The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1854-03-18
C0llratiullol.
For The Cecil Wing
PHOTOGRAPHY.

| HIS species Oh snort nanu, (Wnlcn, as It's
name denotes, is the writing Of sounds,) is
coming much into favor, and differs very ma
tcrially from all systems of short hand which
preceded it. The different conson mt sounds
of the language, (about twenty in number,
are represented by as many characters, and
| it is by combination Of these characters that
words and sentences are formed with cxpedi-
ton and accuracy.
The art WAS first taught By Isaac Pitman OF
Bath, England, its inventor, in 1887. 1t has
been taught for some time in the Philadel-
phia High School and other respectable lit
crary institutions i'll this country, and is cs-
tablished on a firm basis as regular art. and
the principles are so easily acquired that it
will come into general use.
1t must always have been matter of re
greet to writer's, that so much time lad to be
consumed in committing to paper the rapid
productions of the mind-tllis has been well
expressed in Il notice of the subject in one Of
| the foreign Reviews. '.Who that is much in
the habit Of writing, has not often wished for
some means Of expressing by two or three
dishes of the pen, that which as things are
requires such ali expenditure of time and la
Dor to commit to paper. Our present mode
| of communication must be felt to be cuUber-
some to the last degree; unworthy these days
Of invention: We require some means Of bring
Ing the operations Of the mind, and Of the
hand, into closer corrasp ondencc.''
| The first system Of Stcnography was taught
in England hy Timothy Bright in 1jSS, and
was much in use during the period of the
Reformation, and WAS succeeded by the more
complete system ofMason i'll 1852. DR.. John
son was one Of the earliest reporters of the
debates in Parliament, and it is said, that the
Doctor boosted, that the Wing raScals should
| not have the best Of the argument, and in
stead of tahing do~n their speeches, lie com
p0scd them, ana made them all speak in lis
own ponrous style.
The proprietor Of the Morning Chronicle,
| organized corps OF reporters in 1850, and
from that time stcno%raplly was studied for
professional purposes. The publication Of
parliamentary debates caused Il demand for
reporters. and for II system equal to their
wants, and Taylor's system appeared in 1856.
Photography is different in all its details
from the system Of Stenography which pre-
coded it. 1t is founded on Il phonctical
analysis Of the English language, and it is not
only adapted to the wants ofthe reporter, but
may be used for letter writing and general
composition. After the Stcnographer lad
taken his notes, it required considerable
time to transcribe them into a long hand, be-
fore they were in Il condition to be set up in
type; but reports in photography are set in
type without being transcribed at all.
Experience has shown that the principles
of photography are mastered by most learn
crs in one month by giving one hour daily, so
that the learner has Il tolcrable facility in
their use. For reporting Il rapid speaker it
requires considerable practice. There are
| reporters who can write from 100 to 120 words
in one minute. The general introduction Of
ii system of writing that would enable the
hand to set down us fast as the tongue pro-
nounced, would be OF vast convenience and
advantage. and is spoken Of i'll glowing terms
by late writer-s.Our living flocks oithougts
need 80 longer trudgc it slowly and YEARLY
down the pen and along the paper, hindcring
each other as they struggle through the strait
gate Of the old handwriting: Our troops Of
feelings need no more crawl, as snails crawl,
to their station onthc page; regiment after reg
imcnt may now trot briskly forward, to fill par
agraph after paragraph;and writing once trou-
n at J. i'm n,,,, i,,l T.,
ing thoughts, warm aud transparent, liquid as
melted from the hot heart, shall no longer
grow Opaque, and freeze with tedious drib-
bling from the pen; but the whole soul may
now pour itself forth in a sweet shower Of
words. Phonotypy and Photography will be
OF Il u.s. in the world not dreamt OF, but by a
few u.