Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-07-07
"INFORMATION," THE TELEPHONE
HELLO GIRL" WHO MUST KNOW

If it be true that womankind is 8
riddle to man, a question mark pune
tuating the sentence Of the males
married life, and without question a
questioner Of ability, then "informa-
tion." the girl of the telephone .ex-
change called by that word, is the OPP
posite Of her sex. She's a contradic-
ton OF her kind. An answerer of ques-
tons. For that's her job-or rather
their Job, for there are two of them in
the local exchange-to give phone
users information, to answer ques-
tons.
And the questions they answer. The
information they give. The services
they perform free. If all they did for
those who talk over the wires was linn
tied to business closely related to the
first purpose of the telephones ready
means OF communication-the task
would be simpler, the job less labor
ious. But it isn't. The services they
perform run a gamut that extends all
the way from rousing the farmer from
his bed and sending him to the corn
field to telling Mrs. Busybee when the
hour is up and it's time to take the
bread from the oven. ~
Don't laugh at the reference to about
awakening the farmer. Don't sheer at
the housewife baker, whose clock 'in-
formation is The farmers call Is a
standing order with information, the
busy breadmaker an occasional appli-
cant for "information's" help. Both,
and many others, come to her for aid
or with questions to be answered. They
make the parcel and the whole of her
job.
If telling YOU and me what Jones'
phone number was when we know only
the street number or the name, was all
she had to do '.information's". job would
be not unlike a pink tea, it would be SO
easy. But there is added to that by the
thousands of phone users endless little
tasks that, put into eight hours, make
"fnformation's"' working day busy.
If you want to know what the wealth
er forecast is YOU ask information. If
you want to know when the 10: 80 train
leaves you call information. If doubt
arises as to the name of the president
of the First Sound and Safe Bank, ring
Information. If you want to catch
the 1:45 express ask information to
call you, (but don't get sore if she rings
long and loudly to break your sound
sleep0 If you don't know how to spell
a word, maybe Information does. If
an accident happens and doctor is
needed badly spnd at once, perhaps "in-
formation" can get one quickest. So
on and on it goes. She can even tell
you the date and the day of the week,
if you don't know. And perhaps she
can tell you a lot of other things.
But the paragraph just lists some of
the things she has done, and is doing
for others, If not for you. But among
the qualifications for her job there is
none that demands that she be a
human encyclopedia dictionary a his
torian and a prophecies. Being human
she has her limitations.
First Of all important to her work
is the giving of telephone numbers to
subscribers. But every day she tells
inquirers how trains are running,
whether late or on time. In fact one
railroad reports to Information" each
morning and night the probable con-
dition of its trains. She knows fire.
quently about the trains OF other
! roads, because she knows she will be
asked and when q phone patron In
! auires, of the railroad "informations
sometimes cuts in and gets the time
,, for herself. She finds 1t useful per-
haps moment later.
More often than you imagine she is
asked who is the head OF some cor
poration or business firm OF the city
Every day she tells patrons what the
weather forecast is. Each morning the
Western Union reports 1t to her. Lee
Grand is her steadiest weather Gus
toner. Each morning that town calls
for the weather and it's always or
tap with informatin. Is
| It's quite the common thing to be
called by central to catch train OF
get on the job early. She has more
calls to awaken sleepers than any nigh
hotel clerk in town. More men 60 L
! work each day to the whirr of ths
alarm clock In their Phone which ahl
/ sets of, than you might suppose Thu
very morning she aroused no leg. thsr