The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1894-08-04
SHORTHAND WRITER'S
THOUSANDS TAUGHT sTENooRAPHY
EACH YEAR IN AMERICA.

to Cicero. Who Used More Than ZOO
Characters-New Yorl's Veteran.
There are more stenographers in New
York and its vicinity than there ar
lawyers or doctors. But not all Of then
ere competent. A first class shorthan,
writer is very difficult to find, and i
he is a fast writer he is sure of goot
salary.
Shorthand writing as means OF earn
ing livelihood is not as lucrative al
many other callings, but it affords {
young man, if he is quick witted, a fine
chance to watch the internal working
of business house, and thereby helps
him toward business education sucf
as he could get in no other way.
The only field that is highly remu
nerative is law reporting, but to become
competent for this work requires years
of assiduous practice, and the field OF
employment is limited. The highest
salary paid to court stenographer in
New York is in the surrogate's court.
Mr.. Edward F. Underhill, probably the
Oldest practicing stenographer in Amer
lea, holds this position and receives a
salary of 50, 900 per year. He has been
in the service since 1919.
The municipal departments and courts
in New York city pay annually in sal
aries for stenographic services 1854,
900. This salary list includes 90 ste
nographers, 81 of whom are court re-
porters, each receiving 81, 800, and 10
81, 900 annually as salary. In addition
to this, however, all court stenographers
are allowed by the code % cents per To-
lilo of 100 words. for furnishing copies
of transcripts to the parties interested
in any case when desired.
Up town at 1873 West Twenty third
str ct the stenographers of New York
have club, where they meet each 9TH
er socially. In connection with the
club is classroom. where the mem
bers may practice the art of shorthand
writing Here nearly every evening are
gathered scores of ambitious young
shorthanders industriously driving their
pens for love of perfection in their
craft, while some one of experience
reads or dictates. The classroom is
provided with all the different styles of
typewriting machines for the use of
members when there is no dictation.
The club also maintains an employ
ment bureau. The club is open to Ell
ther sex. In fact, it is the large men,
bership of young ladies that gives zest
to the social side of the club, which is
one of its important features. In the
winter the club gives receptions, enter
tainments, occasionally a dinner and
once every year a ball.
In many of the public schools of the
country stenography is a part of the
training. An evidence of its recent re.
markable growth is shown by a circu-
lar issued by the bureau of education at
Washington.
Here tits shown that from July l. 1889.
to June 30, 1890, 81, 375 persons receiv-
ed instruction in the art of shorthand
in schools and colleges in the United
States. Five thousand five hundred and
nfty OF these were in New York and
Brooklyn. A similar circular was is
sued by the bureau in 1884. in which il
was shown that during the year 1882
the number of pupils receiving such
instruction was l9,47O. 1t is therefore
quite safe to say that the number for
1898 exceeded IS, 900.
But this number does NOT take into
consideration an army probably equal
~ large who receive instruction from
some other source or from professional
stenographers.
Gut OF this vast army, however. but
a very small minority are either nbvs-
ically or mentally qualified to become
court reporters or even Office amannan-
SEES
cicero Is said to have been the invent
or OF shorthand writing, and the freed
man, Marcus Tullius Trio, his friend
the hrst stenographer, and he undonbt.
edly did use method of shorthand
writing as early as go b. c.
The first English treatise was by Tim
othe Bright entitled An Arte of Shorte
swifte and Secrete Writing by Charac-
ture' lnuented by Timothe BRIGHT no.
tor OF Phisike. Imprinted at London bv
l: Windet' the Assingee of Tim Bright
1865 Gum priuilegie Regiae Maiesta.
us forbidding all others to print the
same" y '"' 'ne
" Dilgnt IN this work says: Cicero
ala account it worthie his iabonr anS
no less profitable to the Roman common
weale Most Gracious Soueraigna 20
inuent speedie kinde of wrvfine nv y,
as Plutarch reporteth in ~
IRE OF Cato the younger. This invon
t M. was increased afterward by Seneca.
.nat the number of characters grne 10
"Voo' Whether through inure of tims
OF that the men gaue it over for tediors'
ness OF learning, nothing remainetb s~
lant OF Cicero's inuention at this A., ;,
Every stenographer who recalls Tho
EFFORTS required to properly master the
rev characters used in the art TO-DAY
VIII not wonder that of Cicero's s,sts,..
"ith Its 1000 characters, NOTHING -
mains at this day. IT,
IL was not until 1912 that the arr 10
anne OF any practical use. and il Voc
nrst used IN the house of lords in ,So S
n taxing testimony in a divorce s,,;.
We're not regularly am
'ioyed IN parliament. however mel
'sus'-New York World, ''''