The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-12-09

young woman left their employ to be
 married. They have searched high and
 low ever since for some one compe-
 tent to do the work. The salary of-
 fered Is a good one, but the holder of
 the position must be able to take dic-
 tation in German and English, and
 should spend her leisure time studying
 Spanish.
 In England stenographers have to
 put in a much longer apprenticeship
 and for smaller wages than in this
 country. For many years in that coun-
 try there were no court stenographers,
 and the work of taking what the wit
 nesses said had to be done by stenog-
 raphers hired by the lawyers who
 wanted the record. The schools in
 New York turn out stenographers who can take dictation at the rate of 100
 words a minute in less than year. Few students from these schools can take dictation accurately at greater speed than 120 words.
 There is great difference between a stenographer who is capable of talk ing the dictation of a business man in his private office, drawled out at slow speed, and the court stenographer whose nimble fingers must frequently capture 200 words of talk minute. The office stenographers are generally il- capable of doing court work. They become accustomed to the tone of voice and rate of speed of dictation of few persons. and when placed in a strange atmosphere they become illustrated and There are office stenograph- CTS who, by hard work, become so ex- pert that they could take dictation of fast talking witnesses, but the instances are rare.
 Where do the court stenographers come from and how are they trained for their work? is question which may suggest itself. The experts who do work in the supreme court here are men of great capacity and speed. Thew acquire their facility of taking testi- mony by years of patient work. The salary is $2,500 a year, but in addition there are fees for transcripts of testi- mony which bring their revenue up to from $5,0O0 to $7,0O0 year each. Their work at times is extremely hard but their pay is in proportion. The work of transcribing minutes taken during the day of trial may last far into the night, but a revenue of from $50 to $50 l day is not infrequent during the trial After court adjourns note books have to be taken into private 'oom, in which there is young man
 rained to write accurately at high ate of speed on a typewriting machine. aft o6 begun, and it is oftentimes after mid night when the last folio is struck off. Then the stenographer has to be ready 0 begin his work in court again before 0 clock in the morning.
 To persons not acquainted with shorthand systems it is generally SUD- posed that stenographer is a stenog- apher for all kinds of work. As natter of fact, court stenographer nay so train himself in the taking of he questions and answers of witnesses IS to be a bit shaky when it comes to aking the charge to the jury of judge vho talks fast.
 There are stenographers who are per eet at general work, but place them mong @ crowd at a great political ,athering and they fail completely. 'here are many instances on record of stenographers in court who, rowded into a small seat, with persons t their elbows. at a political meeting, ! ecome nervous and the notes taken of | peaches are unintelligible.
 There are hundreds of stenographers nd typewriters employed in the mu- 1 icipal department of New York. Their | diaries range from $420 year to s1,- DO, the latter being earned by some ex- | erienced women in departments who | ave become indispensable through | gained by years of work. Il stenographers and typewriters who spire to city positions must take [ ivil service examination, and show heir proficiency in grammar, history, and typewriting. and they lust be competent to take dictation at 70 words minute as a minimum. The laximum expected is 170 words min- te.JNew York Times.