The Republican., 1897-04-15
THE HISTORY OF SHORTHAND.
An Art That Has Come Down 10 Us
from Ancient Times.

from Ancient Times.
The student of shorthand to-day has
decided advantage Ger those who vent
before him in period prior to 1887,
when Isaac Pitman, then an unknown
teacher, made such Improvements upon
the systems then i'll use that he is called
the father of modern shorthand
Charles Dickens and his father, when
they began the study of stenography,.
about the year 1924, adopted the best
method then in existence, but they were
compelled to learn the use of more than
100 signs and symbols, many of which
were arbitrary. Samuel Pepys, author
of the diary" wrote his inimitable=
work in a system of shorthand known as,
Shelton's, which demanded the use of
nearly 300 signs and symbols.
What appears strange in this matter
Is that the people of the United States
should be, as they are, far behind Eng
land, Germany and France in general
practical knowledge of this important.
work. Americans are so active, ener-
getic and inventive, seeking to over
come time and distance in all that they
do, easily leading the world in the mat
ter of ldbor-saving machinery, that it
would seem that the economic value of
shorthand would have been recognized
at once. Such, however has not been
the case, knowledge of it being restrict
ed chiefly to those who follow it as
| livelihood while in other countries
named it is pursued as a study by those
who expect to follow professional life,
because they realize how valuable it
may be to them in their several pur-
suits.
The old Greek and Romans were
wiser in their day and generation, be-
cause their students of all classes and
stations carefully mastered the systems
then in use employing them generally
in correspondence, recording of minutes
of various assemblies, etc. Such of the
| speeches of Demosthenes and Cicero as
were not read from manuscript were
taken down in this manner, and after
ward ''longhanded."
Those Greek and Roman systems were
the only ones known to Europe until
the tenth century of the Christian era,
one or other being adopted Indifferent
| iy by the various countries until the di-
vision of the Catholic church. While it
is commonly said the art became lost
| for a century or more, and was then re-
vived in an improved form, this is alto
gether erroneous. 1t was simply that
| both systems failed to meet the re-
purements of the literature o. that age,
which was chiefly religious and largely
| confined to the dNellers in inconsistencies.
The common sC:se monks gradually
changed it to meet EXISTING conditions,
adding number of signs and symbols
as substitutes for words of purely
| ecclesiastical nature. Thus the monk
of the eleventh century really set the
foundation for the present apparently
perfect system of sign writing by sound.
Shorthand is one of the arts that has
rrrer been lost. 1t lived in one form
or another, and always, with the CEN
turtles. in an improved and improving
condition, because there have lived in
every age those who appreciate its
economic value. 1t is believed that it
was practiced in Phenicia before At
tea existed as a people, and possibly
also at Babylon. One finds no traces of it
in China or Japan, primarily because the
first named country has always, and
the second until recently, opposed all
manner of labor and time-saving de
vices. Besides, theirs is a kind of char
acter writing. to which there might be
difficulty in applying a practical short
hand method.
The present history of shorthand
shows conclusiVely that it is in more
general use i'll Europe than in the United
States, the older countries having tried
and proved it's merits some time before
it was fairly introduced upon this side
of the ocean. Their Judgment in this
matter being ripe and their experience
established, following of their exam
pie could be accompliseG only with good
results. The civilization of Europe, and
especially of those three countries in
which shorthand is in greatest use, does
not differ so much from that OF the
United States that what is of practical
and general benefit there would be less
so here. 1t is due this country, however,
10 say that none of these can offer sys-
TEN or method that shows any improve
nent, upon the whole, of the best that
are taught and practiced in the United
States. Indeed. methods of teaching
here are more direct and to the point.
Take two persons of equal intelligence
and with equal educational advantages,
the one in England and the other i'll
the United States, each under instruc-
ton. and the American should be first
to attain d thoroughly practical knowl-
edge of the art.-N. y. Tribune.
| Professional Readers.
| Public men who are called upon to
speak frequently on widely different
subjects find it necessary, as a rule, to