Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1891-02-16
SHORTHAND WRITING.

ton and talked, both by those who know
and by those who don't, concerning the
possibilities and actual achievements of
shorthand writing. Not long ago an
elderly woman, accompanied by a child
"f apparently about thirteen years of
age, appeared before justice ut the
jefferson Market police court and told
apitiful tale. She said that she was a
widow and that the child was her only
daughter; that in order to procure some
employment for the girl she had been
induced to send her to school of type
writing and shorthand. She had paid
To the professor sixty dollars of her
hard earnings and had been informed
and believed that at the conclusion of
tow months tuition this child would be
able to earn q fair salary. The pro-
fessor, however, had failed to carry out
his agreement, and at the conclusion Of
The tuition she found herself with her
money gone and no probability of the
fulfllment of the promises which had
been made to her. She was informed
by the justice that If she had any
remedy at all it was in civil suit for
damages for breach of contract
The experience of this child, says the
New York Sun, is, but a repetition of
the experiences of by far the larger
number of those who attempt to learn
shorthand writing. 1t is fact that but
4 very few of those who begin to learn
ever succeed in becoming competent
Stcnographers. The experience detailed
80 graphically and amusingly by Charles
Dickens in the story of David Copper
;icid,'' which is said to be in fact the
experience OF Dickens himself, is fair
sample of the difficulties with which
the learner has to contend. Few per
sons, indeed, have the requisite perse-
verance to continue the much-needed
practice in the face of diScouraging re-
suits, which is essential before pro-
ticiency can possibly be reached.
Many of these failures might have
been predicted from the start, because
of the utter disqualification of the
learner on account of the lack of the
preliminary study and training and
knowledge which are necessary to
make a competent stenographer. 1t
must be borne in mind that the sub
;ccts which may possibly be presented
Tor accurate reporting comprise the en-
fire field of human knowledge. There
is no department of science, literature
or art Which may not some time or
other appear in the course of speeches,
Of arguments, Of lectures, of briefs, of
dissertations, of debates, or of dictntion.
There is, of course, no stcnographer
who is SO thoroughly familiar with the
vocabulary even of his own language, in
all departments of study, as to be able
ON the spur of the moment to report ac-
r''fately all kinds of scientific matter.
There are, in fact, but very few of the
most reliable stenographcrs in this or
any other country who can be relied
upon to give n verbatim report Of
scientific congress. How futile, how
foolish, must it be, then, for mere chill
4ren, for persons without even the
Eudimentary elements of education, to
undertake to qualify themselves for such
Il business. And yet there arc shorthand
schools and professors of shorthand
that take t..e money of pupils who at
tempt this impossible task, when it is
known at the beginning that the money
so expended is really thrown away by
the pupils.
There are limits to shorthand. Every
honest stenographcr will admit that no
person is able to report the most rapid
speakers or to follow with accuracy an
argument which consists of many refer
rnces to scientific books and contains
quotations which must be accurately re-
corded In practice, wherever a speaker
makes use of many quotations, particu-
htTly OF poetry or of statistics, the stem
"Graphcr is always anxious to be sup
Flied with tire quoted parts. Among
ihe. very best stenographers the prac-
Zeal impossibuity of one writer being
able to record the most difficult speak
ing with accuracy is SO well recognized
shot in the most important cases a sys-
OF check notes is always observed, so
THAT points which may be missed by one
writer will be caught by. another. This
il really not an unusual practice, and it
ii's been found to be absolutely essen
tial in many cases.
--------------------