The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-02-19
TELEPHONE TERR0RS.

IhSr own Self-reSpect COmpelS theIn
to adopt one or the other of these
courses. For there is nothing so close
~ resembling a trodden worm as the
polite man who is trying to converse
with the human race in general over a
wire without losing his temper
You sit at home. Your mind Is tran
gull. You are thinking high thoughts
tinged with the purest altruism- The
telephone bell rings. You take down
the receiver.
Hello you say. mildly. IN your
uGual clear, futelike tones.
Hello. who is this7" comes the
sharp response. The voice is full Of
suspicion. with more than touch of
nl-temper.
Consider these words for moment.
You are IN your own house. You are
satisfied and at ease. But somewhere
out in the bOisterous world a nameless
being-any one OF the 1850. 100000 in
habitants of the globe-is engaged IN
an uneasy quest. He rings you up on
the phone. He Is nothing to you. He
may go to the devil and welcome for
all you care. Very likely you never
heard OF him, or II you ever did II is
probable that you never heard any
thing good Of him.
But now he breaks in upon your
quiet. Does he say "Is this Mr.. Jones?
I am Mr.. Smith OF Smith & Brown. l
beg your pardon for disturbing you,
but I wish to know" Does he say
anything of that sort? By no means.
He calls you up and thus he chal-
lcnges you: Hello who is this"
Suppose you should meet on the
street a man whom you had never seen
before and he should hustle UP to you
and demand in a truculent tone, Who
are your" Your self-Tespect would
compel the reply, IT'S none Of your
business" and you would pass on But
if this self-same stranger calls you up
by telephone and demands trUculently, |
WHO is this?" you probably reply po-
Iitely. This is Mr.. Jones'"
Thus you make yourself known to an
utter stranger because he demands
that service Of you. But who is your
unknown inquisitOr? Perhaps he re-
vtals himself and perhaps he simply
says. "Botheri You're not the man I
want" In the latter case you hang up
the receiver and try to suppress your
desire TO commit murder.
Perhaps, however, you do not re-
spond at once to the challenge, who !
is this?" Perhaps you ask in return, !
as you are justified in doing, Who are
yCu?" If so, you may rest assured
that another challenge WHO is this?'
will come, more angriIy than before. |
If you again respond, who are you?'
you will get the furious demand, |
whats your NUMBER" For the bully /
at the phone seems to have sworn an
oath to high heaven never to reveal his
identity to any victim of his until he |
fas utterly crushed the spirit and
humbled the manhood of that victim
4 =
He never realizes how irritating he is. |
He is incapable Of learning, Therefore, |
when he calls you up and, wearing his /
pOrcine anonymity proudly as II II were /
a kings raiment, demands TO know who |
you are quietly hang up the telephone |
receiver and let him rage. He is no one |
whose acquaintance you care to culti- |
vate.
When you make personal call on a /
man YOU present your card or otherwise |
introduce yourself. If, therefore, you
call him up by telephone. why not begin |
the conversation by telling him your |
name or by asking him if his name is /
So-and-So? But, of course, you do this |
very thing, being a gentleman. There |
fore you join with me in detestlng the
fellow who calls you up and says: Hell |
10, who is this?"
There is another kind of offender. and |
he is not entirely past hope. Perhaps
he can be reformed. Let US al set TO /
work to reform him. He is the busy |
ma1 who forgets that there are other |
busy men. Being pressed for time him /
self, he has his stenOgrapher or his |
clerk call you up, That polite person |
thus addresses you: Hello, is this Mr. /
Jones? Please hold the phone q mo-
ment, Mr.. Smith of Smith & Brown /
wishes to speak to you"
You are f1attered. Mr.. Smith finds |
it desirable in the course of his days |
work to consult with you. Smith is a /
discerning fellow; that is the reason he
has got on so well in business. As Ike
Iy at not he is gOin to make you a prop !
Osition which viii be distinctly to your
advantage. BY George, a man likes TO |
do business with prosperous men like /
Smith.
You think such thoughts while you /
keep your ear glued to the receiver, |
having willingly interrupted a bust |
ness conversation or halted your stem
ographer in the midst Of your CORE.
spondence or pushed aside a plan Of /
work which had engaged you in nice |
After waiting a while you begin to |
realize that the moments are passing. /
Why doesn't Smith come to the phone? /
You are at his disposal, your own du-
ties put aside so that you may be Who'll /
ly at his service. IT IS the busiest part |
of ~he day You are behind in your
mornings work. But Smith has brought |
everything to a halt so far as you are 1
concerned. YoL continue to wait. No /
Smith.
Your seIf-respect comes to your res
cue Your time is your own. not |
Smiths. What does the fellow mean by
tying you up to the telephone and then |
going on with his own affairs? Hang /
Smith" you say eXplosively, and slam /
down the receiver.
You take up your own work again. In /
half a minute the telephone rings. The |
voice OF Smiths clerk or stenographer, |
slightly panied this time, as if you have /
been trifling with its owner as we'll as
running counter to the sublimated de-
sires of the exalted Smith, comes to /
you It informs you that Mr.. Smith |
will speak to you in Just minute, and
please hold the phone
Feeling q littls sheepish because you
lost your temper. you keep your ear to |
the phone and wait for Smith. In his |
own good time Smith actually conde-
sends to talk with you. Perhaps he
asks you to do him a favor, for
this kind OF a man has no idea that |
anybody can fail to be pleased by an
TO work In his interests. |
Besides, he Is busy and your time does
~ ~ count With him otherwise he would |