The sun., 1902-02-08
Universal Shorthand.

To The EDITOR or THr sUN-Sr: friend
has sent me a clipping OF your editorial In the
issue of Jan. 27 on the subject OF Universal
Shorthand IL IL gratifying to see great
and influential journal call attention 10 and
intelligently discuss question so important
in an education nal and economic sense Al
you point out. no system of rcportorial abbre-
viations and short cuts can ever come into
general use even among reporters, as each
has his own peculiar kind Of work. his own
notions as how best to do 1t. and "A free held
In which to exercise them. Much less can u
system of abbreviations, such as reporters
use, however cleyerly devised, ever come INTO
general use for the ordinary purposes oil
writing. for the reason that perfect legibhity
of every word independent OF every other
word Is AN essential characteristic OF such a
system OF improved writing
The so-called systems OF Benn and Isaac
Pitman, Graham. Munson, Haven and Scott
Browne, which you mention, as well as many
Others. are really one-the Pitman. Tor II these
other self-styled authors" would return TO
Pltman what they have taken from him they
would not have enough left 10 write thelr
own names. Ptmsn,s and all these modlni
cations OF his system have degenerated
into mere steuogrHphies, and are TOO cum
brous, dificult and uncertain for the majority
Of those who attempt them TO learn an9 ny Use :,
TO employers Indeed, the author OF one OF
the simplest notifications OF the Pltmail
system, In public address, USED ,hsse wo,us !.
tlnt not more than one IN ten can II ne
would so thoroughly master It's intricate
and wonderful powers as TO become Nerbatim
reporter And this is its only use. i this
is the result with ambitious and Intelligent
students above he average grade VINO VINO
would be the result among pupils In pubnc
school taken as they come! Evldently such
a system cannot be- seriously considered as
a factor in the composition OF UNI
Nersal shorthand
Venture 10 call your attention TO a system
Of improved writing which does sfor,bsnd ha 5hs
The inclosed pamphlet gives Facsimile let
trr- ia shorthand from prominent and we'll
known people In the various Nocatlons oi
life who ,Ise the system In CORE sPondence
aT n%d iSr lST Sn %bs' they think Of il after years Of
usa The writer of this receives and writes
thousands Of letters and postal cards writ
ten In this way every year. and has for many
yenr- The correspondence conduIted
with greater freedom. ease and despatch than
If done ia longhand or with machiIe ana
with the certainty that II Will be as Ieglble
TThe general introduction and use Of such
y system would mean the lessening OF the
time rnd labor OF writing more than two
thirds without loss Of legbility Its use
would enable a newspaper reporter to make
Il full report OF an interview or meeting win
the spesd of speech and turn his Shorthand
,opy over 20 the linotype operator WIN the
,srt,inty that there would be no more liza
bnity TO mistake than with typewriter
,OpV and with the apparent SAVING Oi time
and work II would enable the court re-
porter 20 fie his notebook at the end OF "A
dsy's work as the finished record In the case,
with the certainty that the notes would never
grow cold This system Is used IN Brook
iyn by Mr. Charles u Requa. onleial steLog-
rnpher for the Suprtme Court: also in Tam
bridge, y Y. by Mr. Robert r law. ofliCial
reporter for the supreme Court, Fourth Ju-
dicial District
Pusiness correspondence could be written
in this way on the lstterhead Of the frm a.
copying ink and a. soon a. written IL would
be ready 10 be- signcd. copied In impression
book. inclosed and mailed This means a
saving Of nt least six hours In the ordinary
des patch OF business correspondence. one
writer would easily do ~ much as six do now
in the waV letters are written, with the
further economy Of DISPENSING WITH the slow,
noisy and expensive typewriter
The employment Of shorthand and type
writing in business correspondence has
effected the small saving OF perhaps one
half In the despatch Of work This method
would easily effect a saving OF four -nith-
The small saving of one-half has virtually
supnlanted the lonrhHnd writer IN the last
twenty yenrs In the Interests Of economy
aud despatch should not this method Of writ
ina supplant the typewriter IN far le-s time'
These letters aud the experience ~ thou
s,nds demonstrate that this ), entirely pra"-
ticable u hiAbALL
CHICAGO. Feb