n First of all, a telephone like this in its box was heavy. You only wanted to lift the earpiece. And if you had to tip-toe to talk into the speaker, too bad.
Next, you didn't get to walk around. Next, you tried but you couldn't keep your words secret. Everyone heard what you had to say and imagined the other end of the conversation.
Finally, there were, of course, other people who would pick up their phone whenever the bells chimed because everyone's phone rang. You knew it was yours if it rang the right number of times, say, three times in a row.
These other people listened in -- secretly if possible. This was called being on a "party" line.
All of this was of little note or concern to you or your family because the operator who had connected you and caused the bells to ring properly in the first place was very likely still on line and listening in.
That was OK, because later you could check with the operator and get all the community news.
It's not known if operators charged for their news gathering and distribution. If they did, they would be undoubtedly wealthy.
An old-fashioned telephone. (Staff photo by Neil Abeles)