Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-03
PAID TO co TO SCHOOL
Girls Who Are Training to Be
Telephone Operators.
METHODS OF INSTRUCTION
Applicant for Admission Must Have
Good Voice.
A KNOWLEDGE OF GEOGRAPHY
is Also Essential in Thoroughly
Qualified Operators - Positions
Always Await the Graduates.
A KNOWLEDGE OF GEOGRAPHY
wrltten for The Star.

Written for The Star.
How would you like to be paid s. a week
20 go to school? To know that imme-
dIately on graduation steady job is to be
your portion? And TO realize that you will
graduate after four short weeks spent in
the class room?
It's a prospect sufficiently alIuring to
arouse the interest of a good many of us.
But right here let II be stated that any
trouscred creature who is thinking of look
ing into the matter would better save him
self the slime and trouble. The doors of this
school are forever closed to mere man.
only bright young girls are admitted-girls
with well modulated voices that have 10
tendency toward huskiness. girls who are
deft OF finger and keen of ear. girls who are
blessed with what is known as an even
temperament" and therefore are seldom
or never rumed. girls who are not easily
rustcreI under any circumstances: girls
1prSuuih. whose commonplace StCreOtyped
prOuuuucemcuts will not arouse masculine
wrath or will turn it away when awakened.
The 7.Hoo. l speak Of is school for tele-
phone operators.
In the early days Of the telephone the
operators were boys exclusively. After
while some shrewd fellow connected with
the budding industry made the important
discovery that as an intermediary in The
little game OF wire talk a girl is Infinitely
the better equipped by reason of a finer
Keyed voice. innate politeness, an inbred
desire 20 please and a SURPRISING dizziness
OF hand Then. too, it was found that
whereas the average man would swear a
blue streak at a boy on the slightest provo
cation, VIXEN a girl answered his call he
would take off his hat TO her, SO TO speak
no matter how boiling mad he might be
You see. the gentlemanly instinct Is hard
20 get away from when girl is considered
As result the boys We're let out iuStanter
and EElprR 10 ,rirf
PEELED 20 work FOR her living
Uniformity of Method
Until about three years ago no telephone
company had made anything like the efforts
now generally put forth to secure uniform
10y OF method among the operators. The
way in which his girls answered calls was
largely discretionary with the manager of
each exchange. Result-whiIe one ex-
changes methods had many points in com
mon with the methods in vogue elsewhere
there were also not a few points of vari-
ance. and when II became necessary to
transfer girls from one exchange to an
other. more or less confusion was intro
duced for time IN the exchange to Uhish
the girls We're transferred
Now the reason par excellence for the
telephone is quick service. An up-to-date
telephone company IS ever studying to
quicken its service. This is especially the
case In cities of such strenuous living as
new 1oFk ana chicago, where nearly every
man who uses phone consigns the whole
business TO the under world when he hasn't
received the number called for ten seconds
or so after he has given IL to central" The
New York Telephone Company decided that
uniformity OF method down to the slightest
detail among its operators would decidedly
quicken It's service. 1t at once took s.eps
TO secure team work" and one of the
first things IL did looking toward this end
was to establish a school of instruction for
beginners. In the three years that this
school has been In existence it has been
productive OF so much good that il now has
It's couuterparts In several other cities
1t is by means of just such school that
a telephone company can secure perfect
uniformity best and In very short period
The average length of time that a girl re-
mains an operator is very brief, compare
lively speaking. Ia New York il is some
thing less than three years. Thus, in a
snort while a compiny's force of operators
comes 10 be made Up of graduates from it's
school, and from then on absolute uniform
ny IS assured.
What becomes Of the old operators? Some
marry, naturally. Many are constrained to
leave on account of duties requiring their
whole time ia their homes Still Others seek
new lines Of employment.
Good Voice is Essential.
The methods of instruction In vogue in
the New York school is representative of