Insulting Operators is Rude

   

The chief operator and the central-office girls of a telephone company went on strike because the company refused to take out the telephone in the residence of a prominent society woman who persisted in using abusive language toward the telephone girls, although requested and warned not to do so. – Image of Female Telephone Operator Wearing Earphones And A Mouth Piece. Circa 1911 from Pinterest

Prince Insults “Central,” is Given a Fine

Over in Wurzburg they have a proper and wholesome code of ethics with reference to correct treatment of telephone girls. Prince Charles, of Wrede, had the temerity to tell a telephone girl what he thought of the telephone service at Ansbach. For his indiscretion he was fined seven dollars by a court-martial. The Prince admitted he said that the Ansbach telephone office was a hog pen and that the girls evidently were reading novels between the switches. His only plea in extenuation was that he was exasperated over the bad service. 

It was conceded in the court-martial proceedings that the telephone service at Ansbach was superlatively bad. Even so, it was found that the Prince's telephone manners were superlatively bad in directing insulting remarks to the telephone girls. It were well if the same correct code of telephone manners were in vogue in this country. Even though the service at times may be exasperatingly bad, and even though the telephone girl apparently may be neglectful of her duty at times, these things do not excuse insulting, abusive language. 

Over in Wheeling, W. Va., a few days ago, the chief operator and the central-office girls of a telephone company went on strike because the company refused to take out the telephone in the residence of a prominent society woman who persisted in using abusive language toward the telephone girls, although requested and warned not to do so. Merely because a young woman is employed in a telephone exchange, where the public may talk to her in the course of telephone service, does not make it proper, gentlemanly or lady-like for patrons of the telephone to insult or abuse her. She is just as much entitled to considerate treatment as the exclusive Young lady in fine apparel in the most aristocratic home. -Morning Union, 1913

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