The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-09-13
Don't Be a Time Thief
By ADA PATTERSON

A man stood beside a desk in the ante- room of a suite of offices and indulged in silent mysteries. If ever man was moved to kick and howl as he did in the remote period of his infancy this one did. It was patent to everyone who waited in that ante-room except the man who was causing it. He was telling a fish story. The fish story followed a snake anecdote And that had been the sue sessor of "reminiscences of "when we were at school together, old fellow, All of which might have been pleasant at lunch con or at club. In business office it was wicked violation of another's s
 rights A mans right to earn his and his famly's living, and perhaps a little more, without molestation by time pill ferers. is one that should have been men, toned among those listed in the Dec laration of Independence. ? If ever a man
 has a right to be let alone 1t is when
 he is at business. Calls to renew &C., quaintances or to tell stories of old times are more than nuisances. They are ir- ritations, exasperatons, provocations to
 dark deeds
 Talking about ones self is an arrant waste of time in most cases. It is amaz- Ing how few care about our affairs and how little they care who do.
 Don't be time thief. Respect the time of others as vigorously as you respect their pocketbooks. I have no more right to prolong my call until you cast fur tive glances at the clock than you have to filch s10 bill from my shopping bag.
 The man or woman who tells a te- dious story Is as much a thief as the man who stands before the judge and tries to explain how he came to be in possession of stolen goods. It is in the power of all of us to be terse If may pi o1F <x-oi ix,s~,
 its of rambling speech should be broken Our speech should be as direct as the bullet that hits squarely the bulls eve The only excuse for the rounabout state ment is the wish to spare someone's feel ings. Euphemism is an overrated habit. Come to the point" I heard a beset business man hurl at a caller who made too long a preface to the essential speech Three minutes is long time for call" is rude but effective reminder above a desk of the head of New York office A plain, succinct statement of ones er- rand in a business office may be made in third of that time. It will then remain for the possessor of the office to deter mine whether it requires more than thu, remaining two minutes for discussion. He may think a half minute quite enough.
 Watch yourself for day and see how many things you can catch yourself at verbal ramblings. One days self inspec- tion will make you wiser though less self-satisfied.
 Telephones are first aids to purloiners of others time. Regard that square, un- lovely box with it's metal attachments on the wall as an instrument for the furthering of business. It is not love- making tool. It has caused more quar- rels than marriages. Leave it to grocers and stock brokers and your brief but nec- essary communications with them.
 If you write long letters you are thief of time. One typewriter page is enough for business letter. Four written pages is enough for a letter of love and friend ship. One reason that the letter has gone out of fashion except as a business me dium is that so many have abused it They have filled qures with nothing If the woman-it usually is woman-who writes an eight or 12-page letter could see the face of the person who receives it. could see it pushed aside after glance to await chance to read it, she would never repeat her fault.
 Respect others time as you want yours respected. Life for many Americans is as leisurely as dash for the next train l We are as little justified in appropriat- l ing his time as we would be in cutting a tendon to stop his race to the sta- tion.