The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-08-27
Courtesy in Business
b, EAsEaT utuRanpr

Copyright, 1912, International News
Seryiee)
We are ruled by our habits.
/ First we form our habits, and then
our habits form US,
We are what we are on account OF
what we have thought. said or done.
After having done thing once, there
ia a tendency in the brain to do 1t
again. II continued, we get the
habit that Is, we do the thing with
out thinking, just as matter OF
course. Thus does habit become sec
ond nature.
What kind of people will we be
in Elysium?' they asked Socrates
fonr hundred years before Christ.
And his answer was. You Will be the
same kind of people you are today
because this life is a preparation FOR
the next. just as today is a prepara-
ton for tomorrow
Anv man with the crouch habit,
the "piker" habit. the frown habit,
the cigarette habit, the dope habit.
the booze habit. is on the creased
chute, and he himself is swabDing
the slide Also. there is sort OF
general disposition on the part OF
everybody to give him a push down
the road to Davy Jones locker,
In the heart of all Of us is the ten
dency TO pass back everything that IL
handed us.
once there was a man who said,
eff / had been around that day when
the Creator was making the world |
would have made a few suggestions.
And one of the auditors said, What
would you have proposed?'
Il would have made good health
catching instead Of bad.
That is just Hhere the critic iapsed,
The fact is, good health is catching
All good things are catching.
Ii man smiles. waves his hand at
you as you walk down the street IN
the morning. you wave your hand
back and smile in return uncon-
sciously, and often one little expert
5ence Ike this viii key for you the
day joyously
Courtesy, kindness, goodwill gen
crosby. llberality. are ali catching.
Nothing Is so contagious as smile
Try il on the first man you see.
Cast thy bread upon the waters
and it shall return after many uays
buttered, and sometimes with Jam
on il.
The advantage and benefit OF teIe-
phone courtesy is beyond computa-
ton
But the use OF the telephone re-
quires a certain amount of patience.
You must have faith that the man at
the other end OF the line has some
thing TO tell YOU that IS worth say
ing,
in the big central telephone offices
operators are selected with especial
care as to their voices. A girl may
have brains all right, but II she has
voice that screams screeches or
purrs, 10 that degree she is incompe-
tent either as a telephone operator or
as a salesman,
To speak distinctly and pleasantly
is a fine art A good speaking voice
is not SO much a matter OF training
as il is of right thinking. a person
who thinks well OF himself and OF
other people has voice that assures
People who are anxious, nervous. lrri-
table harassed, tired. reveal lhpa-
tienee in their tones.
Any one who uses the telephone,
be he operator or patron, arlstocrat
or plebian. should practice telephone
courtesy He should speak neither
too loud nor TOO low. but should en-
deavor to put smile into his voice,
and not tears. doubt or accusation
Many people. on taking down the
receiver, will shout, Who's this?'
Then. not getting an answer will say
Who are you, anyway" This is
followed up with What do you
want?" All of which is quite dis
courteous. absurd and inc9portune.
Any one taking down the receiver
should announce who he is. # you
were a salesman, on entering an office
you would not shout at the first man
YOU met. who is thise1 or Who
are you?"
When you call on a person You
have never before met, you certainly
do not demand that he should reveal
his identity until you have first re-
yealed yours.
You moderate your voice and you
speak pleasantly
On taking down the receiver. either
to answer c,>l or TO put one m
when you get your party. say. nus
is Mr.. Brown who is speaking Just
assume a pleasant attitude OF MIND
ana your voice will follow
have yoticed that trainmen on
certain railroads for the most TART
have pleasant voices. They call the
stations In way so they are under
stood. and they do not appear 10 be
bawling bad names al their enemies.
They are the voices OF men who are
we'll nourished, who get eight hours
sleep, who think well or themselves,
who are proud Of their jobs ana Oh
the road for which they work.