requires.

CHAPTER XIII

TELEPHONE AND TELEGRAPH GIRLS

The telephone girl who enters her employment in a city gains the first
knowledge of her trade in a school which is maintained by the company.
She fills out an application, stating how old she is, how long she has been
at school, and whether she is living at home or boarding. She should be
sixteen or seventeen years old, and it is better if she has had one or two
years in a high school. Her work will require accuracy, and she must be
quick in thought and action. There should be no defect in her speech, and
she should be at least five feet in height since she requires a good reach
on the telephone board. Girls who go into this work should have strong
nervous systems. The necessity for rapid and constant action, the strain on
thought and nerve, and the call for resourcefulness and coolness, all of
which are connected with the work of a telephone operator, are a constant
drain on nervous energy.

The girl remains at the training school two weeks or longer and during
this time she is paid by the company exactly as if she were at work.
Payment varies in different parts of the country. But the girl at school
generally receives a beginner's wages.

In small towns and country districts, the beginner learns to be a
telephone operator by substituting for the regular operator. There is less
pressure in telephone work outside of cities, and there is more room for
initiative than in a large city exchange.

Telephone exchanges in cities are large airy rooms, well lighted, well kept
and ventilated. These rooms are pleasant places in which to work, and the
telephone company provides lunch and rest rooms for its staff. A matron
takes general charge of the girls, and a dietitian looks after the food
provided and advises the girl employees with regard to their health.
In the rest room are comfortable chairs and a lounge. The management
provides tea, sugar and milk and the dishes in the lunch room. The girls
may buy cold meat, bread and butter, biscuits and other food for a small
charge. The hours are eight in the daytime and seven for night operators;
this length of working day is regarded as the utmost which can be required
from girls in telephone work. There are two rest periods in the day,
besides time for lunch.

In the school the young operator is trained to answer requests for numbers,
to make and break connections, and to keep account of calls. She is taught
to