The sun., 1916-10-23

on "Deaiing with People BY Telephone"
p subject which all office boys may be-
lieve they are well up on but which the
new training school faculty seems to
think Is still open to scholastic atten-
ton.
"The suns, Jimmy Consulted.
Jimmy. In your opinion" the re-
porter last night asked the only city
room office boy who was too weary at
the moment to lose himself on some
other floor, do you think the mastery
of answering the telephone is worthy OF
pedagogic expatidtiong"
"Whaddyuh NEAR answering the tele-
phone Jimmy finally gasped scornfully
when In time II was made clear to him
that a school in which the art was to
he taught soon would open It's doors.
They amt nothing to answering the
telephone right. Don't lettem tell yuh
different, DO. Chez! All they Is to 1t,
yuh go In the booth and yuh take of
the receiver n the big rummy at tho
other end seq. Hello. is this the"
The telephone bell In the nearest booth
to Jimmy rang just then. Jimmy was
for ignoring 1t temporarily. at least until
he had finished his remarks upon the
proper procedure any time a telephone
bell persists in interrupting the ever
tenor OF ones chosen career. w%hereupon
Jimmy was told, a bit sarcastically per-
haps. that undoubtedly he had a good
theoretic knowledge of the art, but
lacked practice.
Jimmy In Action.
So Jimmy took his feet of the desk.
got UP from the chair upon which he
had been sitting OF his shoulder blades
and answered the telephone bell.
Through the open door of the telephone
booth came sounds from Jimmy which
showed at once that efforts to teach the
average office boy how to answer a tele-
phone properly savored of the super
huous, as Jimmy had pointed out.
Hello" came Jimmy's voice from
the booth. Sure. it's the city room
don't letten tell yuh different. Whatcha
think 1t was. the Empire State Express
Who' No-there's no such party works
round this dump at all. DO. What
Aw. chase yerself! D'yuh uppose
don't know what guy works here and
what guys don't? Don't lettem tell yuh
different. Well. spell his name. Oh
him? Sure, he works here-why diddur
yuh pronounce 1t right when yut
started? Who's it wants him I don
make yuh-spell 1t. Alright. hold the
line"
"Lissen." sighed Jimmy as he planted
his shoulder blades some place in thu
r"cesses of the chair again. Some frest
guy with some kind of n name Xix.
Blablah wants tub speak t'yuh. ! ash
him as nee as ! could TO spell his nam,
out and he turns on me like I'm n dirty
crook. \ lot Of these rummies II get IA
shooting calldowns at me like they wa.
my own boss
"BlRbIah'' Comes Out "Black."
And upon going to the telephone {
was learned. sure enough. that the gen
ilcman on the other end had "A nam,
something like Blablah. but he pro
uounCe IL distinctly. even over the tele
phone. BLACK Iiut the whole inc.
dent only went to prove that Jimmy wa
t.ght-the reformers are wasting TIM
teaching office boys the art Of answer
ing "A telephone when the boys know
such simple technique Of their art back
wards.
And in like manne so employers in
terviewed on the matter sad last night
many OF N" other lessons in the nev
school will be- superfiuous. Lesson .
Thrift" for example. All employer
agreed that II there's one thing a Man
haitian office boy knows better than an
other It's the art Of asking for "A raise
As to the lesson hat follows on per
soral lis g.enc.' there isn't a boss o
office boys along Newspaper Row VIII
does not know hat one-third Of tn
working hours Of all the boys in office
are devoted To- washing their hands. one
third - seeking the water cooler in or
der to clear OUT their systems W.T.
drluchts OF expensive bottled water an
the res; ~ the time given over who'll
to seeking the Companionship Of othe
office boys out on some rear fire escap