The Daily Missoulian., 1909-10-26
PROFANITY CONDONED
BY TRIBUNAL
IOWA COURT OF APPEALS is RE
PORTED TO HAVE DECIDED
ON vExtNG PROBLEM.

! The court of appeals Of Iowa In rc-
ported to hav" decided that a tslc
phor" company cannot refuse to pro-
vide service for a householder h'-
caus" h" swears at the operator. or.
apparently because he is in the habit
nf eavcsdropping on party lines, The
text nf the decision is not at hand and
it, fun effect therefore cannot b."
stated. but evidently the company Is
declared to he without power as u
! censor Of the language and manners
of it's customers. What recourse q,
te'@phnn" operator assaiicd with in
decent, violent or profanc ianEuas"
would have In" newspaper dispatc hes
ID not set forth 1t might he in Il
prosecution for diSord.rly conduct,
threat and assault For tn" creature
Who listens to conversations over the
line he uses boiling In mu~h is not too
severe punishment.
The temptation to profane and vio-
lent languag" over tn" telcphone is
felt and acknowledged even by those
strong men who resist it why in thu
number busy at the moment when W.
want To arranE" for tomnrrow'@ pic
ME? Probably it isn't at all; that
lazy girl is simply neslccting us AMI
flirting with some CLERK over the
wire Then comes strong language: Il
relief for the feelings. ii may he. but
We have been informed that ii reaches
tn. ears not uf the operator for whnL
IL is intended but of a callous person
whose sole duty IL is tn listen to the
abusive outhurStS of iratc customers.
There WAS once "A popular series nf
stories Of "fIirtatious operators" What
basis had these yarns? We never en-
Cnuntered AN operator who was othcr
than coldlE businesslike. our instinc-
tive Thank you," is cut In halves by
the pulling of plug or lifting Of Il
jack, or whatever mechanical action
disConnccts III" wire. viii you,
please" We begin when our watch has
run down. ASK information" comes
over the wire with q docorousnrss
that is anything but entiring. Il ain
much obliged" is cut off i'm the flower
of its polite youth by the final cIick
II may be that our voice is not at
tractive to the young woman at the
central office
/ As for Swearing at Il telephone orcr-
ator. IL belongs in the same class with
kicking the door ON which Il night
cropping householder has banged his
head. Tn" instinct to such useless
acts goes deep into human history
Prof Thisandthat asserts that 1t Is "A
survival from the stage Of dcvclon-
mont in which each rock. tree. river.
roo' and mountain had it's spirit. to he
EuI
Of its good will or malice believed dis
Greet. But who has not longcd IT.
take ii out" Of tho transmitter AMI
receiver when the essential guest
blanhly Informed him from IL miles
away. just us the butler Was annnunc-
ing dinner. that he had been forced
/" change his plans and couldn't get
over tonight OF course profanity Is
never indefcnsihi". but men are weak
Let tn" man III the house send his
wife tn the telephone when the guests
are arriving She dnrs not swear.
though only heaven knows how she re
strains herself from hot words a thou
sand times day
There ara" nj course. timid souls who
are xainrnus at tn. other end If seven
miles of wire. These are they who
having got n number they dill not
want. arrugantly tell the man who has
arisen from his easy chair to answer
the jingling bell to ring Off" in
ton" that conveys their conviction
that h" IL disturbing them on pur~
pose, and that they would punch his
hetd gladly could they reach him: hu.
all such profanity is ri no avail.
Answer them calmly: give your full
maine. business address and home ad-
dress. remark that lou will he AT any
spot an any hour that may suit their
convenience; declare that YOU are out
of condition. but still willing tn have
SO with any person whn boasts his
proNeSs from Il safe distance; and
add that the determination of muck
"r~ is ii subject of the deepest interest
tn the man who keeps his temper and
his decent manners when teierhoning,
New York sun.