Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1858-08-19
For the Republican
Phonography.

In my last endeavored to expose some
of the inconsistencies of the present system
cf writing, and gave as the reason of the
extreme tardiness which characterizes II, a
brief explanation of its complicated charac-
Ter, and in concluding made the assertion
that until system is produced by which
We need make no more movements of the
pen in writing, than of the organs of speech
in pronouncing any word, we will fail to
write with the rapidity of speech. l will
now proceed to lay before you few OF
the advantages of photography.
lst. 1t can be written aoih the rapid
ty of the fastest speaking. Its letters are
the simplest geometrical forms-straight
lines, crosses, and dots, no letter requires
more than one stroke of the pen, and there
are no silent letters. By tho aid of a few
contractions, beautiful and philosophical in
their ature, the number of strokes is re-
duced to one half the number of sounds
represented, while the long-hand requires
an average of six strokes to each sound
Photography, there being ten or twelve
times as simple, can, of course be written
with ten or twelve times the speed of long
hand; and one half the practice required to
write thirty words per minute in long
hand, will, when applied to Photography,
enable us to write at the rate of one hun
dred and fifty words per minute-ora at the
rate Of ordinary speech.
I'd. 1t is equally aslegible as long-hand,
and by those who are acquainted with 1t,
it is thought to be more so.
1t is evident that, other things being
equal the breifer style of writing is, the
more the eye can take in at glance, and
consequently the more easily and rapidly
it can be read. This is fact well substan-
tiated by testimony as well as reason. DIR
Cooper, of Philadelphia, writes, "Sermons
have been printed that were written in Pho
biography with no expectation of their ever
meeting the public eye; and have invaeri-
ably found fewer mistakes in the proof
when the matter was set up from Phonog-
raphy, than when written in long hand" !"
Sd. It easily acquired. This is the
universal testimony of all those who have
made an earnest attempt to learn it.
Those who 90 at it with half a heart-who
bring no energy into the work will proba-
bly, fail as they deserve to do. But let a
person make it part of his daily business
let him spend one or two hours per day
upon it, and almost before he is aware he
is in possession of an art, whose :alue can
scarcely be estimated. The principles
are exceedingly simple; and can be learned
in dozen lessons. Thus two weeks is suf-
ficient to make any one theoretically, and
to some extent practically acquainted
with the system, 10 make the rapid writer
the verbatim reporter will of course re-
quire more practice. 7. E. Garrett, repor-
ter at 81. Louis writes, 81 have written
photography at the rate one hundred and
fifty words per minute; and any one in
terested in the subject by devoting two
hours each day to reading and writing, it
will in six months attain the same pro
ficiency."
4th. Photography is suited to almost
every purpose for which long-hand can be
used. In correspondence 1t IS unriualed.
Being written many times faster than long
hand, letter writing by this system instead
of being an irksome task to be deferred as
long as possible becomes positive pleas
ure, you can sit down and talk to your
friend. Thousand ofpersons are now do
ing almost all thier correspondence m this
manner, and their number is rapidly in
creasing. S. G. V.