The record-union., 1896-08-30
NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN.

Is there nothing new under the sun?
Tt was supposed that the art of short
handwriting was of comparatively re-
cent origin. But here comes Canon
Gore in one of his Westminster Abbey
lectures and expresses the thought that
st. Luke must have had notes, most
likely shorthand notes Of some kind, Of
the actual speech Of st. Stephen spoken
just before his martyrdom.
This leads a writer in Sunday at
Home" to make research, and state
that among the Greeks and Romans
there were in use systems of shorthand
writing. It occurs to US that the neces-
sity for speed. and the ease of the
writer would tend to make him adopt
some system for writing as fully as
possible that which he wished to pre-
serve of the expressions of others.
The employment of symbols then
would be the most natural thing, and
this has been done evidently among
all nations from very early time. In
the Greek this use of symbols is found
OF very ancient date. Recent discover
les in Egypt give us fair number Of
Greek papyri of the third century B. c.,
IN which such symbols and very con-
tracted abbreviations occur, and with
such frequency as to indicate the en-
ployment of system.
Mere abbreviation, however do not
necessarily prove that there was a
perfected system Of writing by the use
Of arbitrary symbols, such as we have
in modern shorthand or approaching
sound recording. But there was dis
covered in the Acropolis at Athens
few years ago the fragment Of an in
seription containing an explanation Of
q method of rapid writing by arbitrary
strokes representing several alphabet
ical letters. This is ascribed to the time
of the fourth century 3. c. It proves
at least that there was enough of short
hand system then in use to be thought
worthy of preservation by engraving
the explanation of It upon marble.
The earliest example Of a full docu-
naent In short writing-exceptin the
table of arbitrary symbols found in a
waxen tablet in Egypt of the time Of
thetthird century Of the Christian era
is sascribed to the tenth century. A
statement in the writings Of Diogenes
Iaertius. A. D. 1927, is interpreted.
we are told, but wrongly, to mean that
xenophon took shorthand notes of the
lectures of Socrates.
But in a passage of Galen, A. D. 131-
200, there is reference to a copy made
BY one "who could write swiftly in
signs" To the tenth century, however.
as stated, we turn for the first acknowl-
edged Greek shorthand. That system
was syllable, and is now regarded as a
modification of 4 still older system, the
existence Of which is indicated by the
occurrence among the ordinary forms
OF contraction and abbreviation in
Greek manuscripts Of the Middle
Ages, Of certain signs which cannot be
traced to the later system.
These were therefore Of ancient orr
gin. but whether that descended from a
still earlier system must always remain
in doubt But, as the searcher asks,
what is there improbable in the suppo-
sition that some system Of taking down
orations, speeches and sermons was in
use among the earlier Christians? Why
IS it mere speculation TO assume that
they must have had some swift method
of taking down the proceedings of their
councils?
The classical authors give US evidence
an plenty that the Romans had a short
hand system. It was taught in the Ro-
man schools, and it is recorded that
Emperor Titus was an expert in its
use. suetonius ascribes the first intro
duction of shorthand signs to Ennius,
B. C. 239, and he adds that this in
yentor had as many as 1.1o0 signs. But