The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1897-10-12

POSITIONS THAT DEMAND THE BEST
SHORTHAND WRITERS.

To DO Good Work the stenographer Must
Know Something Of the Case In Adj
vance-Grave Responsibilities That Ac-
company the Employment.
There are thousands Of shorthand writ
ers, but of first class, gilt edged stenogra-
pliers who can go into court and report a
trial with accuracy and a thorough under
standing of the situation the number will
not exceed q score. Out of these there is
one woman who is thoroughly competent.
As a musician who aspires to be called
such should be able to read at sight and
play any music that may be set before
him, so the first class stenographer should
be and is capable of following literally
the speech of the most rapid talker and
can read his notes afterward as easily as
he could read the letters on signboard
In court work there is much that makes
the work partake of q technical nature
The law terms, the peculiar phraseology of
the courts is something which it takes
years for men to familiarize themselves
with, and great many of the lawyers are
men who pour out perfect torrent of
words in their arguments to the court or
jury
The first thing that stenographer must
do when he starts in TO report a case is to
get the theory of both sides as to the case.
Often one stenographer is engaged to take
the case for both sides, and he must famil-
iarizo himself with the case from the diff
fercnt standpoints in order to report the
case intelligently 1t is not merely manu-
al dexterity that Is required. There must
yt,,{oIyvoee IF In or,lrod
degree and an unwearying and keen at
tention paid to the case in all its details.
In taking down what goes on there Is
considerable that should be omitted from
the proceedings, and this is where the
stenographer' S Judgment comes into play.
The lawyers do not wish to have the record
numbered up with the little side remarks
of witnesses or interpretations of the court,
and yet they do not want anything omit
ted on which possible objection could
hang
A Judge may make remark which
does not have any particular significance
in trial, and witness is apt to follow
up an answer by a subsequent qualiflca-
ton which may have much to do with the
matter in hand. The wary stenographer
and the good one separates the wheat from
portant he sets down. What is immaterial
he ignores. OF course in the evidence he
takes the questions and answers literally.
And in the taking Of the testimony he
must always be on the alert, for here the
lawyers may get into dispute as to what
a witness said in regard to some other
point in the testimony and it may be nee
essary to go back several pages to find out
ft1fn f,ft ge,
rapher must be able to do without the
slightest hesitation, remembering Just
about in the testimony where the matter
came up and reading the notes without
the slightest hesitation or inaocuracy. Per-
ceptive faculties of high order are neccs-
sary to the success of a stenographer and
an active brain and excellent memory.
Given the intellectual foundation to be-
gin with, and it is possible for a man to
become fairly good shorthand writer in
five or six years. Constant practice is neo.
essary to keep in trim for court work, and,
in spite of the fact that so much legal
business is done, the demand for experts
is always in excess of the supply.
The court stenographer s work is coupled
with not only a sense of great responsible
ity, but a very high degree Of confidence
!
who employ his services. The appealing
of cases to the appellate and supreme
courts, necessitating the working over OF
all the evidence and the arguments in the
case, must depend as far as the ground
for argument and the true status Of the
! case is concerned, on the stenographio ne.
ports. 1t is one of the professions where
the hand and the brain combine to pro.
duce results, and the first class expert Is
more truly born than made.
1t is one thing to be able to write dowH
the report Of II trial and quite another
thing to dictate correctly from the stena-
| graphic notes to a typewriter. Some mer
are only fair at reporting trial, but gel
out excellent transcripts of the evidence
while others are "chain lightning" at tho
trial, but uncertain when they get back Il
their offices and coInmence to make COPY
| The case hardened expert will take a trial
| put away the report for six weeks anC
then take the shorthand books and reel of
the contents without break as fast as
| typewriting operative can drum it off OF
| the machine.
A great deal of work is done at night by
the shorthand men. So much of what i
taken down st trial on one day is needed
on tho succeeding day that the lawyers
| generally keep up with the evidence as il
Is brought out, and this keeps the short
hand people on the move Work in tn,
courts is done at high tension Of tn,
nerves and brain. and not an instant 4
the stenographer's mind permitted to in
dulge in DAY Dreams for any form o
mental 'wool gathering" would be fata
to faithful work. Concentration is an in
dispensable requisite to suecess-Chioaq,
! Chronicle