Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-04
WHY MEN ARE CHOSEN
SELECTING sTENoaRAPHERS
AND TYPEwRITERs.
It is Contended Men Stand the Strain
Better, Make the Records, Receive
Criticism With Better Grace.

Star that there Is such a scarcity OF good
men stenographers and typewriters in the
departments as to excite official attention
brings up a point of interest about this
class of clerks" remarked an expert stem
ographer in one of the uptown departments
to Star man this morning.
1.-THE insistence of officials that the civil
service commission shall certify to them
male stenographers and typewriters, and
that they do not desire to have certified If
possible, women clerks of this class is a
matter of decided Importance to all con-
cerned In most cities the woman stenog-
rapher and typewriter would appear in
business houses to have a field quite of her
own, for one sees her everywhere. But in
the departments in Washington the man is
almost universally called for from the civil
service commission. Now, why is 1t so?
Some of the best StenographerS L have
known have been women. There are many
reasons why women have adapted them
selves to this branch of the service, but
there are others why men are preferable.
The former do good work with both pencil
and machine when they are good, and when
they are not good they do worse work than
poor men stenographers.
Women, mainly by reason of their sex
and its environment, will take suggestions
and criticisms as personal affronts, while
men will give no heed, but go ahead with
their business and accept it as matter of
business. Women in some respects are
more particular to details than men, but
this may develop and very often does de-
velop into a serious fault as they will per-
sist in writing a letter over twice, and often
several times, in the event of error. to get
1t right. A great deal of time is thus nee
essarily lost. and an impatient chief of di-
vision with such a Stenographer at his ell
bow is strong in his demand for a man.
How Both Sexes Stand the Strain.
MEN stand the physical strain of ham
mering a machine better than women.
They are not, a rule, SO frequently i'll
and away from office. When an official
needs his stenographer he wants him right
away. AS a great general rule, men write
better and faster shorthand than women; it
is the exception that women can do good,
fast, verbatim work and quickly read their
notes at speed of from $50 to 200 words a
minute. l don't call person stenogra-
pher If that person can't take dictation at
$50 words minute and read the notes
without stumbling, but l have had those
who said they were stenographers stumble
at 100 words a minute when the dictation
was sustained. AS rule, subordinate OFF,
Gals dictate slowly. say not over 100 words
a minute, and not that a sustained die
tation, the pauses being frequent, allowing
a slow stenographer to catch up This is
due to a variety of reasons, from not being
used to rapid diCtation, to the fact that
their communications are. passed upon by
those higher in official power and they de-
sire to have their ideas and words express
ed In as good shape as possible to prevent
objection and criticism. There are others,
especially the higher ones who are accuS-
toned to dctaton. who think and speak
rapidly, and who talk easily and steadily at
from 10 to 90 words minute Here is
where the slow Stenographer falls down.
and my experience is that men succeed in
climbing to these higher speeds better than
women. 1t is not difficult to get up to 100
words a minute. but it is difficult to get to
80, and five times more so to attain the
additional fifty words to get up to 200
words q minute and over and then read
the notes easily. l may be mistaken, hut 1
think II IS a matter of record that all of the
records In shorthand and on the machine
are held by men.
'If the reverse of this were true the civil
service commission would be called upon to
certify women instead of men stenogra-
piers. Several years ago | recall an arti
Gle published in The Star in which the adj
yantageS of a career for women in the gov
eminent service were pointed out, and the
need of stenographers and typewriters
as great then as it is now. This fact was
adverted to, and women clerks We're urged
to take UP shorthand and typewriting, with
view to adopting that branch of clerical
work especially. I have been in govern
ment service nine years. and from the first
it has been the same story to tell-the de-
mand for good stenographers and type
writers exceeded the supply
But, as the official in question correctly
stated. the pay of a good stenographer in
the departments is entirely too small upon
entrance-S9OO. If a stenographer is worth
anything at all. he or she is worth a mini
mum salary of $1,000, and promotion to
81 400, and up, ought to begin within two
years. Stenographers and typewriters are
a skilled class by themselves. They see the
ordinary clerks around them drawing big
salaries and being promoted rapidly, while
they have to await their turn with ordinary
clerks, their special aptitude in some in
stances not being apparently taken into
consideration.