Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1895-02-10
HARD ON sTEyoGRAPilERs-.
Now York Is No Place for tho Idlo
- or Jnccmpetent

Now York Is No Place for tho Idlo
or Inccmpetont.
That New York is the grand center
for competent stcnorraphcrs and
short-livcd rcndcz: Gus for incompc-
tents Is frankly admitted. Yet. of the
estimated thirty thousand stenogrnp!l-
crs and typcwritcrs in the city to-day,
the proportion who arc Il credit to the
shorthand profession is said TO be sur
prisingly small. a veteran phono-
graphcr in touch with the progress of
the art recently said: Here in this
city there arc every year Il legion of
young people who commence the study
of shorthand through the i'll advice of
parents or friends, without making the
first inquiry into the mental or phys
ical qualities requisite in the makeup
of n ski!lful stcnographcr; hence it is
that only about one person in twenty
ever reaches the goal of success"
One instructor says much more is ex-
pcctcd of n stcnographcr to-day than
ever before, and moro talent is re-
quircd here in New York city than in
any other place he knows of in this
country. business men no longer
tutor AID humor incompetent en-
ployes. Schools are demanding o
higher standard of excellence than
ever before. We win no. rn'2-islaHi
pupil for = position -&u
passed n technically rigid f.nn
in taking from dictatiou ~. =
;ranscribinr all forms OF oEi-c a,s-r>-
spondcncc, legal matter in the form Of
cO'nplaints. answers. aiiil2vits, agree
IacntS, testimony, Gpcciiica tions, amend
mcuts and other details. BESIDES
this. VIC frequently dictate extracts
from magazines, newspapers and en-
cyclOp:cliaS.
Only Il few years ago the prediction
was made that shorthand schools must
decrease production of graduates,
or. aS Il natural result, one of two
things was imminent among shorthand
writcrS-a reduction of WAGES or n
raising of the degree of excellence re-
quircd for the obtaining of employ
;ncnt. Tho latter alternative seems to
be rapidly approaching. Probably fifty
per cent. more shorthand skill and gen
cral education is to-day required to
hold Il Gooi position in New York city
tian waS needed five years ago. When
questioned rs to this tho above in
structor said:
''Worl: here is done quickly and sys-
tcmaiicallv. and the stcnoTraphcr who
succeeds in this busy metropolis must
know Il great many things besides
having tho mere ability To- mai:c
marks and operate n typewriter. lie
must have education. skill and discern.
inCnt. AND be able to use shorthand
and to ;-pcwritc with great intclli-
@ercc. Grr years training in bust
ness house here il conceded to be rs
valuable. from Practical point OF
view. aT three years training in many
other lnr.-e cities.
THAT this fact Is rapidly becoming
known ard appreciated is shown by
the stca!ily increasing number OF
youn" people who come here from a
distance Ia learn md practice the art.
rhcy come 10 this city from Florida,
i,ansas, California. Cuba. Spain, and,
indeed, from all over the world; yet,
despite this great influx, salaries here
range higher than i'll any other part OF
the country. In Chicago. for instance,
many stcuographCrg last summer ne.
ccptcd positions Mt three or four dol.
lars llsG per week than they would re-
ccivc here.
Our best ahort-hard schools how re.
quirc nn entrance education. Candi-
dates for admission nrc closely exam.
incl ~ Gpclling, punctuation, pcnman-
ship, Englitli composition. geography
and many other vital points. and there
is no hcaitancy In rejecting any uppli-
cant who is disqualified. Only few
years n, Inc average speed necessary
to answer the requirements of an
amanucnsi5 was seventy to ono hun.
drcd words per minute, while ut the
present time rate of less than one
/ hundred and twenty words per minute
is deemed inadequate.
"of high.gradc stcnorraphers." said
Mr.. Snyder of the Remington bureau
"thcrc Ia not half enough to meet tho
demands. Through this agency alone,
three thousand stcnoSraphcra and
typcwritists were last year recon-.
mcndcd 10 paying positions. OF this
number. probably two.thirds were
young women.
at Ia curious to note" he added
THAT the young mon who come TO Now
Yorl; from tho country meet tho nc.
quircmcnts far better than those who
arc residents of tho city. Tho former
come here with u definite aim and pur.
pose, look upon their position md sur.
roundings more seriously, and worl,
with much greater carncstncss aud sin.
cerity."
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