Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-04
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

equation into this great necessity and
utility. We do not know Just what the
proportion is between familiar calls
which one makes and unfamiliar, but
probably most men In business call
more numbers with which they are un-
familiar.
Under the old system it was easy
enough to look at q strange number in
the book, repeat 1t to ones self q
couple Of times, and then remember it
long enough to give 1t to the operator.
After that it was her lookout. The
patrons responsibility was ended.
With the dial phones one is required
to keep track of two entirely different
matters, the handling Of the right hand,
and the handling of the memory. This
is further complicated by the use of
the letters, especially with three to
every number, and the use OF the two
upon the same spots.
An old saying declares that mo one
can do two things at the same time, ="
yet that is exactly what the dials call
upon one to do-to do a little fancy
twiddling with the finger, while at the
same time keep in mind a sequence of
numbers.
It will be found helpful to most users
of the dialS to write out on piece OF
paper the number which they want to
call. This applies particularly to the
unfamiliar calls.
Often the dial will slip, or rather one
will dial clumsily. Immediately the at
tention will be called to ones poor han
ding of the mechanism, just long
enough to permit the mind to forget the
next number to be twirled.
Those who dial seem to be divided
between the use of the right forefnger
and a lead pencil Just why some take
to the use of the pencil Is mystery,
when the index finger serves very well,
indeed.
we heard Of one woman who asked
for a pencil to make q call, thinking
that the job could not be done with any
other instrument.
Use Of the dials in the fiat position
seems easy enough, but to many their
placement in an upright or vertical
position makes for clumsy handling
Their use in this position in the booths
peculiarly complexities difficult telephon-
ing. Some inventive genius ought to
do something to improve the booths.
They are hot, stuffy and uncomfort-
able, especially in hot weather. Now,
with the coming of the dials, they are
particularly disagreeable. If one finds
1t necessary to write out the number
in order to have 1t before his eyes while
he Is dialing, he will find that there is
no place to put the slip Of paper. Ho,
huml
Yet surely one is going to miss the
"hello girl" and the opportunity she
offered Of some one to "talk back to-"
1t is amazing how quickly the aver
age male telephone user can Fly of
the handle" especially in the morning
hours before he has warmed up to
the day.
It is no mystery-especially to tele-
phone girls and stenographers-that the
average business man does not smile
until about 10 or 1890 am, no matter
how good breakfast he has had.
1t is during these early morning min
utes that the "hello girl" gets s"bawled
out" the most. Then she is submerged
beneath a barrage of masculine sar-
casm. That she remains as pleasant
as she usually does Is vastly to her
credit.
The dial phones, we are told, will
offer a mute mechanism, infallible, re-
lentless and remorseless, instead of q
very human being. If you dial 1t cor
rectly, it will respond correctly; If it
does not produce, the user has made a
mistake. The machine wins again.