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Show I THE ADVANCE OF CIVILIZATION H From every quarter of tho west H come reports that tho modern heroine H is the telephone operator. Near Den- H er a few days ago the exchange op- H crator saved the lives of half the H people In a township by staying at H her post of duty at imminent risk of her life. A cloud burst swept down H from the hills and the St. Vrain rlv-H rlv-H er was swelled from a measly llttlo stream to a foaming torrent fn the H brief space of half hour. The Moun- JP-y tain States Telepbono and Telegraph J company's oxchargo connected prac- tlcally oil tho Inhabitants of the community with tho telephone exchange ex-change from which tho subscribers received warning of tho rush of waters. wa-ters. Tho exchange operator Miss Barbara Relnkcns, being a truo western wes-tern girl, called up a half scoro of cowboys, whom Bhe knew would risk their necks for her, nnd sent them scurrying like modern Paul Rovores, Into the byways to warn all who could not bo reached by telephone. Thus does the march of modern chivalry chi-valry keep pace with tho wonderworking wonder-working telephono. Thirty yejirs ago tho telephone was a toy. Today moro than three thou-sand thou-sand young womon in the states of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Idaho, Utah, Now Mexico and Arizona make their living operating the telephono oxchanges for one company, not to speak of tho thousand or so others who are employed In private exchanges. exchang-es. Tho Mountain States Telephono and Telegraph company, which operates oper-ates In these states, maintains a training school or telephono operators operat-ors and tho officials of the company say that tho course fitting a telephono operator for her duties, Is equal to tho courso of study In many schools for mental improvement. The faculty of memory is very highly trained and the faculty of attention is developed In a telephone operator as in no ctv er occupation. The operators also ttcqulro a fair knowledge of tho electrical elec-trical apparatus used In the telephone circuits and altogether develop powers pow-ers of mind far In advance of the society young woman whose hardest t&sk Is figuring 'up bridge scores or compiling lists of fashionable calls. |