The Psychology of Telephony 39 



But something more than the voice is carried. Mechanical 

 though the instrument is yet it does convey a conception of 

 character. There are some, though very few, well-authenticated 

 cases of " falling in love," that emotional crisis of Avhich psycho- 

 logists have given so many and so varied explanations, over the 

 telephone, without any personal or direct acquaintance. The 

 New York Telephone Company tells its operators that the culti- 

 vation of a soft voice is a sure way to matrimony and points 

 boldly to statistics which proves the thesis quite as readily as 

 they prove anything else. But it is not the soft voice which 

 alone, to use a colloquialism, " does the trick." There is some 

 intangible method or inexplicable method of conveying the sense 

 of character by telephone. The subscriber sometimes lays down 

 his telephone, smiles benignly, and says " That is a real, nice 

 girl." Of course she is. But why does he say so 1 He knows 

 nothing of the colour of her hair, the poise of her head, the slow 

 graceful carriage of her body, all so dear to the novelist who 

 describes in his own way the motions of love. She has spoken 

 courteously to him — perhaps to the extent of half-a-dozen words, 

 and at once he makes up his mind that if the worst comes to the 

 worst he will take her as a daughter-in-law. He sums up her charac- 

 ter in a twinkling, without a shadow of doubt, not caring how she 

 behaves to her brother, what her ideals are for the future govern- 

 ment of the world, or how she could make a currant cake, in 

 days, that is, when there were currants. I believe that the arrival 

 of our young women as telephonists in France had a marked 

 influence. Crusty generals adopted almost tender addresses ; 

 weather-beaten colonels found the telephone suddenly efficient ; 

 subalterns developed new chivalrous instincts. They could not 

 help it, for courtesy and determination to help are infectious. 

 Indeed I could go farther. The telephone reveals character in 

 an amazing way. Ordinary interchange of speech often hides 

 our motives. " We say unkind things in a kind way." But the 

 telephone brings out the hidden springs. John Smith, whom 

 you know as a decent citizen, cordial and reasonably kindly, is 



