The Columbia evening Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1920-1923, 1921-05-20
TELEPHONE is
"INFORMATIONn
IN MANY WAYS
Cake Recipes and Canital of
Peru Thought 10 Be Part
of Hello" Girls
Training.
CREEK LETTERS PUZZLE
Columbia Citizens Find 'Paquin
and Fraternity Names
Most Difficult to
Spell.
Il snme one shouId ask you 'wheTe


II some one should ask YOU where
he Philadelphia 1heater house was,
would you be able to tell them! Or,
after racking your brain madly. would
YOU finally tell them that no such place
c1isted2
II YOU were the information elrl IN
he central telephone Office. You Wovd
know by long experience hat the place
referred 10 was the Phi Delta Theta
house. and YOU would tell them 10 re-
fer to their telephone book to secure
the desired number.
Similarly. il yoa were. Information
and s,meone asked for the Cigar house,
YOU would refer ihem 10 their telephone
book under the name. Sigma Alpha Ep-
.ilcn. For Information has learned
bv long experience to tell just what You
mean when YOU call up and ask ioT
some queer sounding name. Indeed,
such queries as the above arc Of such
frequency at the telephone Office bat
she doesn't have TO puzzle over them any
more. but knows al once juss what place
the inquirer is referring to.
The fraternity and sorority houses
seem TO bother people mos, and many
people seem utterly unable 10 find these
Greek letter names in the telephone
bcok. They then call up -lnf9rmatiou'
and arc quite angry when they find all
their trials we're caused by an inability
to spell.
Another name which is hard for Peo-
pie tospell is Paquin and inquiries about
the spelling Of certain streets and city
names are frequent.
Although the telephone Office is not
supposed TO answer any questions re-
garding anything except matters relat-
ing 10 the work Of the telephone com
pauy itself, such as changes Of num-
bers and street addresses. nevertheless in I
a town as small as Columbia the iniorma- I
lion girl is called upon to answer ques-
ticns, some Of ;hem amusing but others I
quite serious.
During the football season or on the /
occasion Of auy athletic event. the usual
FIVE or six hundred daily calls are in !
creased enormously as everyone is anxious I
10. know What the score is, and this be-
ing a college town. the information girl
finds it a par; Of her work to give such
Before the war the information girl
gave the time 10 persons WHO caiied in
asking for it and this occupied a large
part Of her time. People would ofien
time the preparation Of their meals by
means of Central rather than using iheig
own clocks. When the war broke out
and il was decided to discontinue the
practice Of giving The time. many people
rame to the telephone Office and OBJ
iccfed 10 the new ruling. One woman
said that she would never be able TO
get her bread baked prope4y if in
formation refused to give her the cor
rect time. Another woman revealed the
'sct that she depended on Central to tell
her the time 10 start her preparations
or the evening meal each 6ay.
The practice Of giving the time has
never been taken up again, but even
low many people use ingenious methods
o Try to get Central to tell them. For
Instance, if ihey hear a bell ring
whistle blow, thew will cali Central and
isk il that was the Z O'Clock whistle
II the o'clock whistle.
Among the many qussiions, serious
md amusing. which the information girl
las to answer each day are the follow a
ng: Who lives in the big house on c
Ne northwest corner Of such and such
street? How much are eggs selling
or today? What Is the population Of
uch and such a town: How many
niles is il TO such and such place?
hat IS the grain OF hog market to- =
lay! What was the date Of the :orna-
% which was here a few wears ago? :
Because the railroad Offices are moi f
pen al all hours. it is necessary for
he local telephone Office to answer MANY
iquiries in regard to train time and
hey are obliged 20 keep constantly in.
ormed about al changes. n
50 the information girl at the central
ihce finds herself rather a clearing.
ouse for desired information regarding III
rerything Of interest TO almost everyone III
! Columbia. From giving a recipe for
Ime tasty bin Of food, she may pass 20 III
lswering some historical inquiry. the III
'luiion Of which will settle an argu. III
eHi or bet. h's an iteresting life n
It a iemPer-wearing one, and one won. III
rs if the qualifications for being an II
formation girl do not include the wis VI
IN Of Minerva and the patience of Job :
IN