Using a telephone is, today, one of the things you learn at a very early age. Being able to communicate with people over long distances is one of those things we simply take for granted. 100 years ago, it was a very different world, and the Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company wanted to make sure that you knew what you were doing when you had one of the new-fangled devices installed.
When we last looked at the C&P Telephone Co, they were located at 629 B Street NE, in a building they had built for the purpose in 1906. At the time, telephone usage was increasing in leaps and bounds, with 1906 recording an almost 20% increase in the number of telephones in the US, but with only 5 million lines in a country of 85 million, it was still a rarity to own one of these new devices.
Nonetheless, these handy new instruments continued to be installed, and by 1917, almost 1/3 of all households could boast one. With this in mind, the C&P telephone company – who saw a huge boom in the number of calls made on their system in the early months of that year – began to run an advertising campaign based around the idea that folks needed to learn how properly treat their telephones, and what was considered proper telephone etiquette.
Some of the suggestions still ring true: Hang up your phone! Don’t be rude to wrong numbers! “Concentrate while telephoning,” which goes on “Concentrated, courteous attention given to a telephone talk is a mark of respect paid to the talker that is appreciated.” and ends with “Concentrate on what is being said and talk with a smile.”
The ad entitled “The Human Element in Telephoning,” where patience is being asked for in the work done by the operators, and understanding for their occasional mistakes. (LOC)
Others seem totally unnecessary today, like how they felt it necessary to explain how to answer the phone, or how to end a call: “The ‘good-bye’ at the end of a telephone talk is an infallible signal to hang up the receiver; it terminates the call graciously and effectively. It is a point of courtesy that is expected of all telephone users.” Or an ad called “Sharing your telephone” which states that a telephone should be used by only one person, that shared telephones were not an appropriate use thereof. That this had the fine side effect of selling more C&P Telephones was certainly coincidental.
Finally, some sound like gibberish today, like their description on how to give someone a telephone number: “Give the name of the central office in every case before you give the number, and if you are calling a number on a party line, be particular to give the proper letter, thus: Gilmor 2-4-5-J.”
In short, the ads give a remarkable insight into the state of telephoning in 1917. So, as you pull out your cellphone to make that call, reflect on how far we’ve come, but remember what you have learned from DC’s own Chesapeake and Potomac phone company, and “talk with a smile.”