The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, September 17, 1919, Image 9
VOLUME XXXV. LAURENS, SOUTH CAROLINA, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1919.
NUMER
What a Telephone
While
(Hunter Griffin, in Macon, Ga., News.)
You've heard the silvery, smile-voich
:chirp "Number, please," and If you
are romantically Inclined, you have
pictured the girl a dream of beauty,
endowed with the sweet disposition
you expect of your ideal.
Perhaps you became so interested
that you sought an Introduction.
Maybe you were disappointed. It was
because phonetics and inflections did
not convey to you the real appearance
and personality of the person whose
voice charmed.
It is not so with the young women
that man the switchboards at the
telephone exchange in Macon. They
can judge appearances to a nicety
from tones that come over the busy
wires.
Not. Hollo Girls.
And in the beginning it may as -well
be understood they are not "Hello
Girls". There was a time,, when the
business of transmitting conversation
was (n its infancy, that they could
be so termed. But now "Hello" is
stricken from the telephonic code. It
is useless and consumes time. Then,
too, it sounds naughty if the accent
is nisplaced.
They don't like the word and they
resent its application to their profes
sion.
Answer With Question.
Perfect enunciation, tact, initiative
and courtesy are the essentials of
successful 'careers. They are taught
to answer calls with questions. When
a number is given they repeat with
emphasis on the last figure as if "Is
that correct?" This prevents many
mistakes.
\\"hen the line is busy they say so
in tones that convey, "I am very sorry,
but I cannot give you the number
now; the line is busy." Of course, it
would be impossible to carry on such
long conversations without delaying
service, but "line's busy" conveys the
same.
A busy man calls a number. lie
has an important message. It means
dollars to him. Ills nerves aire key
ed to the highest pitch. lie snaps out;
operator repeats the number, and
then finds it busy.
"Line's busy," she calls back.
"What's the matter I can't get that
number; I know it can's le busy all
the time." Perhaps a muttered oath
accompanies the complaint.
Sympathetie ''one.
"Line's -)busy" and the sympathetic
tone comes into play as if to say, "I
am really very sorry; I can get your
party in a few minutes."
Usually the ire leaves the voice at
tile other end of tile line. and the man
feels that coals of fire have been heap
ed upon his head.
But sometimes even the smile-voice
fails to overcome the chronic grouch.
Comphlints- it are (lade. All are pare
fully invest igat ed. On severual occa
sions it has been found n11ecessaruy to
"miiove thle stations'' so that oper'ator1s
of more e'xpeiellnc and ltact cann srive
t,he ill-I emperedC~ patrons11. Ti' s is ill
frequent, hlow~ever.
Then~ there's the1 masher', who In..
NOTIC'E 01" Ei.l'TION.
State of South Canrolhuia,
(Couinty of JLauregns.
Whereas, petitions signedt by a legal
numbllier of the qualified electors and
fr'ee-hlollers residing in L.aurens
schlool dlistrict No. 2, 'baurens county,
South Carolina, asking for an election
upo)01 tile question of voting an addi
tion'ul 4 mill tax'11pon the prioperty ini
sai4 school district to be ulsedl for
school purp'ioses, have' been filed with
tile county board of education, an'
elegtion is 'hereb~y ordered upon said
question, said election to he held( on
the 2nd day of October, 1919, af, Prosa
-*pect school building in said1 district,
utnder' the rmanagement of the trustees
of said schlool district.
*Only such eetors as return r'eal
or personal Drolierty for taxation 'and
*who exhibit. their tax r'eceilts'and reg
15traitioni certificates as r'eqluired in
the gener'al election shall b~e allowved
to vote..
Thlose favorinig the 4 mii additional
tax shlall 'oie a ballot containing the
wordl "VES"' wr'itten or prlinted there
on. Thlose against the 4 mill addi
tional tax shall vote a' ballot conitain-.
lng tile wordl "NO" w'ritten 01' prinited
thereon. Polla shall open at the hlouri
. of 8 o'clock in the forenoon andl shaill
"e' ''aIn o's'n unt iIlie hour11 of 4 o'clock
in I lie afternoon when they shall he
eloqgd, and the ballots counted.
The trustees shall report the result
of the election to the county auidtor
('nd ,COnntv sluneritendent or educea
tion within ten dnvs thereafter.
9-2t y orer o CuT.yWI al.
Girl Learns
Listening to Voices
sists on holding purring conversa
tions with the operators. lie is as
effectively rebuked as if emphatical
ly inforied, "I have nio time to waste
oin your kind." The only words ac
tually used are, "Number, please?"
"Oh, yes," smiled Miss 1, 1la John
stoU, chief operator, who \las been
with the company nine years; "oper
ators nearly always can tell appear
ances and dispositions from the voices
that come over the wires. They are
seldom wrong. It may be intuition
that enables them to do so, but more
likely it is the careful training they
receive. Every sound indicates some
thing to them: Of course, it is com
paratively easy to ascertain one's dls
position by the way he asks for num
bers."
Other operators say a "frightfully
large number of men lose their tem
pers and curse over the 'phones." They
conciliate them as much as possible,
and it is seldom that soft 'words fail
to appease.
78,M0 Calls a Day.
In the old days operators frequently
knew the whereabouts of physicians,
oilcials and others. and could furnish
the information in emergencies. But
those times have passed. Seventy
eight thousand calls are handled daily
by the .Macon exchange of the South
ern Bell, and it is impossible now
for even veterans to keep track of
such details. One hundred and thirty
five young women are required to care
for the telephonlC conversation of
Macon. Thirty-five are at the switch
board at a time. Forty-eight. handle
long distance messages. One thousand
long distance messages are handled a
day.
Take a look into the operating
room. The switchboards are arranged
In a seml-circle. Lights flash 4nd con
nections are made. Supervisors walk
behind the row of operators, much
as sentries walk their posts. At a
desk Is the chief in conference with
another operator. There Is no con
fusion. l'Werything works with me
chanical precision. There is no hal)
ble of tongues. Occasionally a voice
is heard; but the even tones go so
clearly and softly into the instruments
there are no discordant notes. Yet
every tone means something.
The 8 mile Voice.
Mr. -- is trying to get. his
home. Ills wife is engaged in a long
conversation with a neighbor. Per
haps they are devouring a choice bit
of gossip. lie calls again; the numi
ber is still busy. Ile is vexed, and
slams up the receiver. Again he calls.
Ills vexation increases. The smile
tones of the operator are brought in
to. play, and his voice coimles less
harshly.
The operator has formed her opin
ion; but lie is not put in Ihe grouch
mlass. ''There are extenuating ('Irrum
stances, and1( she makes allowances.
A young man sailIs. The numbler is
repeated. "Yes, sugar," lhe replies.
"resh,'' is the sidie remarak of the
operator as she makes the connec
tion, andl the girl next to her smiles
knowingly. "'Ile has curly halir andl a
plng mtoustachle,'' sihe says. "1 Ic call
edl the same numbher' yesterd(ay." Thus
the verdict is r'enderedl.
A story is told1 of one young w~oman
who form'd opinion frdm voices, and
who amused her'self when off dluty
by riding in str'eet car's and, with eyes
closed, listening to voices to compare
her impr1essions wvith realities. 'The
Impression was right In nearly cver'y
case.
SiUNTENUED) FOIR D!ILOYALTY'.
'Non-Partisan Leagiue Offleers Ene'1
Get Three Months In Minntesotd
Court.
Jackson, Minn., Sept. 15.-J?. It'.
Towniy, presidlent of the Non-Partisan
League andI Joseph Gilbert, former' or
ganization mianager', were sentenced
to three months in the Jlackson coun
ty jail here todlay b~y Judge E. C.
Deanti, -without alternative of fine.
Towniley and (Gilbert were convicted
her'e July 12 on a char'ge of conspiracy
to teach dlisloyalty.
.Judlge l)ean granted a stay of sen
t ence of sixty days at the reqiuest of
the attorney tor' the diefense, on their
or'igipaal bail. In passing sentence,
.Judge D~ean assaIled Towniey and the
Non-PartIsan Ieague, and dieclaredi
"and organizat Ion built on falsehood
will not long endure,"
31ACON Sli(ElU8
AllANDON FIG1iiT
Textilie Workers Surrender Uncondi
tionally A fter 31111 Owners liefise
A~f,.rj da., Sept. 15.-On1 the un
con( 0a surrender of 2,000 textile
wor.10W and their agreement to re
turn to work as soon as the mills re
open, "police and flremen' tonight have
defled the order of the civil service
commission that their unions must be
dissolved at once.
Chief of Police Warren McWilliams,
who was promoted on Saturday, when
Chief Bowden resigned, declared at 9
o'clock tonight that the policemen who
report off duty at midnight will be
ordered to turn in' tlieir badges, or
their union cards.
Former service men, many of whom
were members of the Rainbow divi
sion, are ready to protect the city, it
was announced. These men have been
assembled at the different armories,
sworn in as sheriff's deputies.
it was reported tonight that Fire
Chief L. M. -Jones, who had been or
dered to obtain the union cards of
ill firemen or resign, has refused to
carry out the order. He is a member
of the union. Chief Jones refused to
make a statement.
The firemen are standing firm, ev
eni hooting the members of the civil
service commission when the order
was read at the different meeting
houses of the city.
"They'll have to put us out with
guns," was the comment at the
DIo
It will pay y
are comph
basis of
have
Ready-to-W
Sylishi Fall Coals . . .. .. .
Ileiti i ul C'oait Stls..
Silk Dresses .... .... ...
Georgette Waists....
Siik I l i rt .... ....
. Millinery
WeT1 'arme shmowinug ithe b m
(elnters. I f you want to han
hero ait a modera~mite picet.
stirong and Miss Mary Pete
this de'partment.
We' Strive V
Minter
hlead(Iuarters engine house.
The police say they Will remailn on
the job regardless of whether the iil
itary take charge. They are to turn
in their badges, it Is said.
Th1e nest Move to dissolve the uin
ions is not known at this time, but
the events of the day have broken st.
rapidly hat anything may be looked
for before daylight.
The fact that the firemen them
selves are the only ones familiar with
the automobile apparatus makes It
diflicul t for their places to be ill ed,
the commissioners say.
The commissioners demanded the
dissolution of the two uimons this af
ternlooll after a mllass meeting of citi
ecns had demanded that the commis
sioners dissolve the policemen's and
firemien's unions. The action of the
mass meeting was endorsed by the
builders' league flve minutes after the
neeting adjourned. The civil service
commission acted a half iour later.
Must Attend School.
Columbia, Sept. 15.-Morris G.
Lumpkin, assistant attorney general,
has given an opinion in which lie holds
that tile state compulsory attendance
school act means that the children
must attend eighty consecutive days
instead of spread Indiscriminately
through the school year. Any other
interpretation would practically in
validate tle law, he says.
The law was passed at the last ses
slon of tile general assembly to com
pel all children between the ages of
0 and 1.1 years to attend school four
mnonlths or eighty days. There has
been some confusion, but as the law
says consecutive months. 1he says it
means consecutive days.
our Fa
Ea
Du to shop earl3
.te. Many of o
the low prices
to be replaced i
ear Department
. .... ...$19.98, $35.00 and tp
. . . . ......$ 2 5 .0 0, $ 3 5 .0 0 n .p
.... .... $22.50, $30 Zj 11nL
. .. . ... .. . ..$2.00 anld $30.00
-...... .. .. ... .$4.98 to $6.98
. . .. ......... ..$3.98 to $0.50
.. .. .. .$8.60, $10.00 a nd $12.50
Department
.All r'ight fro th11 Ie greatI stylie
ve thme r'ight hat1, youl will fhind it
V l adgett, .\irs. C. H . ArPm
rsoni will be glad to) show you ini
a Make This Si
re are Always C
Co. Cash I
Laurens. Soi
AN EXAMPLE OF QUALITY
The'care with which we select every article offered you in
this store is illuptrated by the SAXON Line of Medical
and Toilet Preparations.
You cannot go wrong on any article purchased here and
will be particularly pleased by SAXON Locust Buds
Cream, SAXON Lenn Verbena Lotion and SAXON
Violet Foot Powder, e ave a dependable SAXON
Product to meet every need perfectly.
PUTNAM'S DRUG STORE
MOD[RN TONSORIAL PARLOR L
Three White Barbers Ready to Serve You
Your Patronage Solicited
Courteous Attention to All
Special Invitation to Our Country Friends
and Textile Boys .
McCRAVY'S BARBER SHOP
Enterprise National Bank Building
11 Shopping
rly
r this season, while the stocks
ur goods are priced on the
, which,' when sold, will
it much higher prices.
Shoe Department
This is onil, om lein1.g d p rm ns We Sell m11nt1
Iiiiiin ireds oI* 1 1\irs h o We e to geiv.e yon Ihe best
\;lue(s mlonley\ will buly. 'No( prIofitevring. hlere. Shoems '1re
hi igier 11ut we k ti pi)C as low s posible. W,e have a
good sto o f shors I t at we caried 1over- fr'om laist y ' whlich
we( are~( s(lling at ast y ' s i ' Ies as. hmg a~ they Ibis
W\e r'econiuinend I uster IsrownI Shoes Ino- boys (irls ai
Men's and Boys' Department
""niiR Mcii's Sults..--. . ... .. .. ........$25.00 and( $35.00
Boys' Suits ... .. .. .. .. .. .. ....$8.50, $10.00 and $12.50
O)ver'eo-ts.. .. ... ... ..... .... ....$25.00 anid $35.00
M\eni's Iain (oats .... .... ... .... .......$500 an~id up
Meni's Oddl 'antis.... . ... ..... ... ...$5.00. $7.50 and1( up
Men's> anud Ii yi:' 1 '1101ni uis, Shirts an 1I)ra we rs.
Glenu's Shirts .. ... ... ....'$1.50 to $~5.00 and up
Phoen ix Soe~rks foi 'Men . .-.-. .. ...... ..90c and $1.25
ore a Good Place to Shop.
~lad to Show You.
)epartment Store
ath Carolina