The Washington herald., 1915-09-26
The Telephone.
By JOHN ID. BARRY.

The Telephone.
BY JOHN d. BARRY.
Many people make the mistake of abusing the
telephone operators. These workers, at what must
be a nervc-racking task, arc sometimes irritating
but they receive much more censure than they de-
serve. Often they are blamed for delays when
they not responsible. The truth is, however
that they have telephone at their mercy, and
sometimes they exercise their power to avcnge
their hurt feelings Those OF them who have any
sense of humor must often laugh at the express
sions of impotent rage that reach them over the
wire
Some one has called the telephone first aid
to liars The expression at once conveys its
meaning. Some people may even find verihca-
ton in their experience. There many
who the telephone to send messages that they
would not dare to deliver in the presence OF those
10 whom the messages are sent They either get
others to say the messages over the WIRE or they
speak themselves, distance and protection from
scrutiny giving them courage. There is no doubt
that it is much easier hb the telephone than
TO fb while under searching observation The
complications OF social life lead many people who
have the courage to say mo" to personal prof
escape.
OF course, in this kind OF cxped,ency there is
cowardice. And the telephone is often made a
resort for towards. Many persons with a griev-
ance will abuse the object of their enmity over
the telephone when they would not have the cour-
age to say word of reproach to his face. Here,
too, there is safety in distance, not merely from
SE nj bIIt frou that
moral power which some people exercise by their
mere presence. Public men are often abused over
the telephone by who refuse to give their
names-sometimes even by women.
In placing the telephone in a house very little
sense is often shown but, it must be admitted,
the problem may be difficult. If the bell is too
near it may become nuisance; if il is too far
away out of hearing it may be an incon-
venence. 1t is unfair to the rest OF the world for
those who have telephones to be careless in their
response to calls. And yet, in this regard many
telephone users show great sefshness. In calling
up number it is particularly exasperating to know
that the line is not busy and that some one is at
home and yet not to be able to secure a response
Story-tellers, jokers, and all persons who per-
form in private houses, such musicians and lee
turers, grievous sufferers from the teleph one
1t may rudely break into the noblest Of Beeth-
ovens sonatas, the most eloquent of peroratons
the most thrilling sidc-spltting of tales We all
know the misery Of having good story inter
rupted, whether we listening or telling it our
selves. Sometimes it is the speaker who is called
away. sometimes the listener.
If it is the speaker he has to begin all over
again, when the atmosphere is changed and the
interest has been dissipated. Politeness demands
its repetition however, and the situation is rem
dered all the more poignant when politeness for
gets itself and the story is not asked for.
Almost humiliating on the other hand. is
the insistence of the returning guest on hearing
the story he has missed. Unless it is particularly
hne one of those infectious things that can bear
repetition, the others have no desire to hear it
again. During its recital, always without the
earlier spontanety. they possess themselves with
a show of patience. Such test is usually dread
full exposure of the average dinner storys inferior
quality.
Voices over the telephone are always interest
ing. In some cases they make clear and almost
startling revelations of character Isolated from
those other physical qualities which NAV be dis
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