The Psychology of Telephony 41 



that in saying this we are dealing with a twilight realm. The 

 simple fact is that clear enunciation of consonants reduces this 

 twilight realm to very small dimensions. The experienced auditor, 

 using reasonable care, reduces the possibility of error to almost a 

 negligible degree. In that division of the Head Post Office where 

 telegrams are accepted by telephone — the most severe ordeal to 

 which the telephone is subjected — there is a singularly small 

 proportion of error. Of course we take special pains and it is a 

 subject which is always being studied, but in the main it is true 

 to say that the errors are no more numerous than in the case of 

 telegraphs proper. And it has long been known that even in 

 respect of telegraph symbols, clear and definite though they 

 appear to be, psychological factors have their place in the accuracy 

 of signalling and receiving. 



The new science of experimental psychology is making big 

 demands upon us to-day. Even vast wars are influenced by 

 psychological means : the temperament of nations is regarded as 

 a proper field for the operation of suggestion, and it looks as if 

 the might of arms were within the influence of psychology to 

 some extent which we cannot estimate. From great things we 

 come to small, and I claim that if we are to use the telephone 

 efficiently we cannot despise the close study of these psychological 

 factors. If we kept some sort of open mind on the subject, some 

 sort of tolerant ex])ectation of more light, we should be less prone, 

 at times, to lose our tempers and less prone to blame a body of 

 women who are rendering the public really faithful and zealous 

 service. For the greatest beauty of the telephone lies in the fact 

 that it makes a corporate demand. The best telephone in th«; 

 world cannot give an efficient service to the man who does not 

 speak clearly to the middle of the diaphragm and does not strive 

 to gather together all the elements of sound which go to make 

 up the speech Avhich is destined for him. The psychology of the 

 telephone is the psychology of mutual dependence. It affects us 

 far more than we suppose. It modifies our speech ; it quickens 

 and enlightens our hearing ; it sharpens that sub-conscious mind 



