Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-01-24

da Kelly did. She saved Womans
name and she showed she couldn't
be scared. | think she was a prac-
teal and typical operator, Mrs.
Dora Thompson, Georgia Railway
and Power Company.
81 think she was fine. She was
brave woman and a practical oper-
ator"-Miss IL. c. Mcdonnell,
Keely's.
LAS private board operator.
maybe / would have done the same.
But as a switchboard operator.
serving the public | don't think so.
Anyhow, the same problems don't
come to us that came to Wanda
Kelly."-Miss Ruth Futral, South
ern Bell.
A womans heart is the same the
world over-a heart fun of sympathy,
and yet heart to be steeled and hard
at times.
But the sense of duty varies with the
different women. and whether Wanda
Kelly, operator heroine of the play,
The Woman" was right when she cut
off a call to save a woman's name and
refused to divulge the number called,
still is a matter of dispute, although
twenty telephone girls of Atlanta have
| spoken on the subject.
Telephone girls from Atlanta's
swtChboards have a variety of optn-
| ions. Twenty of them saw the play
last night. and although all of them
| love Wanda Kelly for her pluck and for
her sympathy. there are some who
think she should have been on her job
and not Quitting in" on the affairs of
other persons.
They are in the minority, though.
Most of the girls give enthusiastic in
dorsement of the plucky heroine who
defied a lobby of old line politicians,
and won out
Problems of Girls Differ.
The difference of opinion comes be-
cause there are operators and opera
tors and as many viewpoints as opera
tors Because, after all, Wanda Kelly
| spoke the truth when she said that the
switchboard was the whole world. The
hello" girl of the public board is not
! of the same sphere as the operator OF
| the private, boards of Offices and hotels
and stores. Their problems are differ
ent, the girls explain. Their philosophy
is different. For instance:
Wanda Kelly had no business but
ting in but when she was in. maybe
| she was right in going as far as she
did" the girls OF the Southern Bell
| orJ pa lS -
will tell you.
Wanda Kelly did as ! would have
done or as any other telephone girl or
| other woman, either, would have done
| She was fine" is the consensus of opin-
ion of the P. 3. operators-as the girls
on the private boards are known tech
nicaly in the switchboard world.
Think Only of Service.
The girls themselves explain it. The
| p. B. operator has more of an intimate
touch with things about her. She has
more privileges. they say. Her sympa-
thes are with those about her most of
whom she knows.
But the public board operator, work
ing with thousands and thousands of
persons serves the Great Public and
| like a true public servant has her
! thought and her conscience directed
| only toward efficient service. That is
| why the Southern Bell girls say that
they would not kin a call Maybe they
would as a p B. operator, but never on
the public switchboard.
But be that as it may. there is none
who does not pine, after last night, to
| L. :; II. l.
| ". Whether their view point is the i'm
| personal one of the Southern Bell
board, or the warmly personal attitude
of the private board girl, they are girls
after all, and very much smtten with
| the woman of their craft who fought
| for another woman.
All Call Wanda Good Operator.
| They all admit that in one way or
another. They may not all approve
| Wanda's methods. but oh, how their
hearts went out to her when she was
in trouble!
They all think she is a good operator
They laughed sympathetically when she
cut off the fellow who wanted date"
| They knew that she was on her job
when she told the cranky old woman
the time of day-when she handled
angry men and women all with the
cool, tolerant, patient tone
AT last the people can see that we
are human beings said one delighted
operator today.
But the girls all frowned a Wanda :
occasional eavesdropping. They were
| shocked in fact.
They Never Listen!
"Oh. no, we never do that" they said
! in unison,
The girls who saw the show loved
Wanda Kelly from the FIRST They gig
gled, right out, plainly eiggled when
they saw and heard her do things that
they do every day. They hung breath
less on the tense periods and there
were three who displayed smarting, red
palms this morning from their enthusi-
astic manner Of appaudng the hello"
girl Of the Washington hotel