Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1879-04-15
StenOgraphy and Humbug,

From all parts of the country and al
most every day in the year letters are
received by The Sun inquiring which is
the bestsystem ofstenography. of The ques-
ton is difficult to answer. There is a
great deal of printed humbug about
shorthand. Up to the present time there
has never been anything like a perfect
system published. It is really very
imperfect art. Many of the hooks and
pamphlets on the subject are mere catch
pennies, calculated to deceive the pub
lie by creating the impression that any
body can learn in few months to re-
port sermon, lecture, or q case in
court. A considerable number of young
lawyers and medical students have lost
much valuable time fooling with phono-
graphv under this delusion. After q
great deal Of trouble almost every one of
those young gentlemen has been disaps
pointed by the discovery that In this
matter little learning is a dangerous
thing. and that the ordinary long hand
is far better for his purpose, because he
can at least read his notes.
Stenography when only partially mas
tered is Utterly worthless. AS one of its
most celebrated students has said,
"There are two great difficulties ia the
thing-one is to write it and the other
to read it after II is Written.n It takes
at least two years. hard work for any.
body Of ordinary ability to learn a good
system. Naturally, then, for those who
do not intend to make a business of it
the question arises, is the game worth
the candle?
1t has often been predicted by pnono-
graphic fools that, IN this age of pro
gress, steam and the electric telegraph.
the present style of writing will soon be
abandoned, and shorthand universally
adopted-an idea that nobody but lu-
natic or fanatic would entertain for q
moment. 1t is an amusing fact that the
very systems which are claimed to be
the perfection of writing, so far from
being fitted for general use, are extreme
ly poor material even for ordinary note
taking. singularly enough, the great
est enthusiasts in photography are,
generally speaking, the most incompe-
tent writers. Some of THAR exploits are
on record among reporters. Several
years ago an eminent lawyer hired one
OF these professors to take testimony in
an important case. The transcribed
minutes astonished hira A ''patent''
upon which much depended In the suit
was converted into a "potentate:" a
'solid frame'' was turned into an "iso.
lated farm" the finances of this coun-
try" were set down as "the Fenians OF
this country )" clerks and bartenders''
were made into" clocks and hagoms-
ters,;;" and the question, "Wers you
IN the hac,t OF visiting the house ?" was
written, Were YOU in the habit of
fastening the hose?' Columns of such
examples might be given, all going to
show that when we abandon the pse-
sent style of writing end take to phono-
graphy we shall at least have fun.
hldleulous blunders are sometimes
maae even by smart stenographers.
when they attempt to report mechani-
cally and allow their minds to wan
ger Tor q moment from the context.
stenography can never be generally
used; Ior the simple reason that as to
words 1t ls a mere skeleton map. and re-.
quiers too much precision in the forma.
ton OF Its characters. Thus far all the
efforts to make it as legible as ordinary