the history of the telephone-第18节

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ace　of　the　noisy　and　obstreperous　boy　came　the　docile；　soft…voiced　girl。

If　ever　the　rush　of　women　into　the　business　world　was　an　unmixed　blessing；　it　was　when　the　boys　of　the　telephone　exchanges　were　superseded　by　girls。　Here　at　its　best　was　shown　the　influence　of　the　feminine　touch。　The　quiet　voice；　pitched　high；　the　deft　fingers；　the　patient　courtesy　and　attentivenessthese　qualities　were　precisely　what　the　gentle　telephone　required　in　its　attendants。　Girls　were　easier　to　train；　they　did　not　waste　time　in　retaliatory　conversation；　they　were　more　careful；　and　they　were　much　more　likely　to　give　〃the　soft　answer　that　turneth　away　wrath。〃

A　telephone　call　under　the　boy　regime　meant　Bedlam　and　five　minutes；　afterwards；　under　the　girl　regime；　it　meant　silence　and　twenty　seconds。　Instead　of　the　incessant　tangle　and　tumult；　there　came　a　new　species　of　exchangea　quiet；　tense　place；　in　which　several　score　of　young　ladies　sit　and　answer　the　language　of　the　switchboard　lights。　Now　and　then；　not　often；　the　signal　lamps　flash　too　quickly　for　these　expert　phonists。　During　the　panic　of　1907　there　was　one　mad　hour　when　almost　every　telephone　in　Wall　Street　region　was　being　rung　up　by　some　desperate　speculator。　The　switchboards　were　ablaze　with　lights。　A　few　girls　lost　their　heads。　One　fainted　and　was　carried　to　the　rest…room。　But　the　others　flung　the　flying　shuttles　of　talk　until；　in　a　single　exchange　fifteen　thousand　conversations　had　been　made　possible　in　sixty　minutes。　There　are　always　girls　in　reserve　for　such　explosive　occasions；　and　when　the　hands　of　any　operator　are　seen　to　tremble；　and　she　has　a　warning　red　spot　on　each　cheek；　she　is　taken　off　and　given　a　recess　until　she　recovers　her　poise。

These　telephone　girls　are　the　human　part　of　a　great　communication　machine。　They　are　weaving　a　web　of　talk　that　changes　into　a　new　pattern　every　minute。　How　many　possible　combinations　there　are　with　the　five　million　telephones　of　the　Bell　System；　or　what　unthinkable　mileage　of　conversation；　no　one　has　ever　dared　to　guess。　But　whoever　has　once　seen　the　long　line　of　white　arms　waving　back　and　forth　in　front　of　the　switchboard　lights　must　feel　that　he　has　looked　upon　the　very　pulse　of　the　city's　life。

In　1902　the　New　York　Telephone　Company　started　a　school；　the　first　of　its　kind　in　the　world；　for　the　education　of　these　telephone　girls。　This　school　is　hidden　amid　ranges　of　skyscrapers；　but　seventeen　thousand　girls　discover　it　in　the　course　of　the　year。　It　is　a　most　particular　and　exclusive　school。　It　accepts　fewer　than　two　thousand　of　these　girls；　and　rejects　over　fifteen　thousand。　Not　more　than　one　girl　in　every　eight　can　measure　up　to　its　standards；　and　it　cheerfully　refuses　as　many　students　in　a　year　as　would　make　three　Yales　or　Harvards。

This　school　is　unique；　too；　in　the　fact　that　it　charges　no　fees；　pays　every　student　five　dollars　a　week；　and　then　provides　her　with　a　job　when　she　graduates。　But　it　demands　that　every　girl　shall　be　in　good　health；　quick…handed；　clear…voiced；　and　with　a　certain　poise　and　alertness　of　manner。　Presence　of　mind；　which；　in　Herbert　Spencer's　opinion；　ought　to　be　taught　in　every　university；　is　in　various　ways　drilled　into　the　temperament　of　the　telephone　girl。　She　is　also　taught　the　knack　of　concentration；　so　that　she　may　carry　the　switchboard　situation　in　her　head；　as　a　chess…　player　carries　in　his　head　the　arrangement　of　the　chess…men。　And　she　is　much　more　welcome　at　this　strange　school　if　she　is　young　and　has　never　worked　in　other　trades；　where　less　speed　and　vigilance　are　required。

No　matter　how　many　millions　of　dollars　may　be　spent　upon　cables　and　switchboards；　the　quality　of　telephone　service　depends　upon　the　girl　at　the　exchange　end　of　the　wire。　It　is　she　who　meets　the　public　at　every　point。　She　is　the　de…　spatcher　of　all　the　talk　trains；　she　is　the　ruler　of　the　wire　highways；　and　she　is　expected　to　give　every　passenger…voice　an　instantaneous　express　to　its　destination。　More　is　demanded　from　her　than　from　any　other　servant　of　the　public。　Her　clients　refuse　to　stand　in　line　and　quietly　wait　their　turn；　as　they　are　quite　willing　to　do　in　stores　and　theatres　and　barber　shops　and　railway　stations　and　everywhere　else。　They　do　not　see　her　at　work　and　they　do　not　know　what　her　work　is。　They　do　not　notice　that　she　answers　a　call　in　an　average　time　of　three　and　a　half　seconds。　They　are　in　a　hurry；　or　they　would　not　be　at　the　telephone；　and　each　second　is　a　minute　long。　Any　delay　is　a　direct　personal　affront　that　makes　a　vivid　impression　upon　their　minds。　And　they　are　not　apt　to　remember　that　most　of　the　delays　and　blunders　are　being　made；　not　by　the　expert　girls；　but　by　the　careless　people　who　persist　in　calling　wrong　numbers　and　in　ignoring　the　niceties　of　telephone　etiquette。

The　truth　about　the　American　telephone　girl　is　that　she　has　become　so　highly　efficient　that　we　now　expect　her　to　be　a　paragon　of　perfection。　To　give　the　young　lady　her　due；　we　must　acknowledge　that　she　has　done　more　than　any　other　person　to　introduce　courtesy　into　the　business　world。　She　has　done　most　to　abolish　the　old…time　roughness　and　vulgarity。　She　has　made　big　business　to　run　more　smoothly　than　little　business　did；　half　a　century　ago。　She　has　shown　us　how　to　take　the　friction　out　of　conversation；　and　taught　us　refinements　of　politeness　which　were　rare　even　among　the　Beau　Brummels　of　pre…telephonic　days。　Who；　for　instance；　until　the　arrival　of　the　telephone　girl；　appreciated　the　difference　between　〃Who　are　you？〃　and　〃Who　is　this？〃　Or　who　else　has　so　impressed　upon　us　the　value　of　the　rising　inflection；　as　a　gentler　habit　of　speech？　This　propaganda　of　politeness　has　gone　so　far　that　to…day　the　man　who　is　profane　or　abusive　at　the　telephone；　is　cut　off　from　the　use　of　it。　He　is　cast　out　as　unfit　for　a　telephone…　using　community。

And　now；　so　that　there　shall　be　no　anticlimax　in　this　story　of　telephone　development；　we　must　turn　the　spot…light　upon　that　immense　aggregation　of　workshops　in　which　have　been　made　three…fifths　of　the　telephone　apparatus　of　the　worldthe　Western　Electric。　The　mother　factory　of　this　globe…trotting　business　is　the　biggest　thing　in　the　spacious　back…yard　of　Chicago；　and　there　are　eleven　smaller　factoriesher　childrenscattered　over　the　earth　from　New　York　to　Tokio。　To　put　its　totals　into　a　sentence；　it　is　an　enterprise　of　26；000…man…power；　and　40；000；000…dollar…power；　and　the　telephonic　goods　that　it　produces　in　half　a　day　are　worth　one　hundred　thousand　dollarsas　much；　by　the　way；　as　the　Western　Union　REFUSED　to　pay　for　the　Bell　patents　in　1877。

The　Western　Electric　was　born　in　Chicago；　in　the　ashes　of　the　big　fire　of　1871；　and　it　has　grown　up　to　its　present　greatness　quietly；　without　celebrating　its　birthdays。　At　first　it　had　no　telephones　to　make。　None　had　been　invented；　so　it　made　telegraphic　apparatus；　burglar…alarms；　electric　pens；　and　other　such　things。　But　in　1878；　when　the　Western　Union　made　its　short…lived　attempt　to　compete　with　the　Bell　Company；　the　Western　Electric　agreed　to　make　its　telephones。　Three　years　later；　when　the　brief　spasm　of　competition　was　ended；　the　Western　Electric　was　taken　in　hand　by　the　Bell　people　and　has　since　then　remained　the　great　workshop　of　the　telephone。

The　main　plant　in　Chicago　is　not　especially　remarkable　from　a　manufacturing　point　of　view。　Here　are　the　inevitable　lumber…yards　and　foundries　and　machine…shops。　Here　is　the　mad　waltz　of　the　spindles　that　whirl　silk　and　cotton　threads　around　the　copper　wires；　very　similar　to　what　may　be　seen　in　any　braid　factory。　Here　electric　lamps　are　made；　five　thousand　of　them　in　a　day；　in　the　same　manner　as　elsewhere；　except　that　here　they　are　so　small　and　dainty　as　to　seem　designed　for　fairy　palaces；

The　things　that　are　done　with　wire　in　the　Western　Electric　factories　are　too　many　for　any　mere　outsider　to　remember。　Some　wire　is　wrapped　with　paper　tape　at　a　speed　of　nine　thousand　miles　a　day。　Some　is　fashioned　into　fantastic　shapes　that　look　like　absurd　sea…monsters；　but　which　in　reality　are　only　the　nerve　systems　of　switchboards。　And　some　is　twisted　into　cables　by　means　of　a　dozen　whirling　drumsa　dizzying　sight；　as　each　pair　of　drums　revolve　in　opposite　directions。　Because　of　the　fact　that　a　cable's　inevitable　enemy　is　moisture；　each　cable　is　wound　on　an　immense　spool　and　rolled　into　an　oven　until　it　is　as　dry　as　a　cinder。　Then　it　is　put　into　a　strait…jacket　of　lead　pipe；　sealed　at　both　ends；　and　trundled　into　a　waiting　freight　car。

No　other　company　uses　so　much　wire　and　hard　rubber；　or　so　many　tons　of　brass　rods；　as　the　Western　Electric。　Of　platinum；　too；　which　is　more　expensive　than　gold；　it　uses　one　thousand　pounds　a　year　in　the　making　of　telephone　transmitters。　This　is　imported　from　the　Ural　Mountains。　The　silk　thread　comes　from　Italy　and　Japan；　the　iron　for　magnets；　from　Norway；　the　paper　tape；　from　Manila；　the　mahogany；　from　South　America；　and　the　rubber；　from　Brazil　and　the　valley　of　the　Congo。　At　least　seven　countries　must　cooperate　to　make　a　telephone　message　possible。

Perhaps　the　most　extraordinary　feature　in　the　Western　Electric　factories　is　the　multitude　of　its　inspectors。　No　other　sort　of　manufactur…　ing；　not　even　a　Government　navy…yard；　has　so　many。　Nothing　is　too　small　to　escape　these　sleuths　of　inspection。　Th