Iowa County Democrat

BLIND PHONE GIRLS

PROVE VERY CAPABLE

New Field of Endeavor For Those Afflicted.

Baltimore.—The blind telephone girl has come to stay. An exceptional girl two years ago passed the severe tests of the work and has since then been a conspicuous example of what the blind, when gifted in other ways, may do, but now the Maryland School for the Blind has turned out five other well trained girls, and the managers believe that they will be able to open this field of work to many other girls. These six pioneers, who are leading the way for other blind girls of the future, are working with the regulation switchboards, but efforts are being made to evolve a new kind of board which will greatly simplify the training of the girls and increase their efficiency.

The most difficult board now run by blind girls is that at the Central Young Men's Christian Association. The Young Men's Christian Association is a club, a hotel and a clearing house for many lines of religious, social and athletic activities. Just as a hotel it has about 200 rooms. The building has here and there eight pay stations, besides many house telephones.

A member of the association is apt to be in any one of a score or more parts of the building when he is asked for over the telephone. But wherever he is the blind girl will find him. If switching and asking and "searching" can locate him. What makes this position difficult is the fact there are not separate phones in every room, but only annunciators by which a bell in a room may be rung, summoning the roomer to the nearest telephone on his floor.