The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1909-12-17
FAREWELL TO "HELLO."
Time Honored Salutation Cast Aside
as Result of Operators Agreement.

as Result Of Operators Agreement.
Chicago, Dec. 11.-"Hello," as sal
utation by telephone has gone into the
discard.
If you are member Of the Anal
gamated Order of Telephone Operators
and catch yourself using the time hon
ored, proverbal, and otherwise noted
term of speech, telephonely speaking,
you may feel you are likely to get in
Dutch.
For upon the say so of prominent
official of the Chicago Telephone COM
pany, hello" was rung off, 10, these
many moons ago. The elimination, as
the layman knows and the official ad-
mits, is more or less theoretical so far,
but the wires are being pulled to that
end and when an operator forgets the
sparks fly.
This inside line on correct phone
grammar, or telegrammar, as you wish,
got onto the public receiver through a
little extra lesson they are teaching
up at the Lake View branch. Some
of the girls there have been stumbling
onto the ancient term every now and
then, and to put them right they
passed around little protocol, or
some such thing, and had 'em all sign
up. The signers bound themselves to
pay l cent a word every time the word
was hello"
One of these told friend in strict
secrecy about the system for the up
lift of modern language, and that's
how many learned for the first time
that the telephone hello" now be-
longs to the ages.
A skeptical person called up operat-
ors in various parts of town yesterday,
and now acknowledges that the Off
calls statement is final. 1t is really
astonishing when the long life of the
word is considered to learn to what
extent it has fallen into disuse in Chi
cago.
OF half a dozen girls talked to on
the subject for periods of one to three
minutes only two went back to the old
form of opening up the conversation.
Out of the conversations the following
are chosen as representative:
pllZ.
"How's that?"
Gimme y Observation-Disclosures
bier, plizzzz!"
80, number you mean. Well, don't
want any number. just want to talk
to you about little story"
"Waitaminit, givyu chifoperator!"
Here, don't want chief operator"
"Whassthat? Try 'em agin. Nauuu-
uumm-hello-no, | mean drop nick
ell, pliz!"
Chief operator-the operator had
her way about it-"No, we don't say
hello any more. o, it has been out of
fashion ever so long. Really, | can't
just now say how long. No. we never
signed any agreement not to use it,
but we never do, anyhow. Well may
be now and then, but it isn't good. AS
the manager says, it doesn't mean any
thing. Just minute, please-Yes?
Well you've got Harrison double o X
2 Y. Try 'em aga"
Out Englewood way the salutation
was startling. When you're trying to
get young woman on the wire whom
you've never seen, and never expect
to, and a dulcet voice comes ripping
from many miles away to your ear
rs that you, dear?"-
Well, the reader may imagine the
experimenter was surprised.
But it wasn't the operator, and the
greeting was going to some one else.
! Merely a case of crossed wires.
Over on the west side the girl as
serted she never said "hello," and
when she was asked what she used for
a substitute her answer was about as
illuminating as wOman's because.
1t was 80, anything"
well, what, for instance?"
20, just anything"
| Then she rung off.