekly magazine
that since the advent of the telephone
into the country places the average OF
insanity among farmers wives ana
daughters had notably decreased.
The connection between farmers
farmers wives and daughters and the
telephone and insanity was mystery
until | drove over to BriarVille one day
this summer and made the acquainI-
ance of the middle-aged woman VINO
ran the switchboard at the central.
Briarvine proper consists of the
church on the hill and the tWo-story
hotel | had to wait one day IN the
hotel parlor while the wheel or my
blackboard was oiled. / had exhausted
the photograph album, with its orldaI
couples and family groups; had gazed
with wonder at the deliberately framed
circle of hair flowers, and had STUDIED
the intricacies of the fluffy lamp mat on
the table. The ring Of telephone III
the adjoining room promised some.
thing. The door between was ajar. l
knocked gently and was admitted by a
CHEEKY "Come in" Evidently it was
the family living room. over in ono
corner hung the switchboard of the tel
ephone. 4 pleasant-faced woman sat
by her window near the kitchen door
peeling potatoes from a pan in her lap.
Yes" she said. Il am central. Would
you like TO see how II works. Down
went the pan of potatoes. and she drew
up a chair for me, while she s>at-d
herself in front of the board and eX-
planned how this line ran off down Su-
gar Hill way, and this led up to Glenn
Fishers, and that one out to Cranberry
Plain.
Now, YOU wouldn't believe what
comfort and company this is to those
folks: they do call 1t the farmers VS.
iting line. / have TO shut 'em off some
times. I can't help il; they get so IN
terected talking about new recipes ana
patterns. and the last SAMPLES tha-
came from Middleburg. and how tneir
sick folks are handled that they clean
forget that maybe some one else might
want to telephone. But, dearie me, all
the folks along the line enjoy it, too,
Why, you wouldn't believe that If !
don't get my party first call sometimes
just have 10 give it up. for every re
ceiver is down and the line is too weak
10 carry. There was SOme talk of di-
viding the line awhile ago, but the pec-
pie made an awful fuss; you see, il wiil
cut 'em off from just so much news.
They do say that some of the folks
have long wire to their receiver, ana
sleep with il on their pillow. ] don't
believe ii myself. I think it all came
from that time when Jim Adams tcle-
phoned at = o'clock in the morning for
the doctor for Johnnie, and wheu ne
was through somebody asked over the
wire Who did YOU cay was sick, Jim
and he told of it next day 1T the store.
| did see one thing myself Dut ]
wouldn't mention any names. The
family moved away this spring. l went
in Unexpectedly TO call. and there Fas
the transmitter with a big cork popped
into il. and a wire to the receiver. and
they just carried that receiver around
the house. ] tell you there wasn't any
news lost on that line.
There's Mary Jones at the Four
Corners: sle keeps one of her half
dozen children at the phone the whole
time; they just spell each other 81 the
receiver. The other day l couldn't get
my party, and | was certain sure I. en-
a clock tick that | heard that il was
that Jones receiver that was dlwn So
| 'Dhoned that Sam Jones WIS listen
ing and l couldn't make connections.
and they had better wait awhile. and
that oldest Jones boy fairly yellai over
the phone. It's no such thing, l amt
listening
Bless you, nobody cares a mite: it's
just as good as a sewing society. and
enjoy it myself.
well, here's your team. Come up
any time. I'll be glad TO show you any
thins about it you want to know. It's