Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-03
knowledge of Geography.

When the latter lecture is given the class
is instructed in geography. knowledge
of geography, as well as of routes, is essen
tial to quick out-of-town connections. The
major part of instruction In this direction
is confined to local geography. There is
good reason. a graduate is not placed at
once at a position in a board where she
will have to make connections out of town
farther than its suburbs. And, again, the
vast majority of telephone calls local.
The school is intensely practical; hence, lit
tie attention is given to long distance
calling. The knowledge of geography
necessary to a mastery of this branch of
the service and of routes and connections
develops naturally as the operator grows
in her work.
After a lecture comes practical expert
ence at the school exchange.
This exchange is complete duplicate,
in miniature, of an exchange in actual bust
ness operation. The switchboards are
standard; so is everything else.
The students are placed at the boards,
as in real exchange. Seated short
distance back of them are monitors, who
take the part of subscribers and send in
call after call to the students. 1t is up tc
the latter to put into actual practice what
they have been taught in the lectures.
OF course mistakes are made, and there
is often some confusion. Walking up and
down back of the students and between
them and the seated monitors, are other
monitors. These correct any errors that
are made, and instruct the students in
sending back the proper replies to the sub
scribers' under every conceivable clrcum-
stance.
A subscriber" calls certain number.
The monitor back of the girl receiving 1t
instructs her not to 20. X" the call, but
to give the usual reply when the wire is
-Four. nine, five. one is busy" the stu
dent says. Shall l call you when l get
Much stress is laid on the various an
swers that an operator gives, and the way
in which she makes them
Drill in Sentences.
Number. please" is the sentence that
the students are drilled to say whenever
a call comes in. 1t must be spoken. like
all the little speeches of tine operator. with
a rising infection. A rising infection. mark
YOU, Is more pleasing to the ear, and in
stantly causes the person on the other end
of the wire to .feel subconsciously that he
is going TO get good service. There's very
much in the way man is greeted by the
operator when he takes the receiver off the
hook says Miss Schmidt. Let the voice
fall instead of rise on please. and he'll feel
as If a pitcher of cold water had been
thrown over him. But let such phrases as
We instruct the girls to use be said In a
solicitious manner. and he'll feel that every
effort Is being put forth TO give him what
he wants Such feeling is pleasing to
any one.
so carefully are the students selected it
rarely happens that any funk" When a
girl graduates every effort is made TO place
her in an exchange close to her home. This
is better for the company and the girl
She does not have to spend car fare be-
tween office and home, she can run home to
lunch II she feels so Inclined therefore. she
is more apt to be content and in the best
frame of mind for work. AS for the COM
pany, il Is assured OF her presence In all
sorts OF weather, and assured of 1t on
time, too. since her home is but few
blocks distant at most
The graduates first days in an exchange
are given over exclusively TO what is tech
nicaliy known listening in" She is
placed between two skilled operators and
all day long she listens to how actual bust
ness is conducted. And, of course, she
uses her eyes as well.
About two weeks are passed in this ex-
perience. Then the girl is gradually start
ed in as an operator at an easy position
in the board a favored method Of break
ing in is to let her handle board at an
hour when the traffic is generally light
From this point on the load is gradually
dropped on the young lady. until even be-