The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1904-11-15
How Talking Machines For
Business Use Effect Them.
.DISPLACING ILL TRAINED
Old Method Of Dictation Too SLOW for
Modern Affairs Talking Machines
First Used to Report Congress
sional Debates.

The application OF machinery 70
business has become one Of the most
important. perhaps the most impor
tant of latter day innovations. says
the New York Post. Not only has the
volume Of business been vastly inereas
Ell. but new classes OF workers have
been called into action. The introduce
ton Of the typewriter meant more to
the great waiting army Of women toll.
ers than the discovery Of gold Iii the
Klondike meant to its army Of miners.
The woman typist and the woman
lstenographer really were the pioneer
business women They opened the
way for countless other women in
countless business positions. 1t was
through the typewriter that women be-
gan to develop their latent capacity
for affairs. II will probably be their
strongest commercial hold for many
years 70 come
The stenegrapher however Is slow
| ~ but surely disappearing. The ox-
pert stenographer VIII continue indef-
nitely to hold an important place, but
the ordinary product Of the business
college is too slow for these rapid days.
too inaccurate for the precise ana di-
rect methods now required The ma.
iority Of girls who take up this branch
Of industry have a grammar school ed
ncation only and come to their work
about as badly equipped In the way Of
general information and liberal cul
tnre as it Is possible to imagine It is
said iii business offices that d newly
graduated stenogfapher who can be
depended upon to spell the names Of
American cities correctly ~ rarity,
and nearly all stenographers have pain
fully to acquire complete vocabulary
Of unfamiliar words before they are
of any great value in business.
10 take the place of the imperfeetly
educated, badly equipped stenographer
comes the automatic talking machine,
which records and gives back the inn
preston of the human voice 1t Is
probable that few business women re.
alize the extent to which This machine
has already entered into competition
with them The business colleges REL
alize 1t and after the first protest have
accepted the fact az inevitable and tn
combatable. They are even beginning
to introduce the machine into their
courses and to teach its use in connec-
tion with typewriting
The first place ID the world where
talking machines were made TO take
the place Of stenosraphers III d large
way was in the United States capitol
building iii connection with congress
sional debates The method was found
so satisfactory that ii has remained III
continuous use ever since. Under the
old method the expert shorthand re-
porters took their notes In the senate
and house. afterward debating them
T to 4 corps Of ordinary stenographers,
who had the task of transcribing them
by typewriters. The present method
sh0rtens the time by half and has also
been found much more accurate Tie
/ reporters merely eonide their notes TO
Y the machine the cylinders being turn
Z ed over to rapid aud intelligent typists,
6 who transefIba from transmitting ma
9 chimes. Practically two persons In
stead OF three handle the matter, thus
eliminating danger Of errors The
!. typists are able to work much more
! quickly, because they are saved the
I work OF reading their notes, which are
q often puzzling and require thought to
Q translate.
4 These advantages the saving Of time
Il
ability Of each clerk to turn out a lar.
! ger amount Of work, IL felt in business
Offices and even more than other con
4 siderations. such as the need Of ac-
II curaey and intelligence on the part Of
the stenographer. are acting III favor Of
Y the new system The business man.
Il the lawyer the banker are rapidly
Q adopting It, Some business houses
& have as many as seventy-iiye talking
machines III everyday use. From q
dozen to twenty machines is no nm
y usual number for house to order az
4 one time.
I, The machine IN compact form il
i placed In the back of an ordinary roll
z top desk, the connection with the cleo
Lit H&At Wire HEi&t6 NAhitEt8 wa ~
4 sight IN case the Office Is not equipped
Y with electricity q storage battery sys
4 tenn has to be added. and for remote
localities. where this system Is moi
: perfectly practicable, the machine i
rm by cloclwork The business mar
4. reads Ills letters. debating the answers
u to the machine II he has a more than
e ordinarily competent secretary he die
q tates briefly write to Smith &
IL Jones, Dubuque. TAI, and tell them thai
II their matter Il under consideration
q with the board and Will probably come
L. IT'D for adjustment at tile next meet
Il Ing" Oh Write strong letter &
Briggs about those Perkins orders.
t Usually. however, he dictates hts let
X ters It'd full III lie makes mistake h
/ may push tile cylinder back and talt
aver his former words, using q louder
Il tone or be may say, No, ent that ouI
: and say this The tynist as rule