The Penn's Grove record., 1894-05-04
GIRLS AS sTENoeRAPHERs.


Some Advice to Those Who Intend Study
Ing Shorthand.
OF the many fields of usefulness
now open to women, n has proved
peasant and profitable to many, and
may prove so to many more-stenog-
raphy, DR. shorthand, says q woman
In the Country Gent eman. True
there are numbers already In the field
but there is room for good stenogra'
Business men are daily coming to az
preciate their need OF s~teDographers,
and are learning the real worth OF a
good one and the utter use essness OF
a pool one. There a.e many incom-
petent stenographers, and they pro e
q great hindrance to those really pre-
pared for their work. A business
man who decides to employ a short
hand writer, and secures the service
of a poor n to start with, is not
apt to be favorably impressed with
stenographers as a class, and perhaps
can scarcely be persuaded to make
another trial.
A word Of warning to those about
to undertake the study of short.
hand: 1t is not more difficult to
master than many other studies,
neither does it require peculiar adap-
tato IN, as many suppose, but 1t does
need a thorough English education
TACK Of it. Unless girls are familiar
with the rules Of grammar, compost
ton, spelling, and the studies of this
kind, their time will be more profit
ably spent acquiring this knowledge
than In poring over the outlines OF
shorthand. A good plain hand.
writing is also essential, or at least
advisable, though many think that
If they are able to operate a type
writer rapidly, the nature of their
penmanship Is of little Importance.
We find ~girls-plenty of them
who have passed through a course at
q business college, and a show
diplomas stating their ability to
write a certain number of words a
minute, and yet these girls will as.
sure you that they wasted their time
in the study, since they have been
unsuc essfhl in securing posit ons
or course they were unsuccessful IL
it to be supposed that a business
man wants such cir 50 Let us peep
over their shoulders as they work.
Yes; they can write $50 words a
minute, but here is a girl who writes
In such haste that she cannot read
her notes correctly, and is not to be
relied on; here Is another who never
mastered Der spell ng.book, and
makes objectionable errors In spell.
ing;ftheIe is another who is in a
state Of bewilderment as to where
the capital letters and punctuation
marks belong, and is continually get
ting her sentences into a hopeless
tangle, Common sense should tell
n that there is no place in a bust
ness Office for such girls, and it is
worse than folly for them to aspire
to such positions until they are fitted
for them.
The girl who cannot only secure a
position, but retain it, is the one
who can write her notes with moder-
ate rapidity, can transcribe them
accurately, write neatly either with
pen or typewriter, and can hand to
her employer a letter the sentences
Of which are correct in construction,
punctuated as they should be, and
containing no misspelled words OIL
misplaced capitals. A girl who is In
tell.gent, possesses a common school
education, Is level-headed and dig.
nlted, is the girl to fit herself for Of
fee work. She will adapt herself TO
her surroundings, see the things that
need to be done and perform them
quietly and without furry, and ere
l2ng her employer will wonder how
the Office work was done without her.
For such girls there is yet a wide
field of labor, and they need have
little hesitancy in preparing for the
work. Let me repeat that thorough
ness of preparation is necessary in
this as in every undertaking, for the
time has gone by when shoddy labor
will be accepted in any department.
But with ordinary intelligence, care
full preparation and honest effort,
success is not far dis1ant for the
would-be girl stenographer.