In the Lands of Others

The telephone in our country — its state is well known and notorious, so we have no need to describe it or draw its picture. The blame, as we see it, falls on no one so much as on the "circumstances" that caused us to inherit from the foreigner a telephone system unworthy of a civilized nation in the age of the atomic bomb! — and that also caused us to hold on to this inheritance in spite of all the grumbling and complaining. And so the telephone here has become a means of delaying people's transactions and their interests, instead of being a means of easing them.

As for the telephone in the lands of others — that is, in the countries where "circumstances" do not hold the necks of those in authority in their grip — it is quite other than what we know. It is a public utility, cared for as the provision of water, air, and electricity to the inhabitants is cared for. For its sake, energetic citizens, men and women, who know the meaning of responsibility and are eager to serve the interests of the people, are mustered to run it; and the latest that invention has achieved in this field is drawn upon to perfect it.

The readers of "The Woman's Voice" will see, on this page, some of the scenes we have obtained of the women workers of the telephone service in England. They give us a passing glimpse of the state of the telephone in the lands of others.