The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1903-10-03
EARLY STENOGRAPHERS.
HOY THE ROMANS PUBLISHED
THEIR BOOKS,
Aud why They Had No Printing
Presses.

Presses.
It was eninently proper that we
should place a tablet over the grave Of
Thomas Lloyd, the first official stenog-
rapher to the American congress-" said
a veteran of the art, 'and ! have been
deeply interested in delving into ancient
history to find out when and where
shorthand reporting was first intro
duced. Even before the days of the
printing presses Cicero introduced a.
system of shorthand reporting, called
the Tyronean method, from Tyro, a.
freedman, who was one of Clcero's most
expert writer's. That even at that early
date systems of shorthand writing-ste-
biography came into general use for
certain purposes, and that the methods
were very effective we may infer from a
passage in Horace, who, when address,
ing shorthand writer, says: You
write in such manner that you will
have no occasion in four whole years to-
ask for another sheet of parchment
Julius Caesar, bidding for populari-
ty In his first consulate, caused the pro-
ceedings of the Roman senate to be
published daily, and these reports were
taken down by trained writer's, who
were called tabularii, being what we to-
day style reporters. These reporters
were probably only rapid writer's, using
the ordinary characters. The reports
were revised and edited before their ex-
posture to the public eye, and We're then
, circulated even in the distant provinces
t,,~,k - 80 fto,r ,,aJ
Record Is now sent to the constituents
of members Of our congress. Prior to
this time the great annals of the law
makers were written on tablets and
placed in a room of the pontiff, where
they were accessible to the public. The
people had to go to the newspaper and
1t was not delivered at their homes as
now. This room Of the .pontiff was a
general reading room, reminding one of
the periodical-room of the congressional
library 4 1..,A
why the ancients had no printing
presses it has been difficult for students
to decide, for they had the material for
making them, and paper and parchment
for printing, and then, as now, there
was heavy growing demand for read
ing matter. 1t was not until the mate
rial for writing changed that there was
much progress in the matter of spread
ing the news. The decalog was written
upon tablets of stone; the Athenian re-.
cord now known as the 'Parian Chroni-
cle,' was engraved upon tablets Of mar
Bile. and next we find Inscriptions on
thin plates OF metal and on the broad
leaves of certain plants, on sheets
formed of woven texture from the bark
of trees and on the skins Of animals.
These heavy and cumbrous volumes
were as difficult to handle as the iron
money imposed upon the Spartans. The
Assyrians came nearer to the printing
press than did the Egyptians, for they
discovered and practiced method of
rapid multiplying their. writings, using
engraved seals, consisting Of cylinders,
from which any number of impressions
could be made. Naturally, intellectual
advancement was rapid, with thea intro
duction of circulating documents, books
and papers, for the reading class was
then only the wealthy, even in the best
days of Roman civilization. The as
sembled intellect heard the news at the
!
theater.
"Cicero's shorthand reporters were the
beginning Of the stenographic art, with
out which we could not get along very
well in this age of newspapering. Cice-
ros plan called only for the taking down
and copying of the proceedings of the
senate by educated slaves, and these
copies were sent out. Cicero worked on
the same plan of gaining popularity as
do the statesmen who send out the Con-
gressional Record, public documents
and garden, seed, and he was unques-
tionably a pretty shrewd politician. 1t
is gratifying, however, to stenographers
Of the present day to know that we are
not slaves, as were the writers and
shorthand reporters of those days.
True, we have frequently long hours
and laborious work, but one of our pro-
fession will earn more in a single day
than did the ancient reporters in a
whole year.
ut was unquestlonably the system of
slavery which was the bane of ancient
civilization and the primary cause of its
ruin. Capital owned labor; therefore,
labor was cheap and without dignity.
Authors dined upon rarities costing
thousands of dollars. in the case of a
single meal, while his slaves who pro-
duced his books were nearly starved.
The only cost involved in the produc-
ton Of book was the sustenance of
the seryile writer's and embellishers.
Publication was carried on just as a
plantation was worked in the days be-
fore the war. The largest books, with