The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1917-07-02

that ! was not yet anywhere near
being one OF the girls"
PIN out one OF these applica
tons for the training school. A"
said Miss Yonkcrs
Ny education. birthplace. age.
former occupations. home condl-
tons. all went on the application
blank.
Then the assistant measured
my height and in the semilight
tested my eyeHight. assured
her my ears were In Al condi-
ton that nothing escaped them
and was dismissed
ECHO GOES TO SCHOOL
Principally at eight O'Clock tho
following morning filed into the
office on Fourth ave. with n
crowd OF fellow students
Many were advanced In the
school OF telephone operating.
and they made us poor rockies"
feel their superiority. They talk.
cd among themselves OF Jacks"
and "ringdown operators" and OF
multiple circuit" lines all OF n
worse than Greek or Hebrew TO
the less learned ones.
But In union there is strength.
We frozh mingled not with the
girls OF the upper class. hut trod
into the room assigned 10 US and
took our seats before long. mar.
row tables
We were supplied with the
First Lesson" book. paper and
pencils. and left 20 study the
first essentials OF telephone op-
Grating. After reading the los
son from cover TO cover sir or
seven times. began TO realize
that there was n lot more to the
operating game than sweet
"hellos
turned and surveyed tho girls
in the rear OF me-. sixteen heads
were buried in their books
NO TomFooLERY
SAY. What In thunder's this
lack we read 50 much about"
! asked at random.
No one seemed any wiser than
myself
was sitting half turned in my
scat when the door opened and
the instructor entered
She looked NJ me.
you were talking"
why. OF course-er-.' STAN
mered
We'll. remember YOU are in
school" she said sharply. You
are 10 maintain perfect order
and study your lesson"
The good old days OF hooky
and whispering and fooling the
teachers returned 10 me. and !
think II terminated In the rest OF
the girls. for when the instructor
again left the room they whis.
pered together cxcitedly.
GETTING THE ROPES
At 10:45 recess was called and.
arm.in-arm with Rose. the little
girl who studied at the table next
TO me. walked out and UP the
stairs to the restroom.
"Oh. you mustn't walk to-
gcther." | heard n piping voice
behind me say. Always single
file up and down the stairs"
looked over my shoulder II
was one of those terribly sophis-
ticated 18th lesson girls
THE RECREATION PERIOD
During the fifteen.minute rest,
the girls played the piano, talk.
ed, or lay on the touches and
rested. One girl came up 10 me
and put on me some new per
fume she said she had gotten the
day before.
With another discussed the
joys of dancing the toddle and
shuttle. The majority were young
girls many of them entering the
working field for the first time
In their lives.
After recess we went into
'lhNRlOblli NUfif uli lilNNl llf1lil
told us that the mysterious
Jacks" were another name for
the holes into which the plug is
inserted.
On dummy switchboard. the
teacher showed phone connec-
tions, how nickel phone is
operated. and the division of the
switchboard into the thousands
OF little holes. each of which
means "A number.
GETS HOME LUNCH
Just like in the good old school
days of yore. we asked questions
and found myself eagerly in.
quiring the meaning of "a opera.
tors" and "B operators" and
multiple jacks"
After the class hour we hur.
ried up the stairs TO the lunch
room. where we wrote on little
slips the food we wanted. The