May I Take a Message?

September 12, 1969, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

Remember when etiquette was a big thing?  When it mattered enough for you to be sent to classes to learn how to be courteous on the phone or how to set a table properly or even, (shudder) how to dance?  Those capabilities have eroded over time obviously.  I recently watched a mini-series on TV about the Gilded Age in New York at the turn of the century and people were aghast at their neighbors coming unannounced to visit at other people's houses.  And Lord help you if you didn't leave your calling card.  Things have lighted up, for sure, and that may not always be a good thing.  But the sight of this photo with students learning how to talk on the telephone (on rotary dial telephones of course!) was too precious to ignore.