The sun., 1890-12-21

needed practice In the face OF discouraRing re-
suits. which is essential before proficiency can
possibly be reached.
Many Of those failures might have been pre-
dicted from the start. because OF the utter dis
qualification OF tho learner on account Of the
lack Of the preliminary study and training and
knowledge which are necessary to mako a
competent stenographer. 1t must bo borne in
mind that the SUBJECTS which may possibly be
presented for accurate reporting comprise the
entiro field Of human knowledge. There is no
department OF science, literature. or art which
may not some time or other appear In the
~ asbases or
VIZ y IS 50 thofoushv familiar vi with the SossbS.
SeaS bs sear Of ,hs hsaS moen. " % ropors sS9 Sa
There Are in IN very 81 few tho rs
liable stenographers In this or any other coun-
try who &c can te relied upon 10 give verbatim
how foolish. must 1t be then for mere children,
for persons without even the rudimentary ele-
themselves for such business! And yet there
are shorthand schools and professors OF short
temnt this impossible task. when It il known
at the beginning that the money 80 expended
res ressa Of Ss Rs fs Ses
that upon one occasion an incompetent sten9G-
Frsnhsr was e%ployed by him to take dc
away with great earnestness and yolubii!y
upon subject with which he was entirely
public men in the present and past generation.
me at s haS rsesd HSpS o s"rss as he sspposed % %
the stenos srapher was thoroughly unfamiliar
with about every subject Of which the great
when, presented for review proved to be So SO
croW,ied with errors. and omissions and mis-.
2ssME M e bsa and s bai t
useless, and. with that force for which Mr..
Greeley was reaowned a., emong 5 those who knew
What the hell is stenograph!y worth 2"
al .Ba T0 pass5a aa S
exnertness Of the human intellect combined
with the dexterity OF the human band; but 1t is
.SE sTdsr Ss na h
stsMnographer Of Ne subieets with which he is
competent stenograpbsrs who have been
able to mi report BY merely recording
Not S%R@s whsvsr Ss
Of this sort, Of thing has been done
apd dGns in %
It should be done at any considerable speed.
It is, OF course. true that to some extent and
carefully pronounced and accurately yocalized.
may be recorded by .phonosraphio signs. but
spsed in Wrtine oaasss When IL comes e 70
proper names. the stenoGrapher who relies
upon the SOUND ana mas no knowledge OF the
spelling Is pretty certain TO mako a sorry mess.
There arc limits {; shorthand; Every hon
est stenographer will admit that no person is
follow with accuracy IN argument which con:
sists 81 many references to scientific books. and
recorded In practice. wherever q speaker
makes use Of many quo tations. particularly Of
poetry or Of statistics. the stenoxranher is al;
ways anxious TO- be supplied with the quoted
~ PIT Sns Bsns
accuracy is SO well recognized that Ia the
most important cases system OF check notes
Be missed BY one Writer to viii be- caught By a an
and 1t has been found to be absolutely essen
peddie,nts there are many omissions q sounds
@ @ pe apoa tie n
tsi!igsnIe OF M the transcriber There are com.
IN o sT The are Trsn Is out IL
some expert writers are able to write words
almost fully, and there are some who write 80
others; but tho great majority Of shorthand
writer's write n9tes which can he read only by
themselves, and which are In most cases but
Tnere arc specialists in stenography as there
~ .o b. he n eye1y
ority Is accorded to tie specialist. So in short
EXPERT in special fields Each court for In In
stance, las It's special lingo A stenographer
Tho curious and eecentric Language Of Tie sail sail.
0rs which + YPndsrstood oy an sailors but
e"pe wen With IN nsuas ar fhe e
stenographer, therefore. who has had practice
III the admiralty courts, has great advantage
called upon to do such work. In fact, no man
without experience "nn do accurate shorthand
writing IN an admiralty court
The reporting in the House of representa-
tiyes OF the Uni ed States s Of u special char
STse and vsync the q m%8s
siumhl.ng blocks to even EXPORT stenogra.
piers not arcus.omei TO C"nG.ossionnl report
phrasos. OF III" same IDEAS and, to n large cx-
tent; OF The samo illustrate MS and the essen.
81 = 4: y
yesrs I q in shat speos sS sa
2, phrases, q modes q expression; q IDEAS. y
20 be found nowhere else. that must be learned
by ,he ste, stsnd3TraEher in years Of practice, and
hoSd ls Thns.o EItef
Gt Snt one man. = steno9rapher. 10 the United
and
who is himself an astronomer OF no mean
ability ana reputat,nn. The limits Of short
stenos. aphers. such profe -rIonal mon always
take Inins to speat with clearn( s., within the
they alwnv. AFFORD facilities tor supplying the
corrortGess Of uuotntons.
A signal ns anee OF the inability OF very ey-
mort ana accomplished reporters to follow the
rapid reading OF extracts from books was shown
In very important cast, tried in the United
States Circuit Court In this city a few years
ago, The case had occupied IN tho taking OF
testimony several years. 1t Ind involved the
consideration OF vast commercial transactions
an iheuuotatipno m immens" b. of t, sti-
smony OF various kinds. Ine reporting OF this
: tes' 'imoni had been undertaken by some yoGni.
s.ienogral 'lrr: tunknnwn TO fame. When the
time "aino Tor the argument 10 De made betoie
the court In this long contested case, involving
millions OF dollars in tho result. the
ploysd to CONDUCT the :, arguments. who
United states wera OF course anxious that
their arguments should br reported fully aud
accurately. one side ,smploIel the young
stsnographers who had een taxing ,ha lest-
ast hn 10y M yvaIs a WIN sha a TsIs inm,! ar W.h ins
ihs had arisen durinE Tho pr9traGed trial before
siop printed copX, OF all the testimony that
hsd been taken. The other aide smploysd 70