Delaware Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1843-1874, 1866-05-14
Correspondents of the Republic IN.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. I l..


"To save time Is to lengthen life."
10 former article our defectise alphabet
and the inconsistent, irregular photography
based upon it, were spoken of, and Phonetic
alphabet indicated as q prac ticable and proper
remedy. There yet remains another branch
Of lingual representation to be treated Of -
Photography, or Phonetic short hand. The
name is derived from two Greek wsrds, Phone,
sound, a voice; and Graphic, to write: to write
by sound.
Photography was invented by Isaac Pitmsn,
Of England, in 1887, but has since that time
undergone many changes and improvements
until the present student OF the art has pre-
sented to him, in A J.: Graham's "Standard
or American Phouography," phonetic repre-
sentation OF the language, by means OF which,
when he has thoroughly learned it, he can fol-
low the most rapid speaker, with swifwinged
fingers, and daguerreotype upon paper each
word and sec tence as it falls from his lips -
and when he has thus secured each beautiful
thought OF the orator, he can read the forms
be has traced, with the same facility, as the
average of long hand writing. ..
The waat OF such an art was felt even in the
days o. Cicero; and 1t would be interesting to
trace tue history Of the different storthands
used, since that Invented by Tyro-a Roman
slave-down to the beautiful system OF Pit
maa, as improved and perfected by Graham.
Benn Pitman, in his "His,ory of Shorthand"
gives about one hundred different systems,
msuy of which were used In the sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries; very few of these, how
ever, had phonetic basis, and were depen-
dent upon an immense nnmber Of arbitrary
characters for speed in writing these could
only be acquired after years OF study and prac-
tice, and notes taken by their use were only
intelligibe to the writer, aud even he could
not docpher them after the subject matter was
forgotten.
Stenography has passed away, and Phonog-
raphy 10 to day almost wholly employed for
the purpose for which the former was iuven-
ted and Lsed verbatim reporting. Indeed, so
perfectly adapted is it to this purpose, that
the best Stenographers of England and Amer
lea, have long ago thrown aside their arbitrary
forms for the philosophical sound writing Of
which we speak.
Photography is based on an alphabet of the
simplest forms possible to represent the ele-
mentary sounds OF the language.
Being so philosophical 1t is easy to learn; its
principles can be understood at one lesson
and an hours daily practice for six months,
will enable good student to write from l20
to l76 words per minute and additional prac-
tice will give the power to write 200; the aver
age rapidity of speech Is l20 words per mia-
ute.
raphy is valuable, but to students, profession
al men-especislly cergymen, lawyers and
authors-and, indeed to almost every one who
writes at all, it offers invaluable assistance.-
The Studeat at college cannot afford to dis
pense with its aid. (The writer has almost
verbatim reports of every lecture of his COL
lege course; any medictl student can testify to
the unpurchasesble value to be attached TO
such "Text Book.") The lawyer would save
L - h.tb tba xlnu nant
of Photography. Thomas II. Benton upon
being presented with verbatim report of one
of his speeches, Photographed by a little boy ,
said "Had Photography been invented forty
years ago, it would have saved me twenty
years of hard labor
The minister's most arduous labor is in the
manual preparation of his sermons Phono-
graphy can be written from four to eight times
as rapidly as long hand; by the employment OF
the corresponding style," equal to one hun
dred words per minute the minister would re-
eve himself from more than three fourths OF
his labor, and moreover, improve his sermonsi
for how frequently, when one is writing, do
thoughts come so rapidly that we cannot re.
cord them, and the beautiful forms in which
the first Inspiration presents them are lost for
ever ere the slowly moving pen comes to trace
them on the pape-.
Photography would save the weary author
from many hours Of toll at his desk, when the
midnight oil wsues low in his lamp, aad thus
gives to him heightened life and capacity for
orthier labors.
| To the man OF business whose correspon-
dence intringes upon his valuable hours Pho
biography offers an easy relief he has only to
spend an hour in debating to bis Photographic
| amanuenses the letters (Which it will take him
six hours to transcribe,) aud thus at once free
4 4, ,.kaa al Iahn and odd
five hours to his time each day for other du-
ties. 10 the Institution where the writer is
living at present, four Photographers are en-
ployed 10 this manner, relieving the Physi-
cians and Editors of the claws OF Life, from
hours of daily labor that would otherwise bs
theirs.
As profession, Reporting is profitable; a
rapid writer can readily make from $1,000 to
$4,000 per annum. During the late war large
number of Photographic Reporters were en-
ployed upon Court Martials at $40 per day
The time will certainly come soon, " hen every
County Court in the United States will have its
regularly appointed Reporter, which will ena-
BILE those thus employed to enjoy the delights
of home in connection with their profession.
Tens OF thousands of our citizens, who sit
at their coZy breakfast table, and read the
con ngressonal news aud speeches; or, being alb
sent from the lecture of the previous evening,
congratulatiug themselves upon finding full.
report thereof spread before them, never giving
thought to the beautiful art by which this
pleasure is secured fer them. Photography
may truly be called the diligent aud beautiful
handmade OF universal education, for the press
is one OF the great agents thereto, and Its eff
| ficiency very largely depends upon this art.
Benu Pitman, of Cincinnati, Ohio, brother
| of the inventor of Photography, has done
very much to populariIe the art in this eoun-
try. and the writer with thousands OF other
American Photographers, will ever remember
his labors with gratitude; but beautiful as the
| system became through his practical experience
and labors, 1t lacked the one great requisite oil
| a perfect aystem OF shorthand writing: the ca
pacity to enable the writer of it to report psr-
| batim the most rapid speakers II was only
| after the most perseverlng effort, and by re-
| sort to devices and stenographic aids, not rec
| ogniEed by the system, that few Pitman pho
/ nographers ever became able 10 make verba
tim reports.
| In 1858 when Isaac Pitman had made some
| eight notifications OF English Phonography,
| Andrew J. Graham, an accomplished Reporter
OF New York City, issued his "Hand Book o.
standard or American Photography" in whicl
he took the tPitman Photography as basis
and, by improving and enriching 1t with neV
forms, contractlons, and word signs, (prove'
to be indispensable adjunots. in his own va
ried experience as reporter, and by that
many others whose judgment he consulted,
produced d system which may be truly said t
answer every requirement of speed and legi
bility.
The great beauty and value of standard pho
nography, consists In its order and simplicity
In the arrangement of its various orders
groups, and classes of forms, contractious
and monographs, the laws of analogy au'
consistency were kept constsutly in view
which renders 1t a delightful and fascinating