Los Angeles herald., 1906-09-02
71HERE are probably in the vicinity

the United States. and of this
number the great majority are em-
ployes of the Bell system. This is
taking into consideration only the girls
at central.
In addition to the army Of operators
at the central offices, there are thou
sands Of young women engaged as oper-
ators in private exchanges situated in
hotels, department stores and business
offices In New York, where the pri-
vate branch exchanges constitute a
large percentage of the telephone busi-
ness, the position of telephone operator
has advanced considerably in recent
years Indeed taking the county as a
whole, the telephone operator is now a
close second to the helpful steno-
grapher.
The telephone business is growing
so rapidly that there Is a constant de-
mand for good operators. AS n mat
ter Of fact, aside from the stenogra-
pliers who, it Is estimated. now number
about 100000, the telephone girls far
outnumber other professional worTen
in this country. Less than 1000 wom-
en- are procticing law. Between $1,000
and 10000 members Of the gentler sex
are engaged In the medical profession.
In fact, there are as many women
skilled in the art of curing natural
teeth as there are Portas ready to try
a case in court. According to reliable
estimates, between 1000 and 5000 women,
ranging from college students more or
less adept in the art Of padding club
gossip and retailing stories about
changes in the curriculum, to the un-
abashed veterans such as Judge Grant
portrayed in his novel 'Unleavened
Bread" help make American newspa-
ri oh dt,11 ro n
pared with the $4,000 girls pleasantly
and comfortably employed at central,
the 5000 women engaged In the more or
less precarious work of writing diluted
fiction with sanctimonious heroes, an
gelic heroines and of preparing treat
ises on hard-shelled craps and the
composition of the thirty-ninth stratum
found under the surface at Bulls Eye,
Nevada, are in a hopeless and unat-
tractive minority.
Even the number of dazzling crea-
lures who shine for time behind the
footlights and then either return to
their happy homes or capture belted
earls and scandalize the London dow
ages-even these pets of the tickle
public are in comparatively small
class, numbering about 1000. And the
varities are almost as numerous as the
individuals, spanning as they do the
solete tragedienne and the gifted lady
who turns somersaults in an auto.
The working girl Is very often better
off than the women engaged in a pro-
fession, and this Is particularly true
of the telephone girl. Telephone COM
panies demand reliable, intelligent and
courteous service, and in return they
extend to their employees, and parti-
cularly to the soft-spoken women at
ate treatment. The Bell companies,
early in the history Of the art, began
to introduce arrangements for the
comfort of the women who operate
the switchboards. Nowadays every
well-equipped exchange, from the
Pacific Coast clear across to the At
lantic, has it's room for -refreshmcnt
and recreation, in addition to the or
dinary conveniences.
The rest room. such as may be seen
in typical Bell telephone building, is
attractive and comfortable. There are
couches and easy chairs; on the tables
are books and magazines, both light
and serious reading; on the walls hang
pretty pictures and in the windows
blom fragrant plants. At lunch time
many of the companies in the Bell sys-
tenn provide beverages without charge.
Here and there, and particularly where
tHc 10 Slludltu apart
the hotel and dining room district, the
companies have provided even more
accommodations for their employees. In
one exchange in the middle west
there is a restaurant for the conven-
ience of the operators.
Their Menu
1t can be seen readily from the fol-
lowing that the fare is low priced and
of good variety.
Tomato, &c. Vegetable, &c.
Clam chowder, &c.
MEATS
Roast beef SC. Choice corned beef, SC.
Roast loin of pork, &C.
Veal stew. &C.. Beef stew, SC.
Cold boiled ham. &c. Baked beans, &c.
VEGETABLES
Potatoes, &c. Corn, &c. Tomatoes, &c. |
Fresh vegetables in season, &c.
BREAD
Bread. rolls, buns and cakes, 1c each.
Bread or rolls, with creamery butter, &c.
DRINKS
Coffee, &c. Tea, &c. Milk, &c.
The telephone operator is entitled
to especial consideration on account