New-York tribune., 1886-01-31

IMPORTATION CoNCEE;ING sTESoGRAPHY WHICH
Is oFTRN ASKED FOR

IMPORTATION CONCERNING sTENoGRAPHf WHICH
Is oFfRN ASKED FOR.
TIE TRI9UNE receives many inquiries IKE
the following:
"Can you tell me what Is the best system OF snort
hand Can 1t DO mastered without teacher ana III
what time Some people advertise to teach IL Ia ttoe
months & be learned IN that timei Is akno"Iouge
Of Shorthand necessary 10 obtain situaiion as re-
porter on newspaper How arc stcnogrhphers Pald
By answering these questions you will greatly oblse
etc.
These dues,,ons have boon submitted to a highly sue
crssu who returns these answers 10 the
The systems most widely prSctised hero are Ben
Pitman's nunsons Isaac Pltman's and Graham's They
are all much alike practically they AL make use OF the
material. There are not fow people ho"o'c''
who 70 spend most OF their time In trying to dom
Onsrate that any Ot tho above systems IL vastly su
perior all tho rest but that sort of talk In the main
nonsense and the student viii do well to concern himself
little ahon,i IT, Each OF these systoms has turned out
Grsclass htcnographers, and there are equally good
who write othor systems less goheraiJ
known More depends on tho man than on III" Hston
Generally the practsod stenographer docs not adhere
eoscly to any system but approprlaos suggestions
from all.
Shorthand can bo learned By tho aid OF textbooks
Without teacher though, OF course, pupil Is lsoly to
,nle hotter prorress with competent instruction. II
this cannot be obtlned tho student should cndeavor to
mako tho acqualh OF some practical steuographof
who Will GIVE him occasional hints and see that
40 Keeps tho right track Most OF 'he
textbooks abound In too many rohnements and
coutracons whereby few scratches may be made TO
represcnt whole sentence. much 10 tho delight OF the
novice. Tho only practical objection to thl' sort OF
shorrand IA that such notes" arc found to have ha
dozen different meanings when "cold.' and perhaps
none Of them the correct one ShorthaDd IL compro
u,,.e between speed md egbiity. Tho beginner Is apt
n nav too exclusive attention to the former and should
therefore DO warned not TO bother VIII 100 many con
fractions
Tho eUcth OF time II will take lad TO teach hlmsef
shor,hond dcpends FIRST tho sort Of lad he Is, and
secopd on the amount OF time lie can givo 20 It, 10
master shorthand requires above nl things patience ahu
perscyerance lad studyin alone Will generally nave
70 .tck 10 It hard for couple OF years before no can
make II pay few may be able to master IL IN ha Inc
Peoplo who advertise that they can teach shorthand
thoronghlr IN three months should not DO DeleVed.
nnvlsgc Of shorthand is not neces -ary TO obtain
situation on u newspaper though, oiher things being
eaunl a reporter who can write shorthahu IS ptttet
e1uoed fo newspaper work than hroporteE VINO
capuot Az matoroi fact there hre not more tnHn
dozen shorthand writers regularly employed OH All the
great New York dales together In England reporter
must know shOrhand Most oi tlia w1rs COZ ooaasS & oi
often reauired except for great meetngs Iho laost
successful reporter IS he who can pest present the ~
erestng uoints OF speech In readable, 81
tractlve shape Tho American pubic docs not care
much for mere vGrbiaRe -, .,,. T., $500,
ofton earn handsome But such e1portnes9 Is az
anod only BY year5 OF practice and great nHtpra apes
tnde for the work "Hnlt-waJ stenogr1phers are
abundant In NewYOrk who are glad TO work Tor eio
wcsk often less A s,epographer who is eempetent 10
attend 20 the correspondence Of railroad opelei or
some man OF largo affairs usually gets from S2o TO S3O
yorL or course II tho stenogrnphsrh somethng mpie
than mere machine man and can 90 otaer thnes wen
besides writing shorthand 70 muoh 'ho OetVc' si' MS
chances OF makng good wages -, ?. ,... 40, -.
There is mystery about shorthand. IL 9oes HSe r
re any unusual amount OF brains or any
poEsrs Of memory acquire IT. But does require 70
be- stuck to pefkstontly There Is 10 foSreaiioh N
i"arnna IT, Ifonly half known lt 10 treaelcrous ana
worse than useless Nobody should tlkn II up aaesa
prepared 10 make great sscrncos OF mo ana pAHenoe
III. IT,. % .l,o ctocL EychanOe are for the