The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1908-12-31
The Telephone.
II has Ceased to be Luxury and Be-
come a Necessity.

il mas NedSSu ~ OS y ~~-y eAaAN
come Necessity.
Lima, Ohio, has new telephone equip
ment, recently installed by the Western
Electric Company. The building proper
represents an investment of $27, 900; and
the furnishings are estimated at $50, 900,
including the electrical work, making an
investment of $1,000. This exchange is
equipped with the best apparatus obtain
able, including the new Western Electric
switchboard, which is said to be marvel
of completeness and to embody all the
latest improvements known to switch
board practice. The Lima Daily News
is naturally much pleased with the insti-
tuition of this exchange, and what it says
of the telephone is of general interest:
The business man of today need not be
told the value Of the telephone for he al
ready knows this. What he does want
to know is, Will he be assured of good
telephone service? Many large business
deals are now daily closed over the tele-
phone and important matters involving
thousands of dollars are decided after
conference over the phone between two
men, who may be at the time hundreds
of miles apart. 1t was to insure the bust
ness men of the city good, reliable ser
vice that the Bell Company made the
recent improvements and after seeing the
smoothness with which the whole ex-
change is run we feel sure that the ser
vice now will satisfy even the most ex-
acting patrons.
The telephone has long passed the
stage when it was luxury to be enjoyed
by the we'll to do and has become neces-
sity, not only to public institutions and
private enterprises but to the home as
well. The telephone of today is ser
val.t to the city and the people and
very useful servant it is. Every public
building is equipped with telephones.
which are always busy taking care of
the departments of the city hall, in the
fire departments quarters throughout
the city, in the schools, the hospitals, the
police department, and in the offices Of
the water and light companies; and these
public institutions would be seriously
handicapped if their telephone connec-
lions were cut off even for an hour.
While the city finds it an absolute neces-
sity, the average citizen finds it just as
essential to his welfare. This is evi
denced by the large number of phones
which have been installed during the past
year in private homes.
A few years ago if we found it neces-
sary to call a physician it meant often a
walk of ten or twelve blocks through all
conditions of weather only to be told on
our arrival at his home that ''the doctor
was out, but perhaps Mr.. Smith, who
only lives seven blocks below, might be
in" Time in cases of sickness and acct
dent is the one important elemenl and an
hour lost in chasing up doctor often re-
suits seriously for the patient. Today
we can reach the doctors residence by
phone in a few seconds and if he happens
to be out we can call another in the same
length of time. This enables us to not
only save this valuable time but to re-
main at home as we'll
1t frequently happens that when
man calls up his wife unexpectedly and
informs her that he is bringing some one
home to dinner or lunch, his wife finds
herself unprepared and needs various lit
tie things from the store. But how is
she to get them? The store is often at
quite distance and she finds that she
hasn't the time to go for them. It's
case OF telephone or go without. BY
telephoning She can, in few minutes,
call up not only one store but several, if
necessary, and make arrangements for
having the goods delivered. In rainy or
wintry weather the telephone is the
housewives best friend. One woman in
speaking of her telephone calls it cher
friend on the WALL" and real good
friend it is.
AS social aid the telephone proves to
be of great value. Every day invitations
are issued over phone for those de-
lightful, informal functions fast becom-
ing so popular. Without a telephone
these would be quite difficult and often
impossible. With telephone our most
distant friends are always within call,
and in cases of emergency can be sum-
moned to our aid.