Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1871-10-12
SHORTHAND.

The proportion of words of frequent oc-
currence, each of which may be legibly rep
resented by one motion of the pen only, is
much greater than many suppose. Take
the following paragraph for example, and
mark each such word with period G.:
He that lessons the road to knowledge
lengthens life and we are all more in
debtcd than We believe We are to- that.
class Of writers whom johnson termed
the pioneers Of letters, doomed to- clear
away the rubbish for those heroes who
press on to- honor and victory, with out
deigning to- be--stow a single smile on
the humble drudge that facilitates their
progress"
Thirty-two marked words in sixty four,
or one-half, and this one-half made up of
only thirteen diferem words,
The shorthand characters are ell very
simple, and can be made with great rapid
ity. The word n1ny, for instance, requires
but single stroke of the pen, as follows
-, instead of fifteen. The average saw
ing of labor over longhand writing is
about six hundred per cent, and the speed
gained is proportionatc. A. j. Graham,
a popular American author as well as
photographer, and one whose statements
are well-considered, says, We have seen
boys write ovcF two hundred words in
one minute, in less than two years from
the time they first saw the Photographic
alphabet" About forty words is the
highest recorded speed in longhand, and
few writers exceed twenty five, per min
ute
PHoSoGRAPHY is one Of the easiest and
pleasantest studies, from the fact that
it is philosophical throughout, and free
! from arbitrary characters. After the al
phabot-containing about forty characters,
one for each elementary sound in the Ian
guage-is memorized, no contractions or
notifications of it have to be acquired or
retained by memory alone, because they
| take place in accordance with a few plain
principles, and a clear analogy pervades
the system. Words that resemble each
other i'll sound are similar in shape-the
sound Immediately suggesting the outline,
and the outline the sound. Any one of
| fair intelligence and accustomed to men
tai application, can learn the alphabet, be-
come familiar with the principles, and
read and write common words, Gncluding
those that make up large share of ordi-
nary conversation, speaking, editorials,
| ,0lao go in hyv
giving the subject one hours close study
per day. But now comes the tug of war, y
in two respects-there yet remains to be
attained instant familiarity with words of
comparatively infrequent occurrence, like
those not marked with a e. i'll the above
extract, also the attainment of great ease
and speed in writing. No honest teacher
will represent that these can be secured
without persistent and consecutive drill
a reasonable amount of it. 1t is just so
with rapid tele. .raphy, with rapid type
setting, in fact, with real excellence in
any desirable attainment. Great ease and
speed, however, are the result of familiar
| ity with principles and contractions, rath-
er than of mere rapidity in moving
the pen; and it does not require as much
practice to become thorough reporter,
capable of placing the words of a fluent
speaker ON paper as fast as they fall from
his lips, as ii does to master any ordi-
nary art or trade Few callings are as re.
munerative, or lead so directly to posi-
tions of influence. The demand for good
reporters now exceeds the supply. Ten
years hence, nearly all testimony before
courts and other legal bodies, will lie
takeI down in shorthand; large CONNER
cial houses everywhere will use it in
taking inventories of goods, debating cor
respondence, etc.. leading corporations
will avail themselves of it's time and mon
ey saving advantages; literary men will
be relieved from untold drudgery, by its
use; and all who have much writing to
do will regard PHoNoGRAPHY as an in
dispensable assistant. S
- That it is of especial Importance is now admit
ted without much doubt-[the (imperfect sentences
phonographically represented
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