Omaha daily bee., 1905-08-20
SHORTHAND AS A CALLING
Possibilities Of the Profession Explained By
Successful Expert.
sTtPPINGSTONt TO SUCCESS IN LIFE
Fascinating study which Brings Ann
pie Reward In EmoIuments and
opens the way to High
Positions.

MT. W. l.. James Of Chicago. a member
OF one Of the great shorthand firms Of that
city writes thus OF his profession and It's
possibilities:
NO study offers better prospects or greater
possibilities than that Of shorthand
whether IL IL Viewed from' the standpoint
or Advancement in the commercial world
as profession itself. as an educator. as
Iasclnaung study, or as an accomplishment
IN the commercial world there is ready en-
ployment for the excellent stenoRraphe
while the opportunities for advancement
are much greater for that stenograpbnr
than for any other employe. AS a profess
sion, there is none better. The expert writ
ers OF the country are men Of ample means
and In the larger cities the profession
Is attractive because Of the fact that there
is demand for reporters, and the emoiu-
ments compare favorably with those OF any
other profession.
In several OF the large railroad Offices Of
the country no man is employed in a cler-
ioal position unless he has a knowledge OF
shorthand. The demand for people skilled
In this art Is extending throughout the
country, and the prediction has been made
that the time will come within the next
score OF years when shorthand will be
nearly necessity TO all people in CONNER
cial work
Career of COrteIyou.
Perhaps the most shining example OF a
young man who obtained advancement
through shorthand is 20 be found in Post
master General Cortelyou. Ten years ago
he was stenographer to the Fourth AS
sistant Postmaster General at washing
ton. When Postmaster General Maxwell
came into office, he found CorteIyou there
and, Notwithstanding the fact that CorteI-
you was Of a different political faith. he
vrna rafu HraA q,
time afterwards President Cleveland de-
sired the services of good stenographer.
and when the chief executive was Informed
by Mr.. Cortelyou that he was a republi-
can, the answer came, ct don't care what
your politics Is; 1 want a good stenog-
rapher." Mr.. Cortelyou stayed as the
stenographer to President Cleveland and
Afterwards as stenographer TO the late
President Mckinley, from which position
he was promoted to private secretary It
was his knowledge OF shorthand that made
him valuable 10 these people and today lie
is chairman OF the Republican National
Committee and one OF the most prominent
men in America
Ten years ago Joseph eastman was stem
ographer TO the business manager of the
Chicago Tribune at salary of fifteen dol
lars week. Today he is business manager
OF the Philadelphia Record at a salary of
$4,000 year. Nearly every prominent rail-
road official in the United States came up
from the position OF stenographer, and a
large percentage OF the men now promin-
ent in business and political life owe their
advancement to the medium Of stenog-
raphy.
what Shorthand Pays
Shorthand as a profession in itself offers
to young people attractive future There
is no better profession than that of court
reporting. short time ago, William e.
Curtis contributed an article to the Chi
cago Record-Herald in which he detailed
the amount OF work being done and the
money made by the court reporters of that
city. He showed that one firm Of court
stenographers OF that city are now doing
business Of upwards Of $4,000 a year, while
every court reporter is counting his years
profits in figures amounting to thousands
In most Of the large cities there are official
court reporters who are we'll paid. and in
some instances enjoy larger salaries than
the judges In whose courts they report, and
In most instances receive larger fees than
the attorneys OF the court
In the San Francisco Chronicle of Nav
9, 1906, there appear the results of a report
OF an expert employed to examine the ac-
counts of the various county officers at
Redding, Cal. The article showed that
Fred j. Brownlee, official reporter, received
last year as fees within less than 800 Of
twice the salary OF Superior Judge Head.
The fees were not exorbitant, being those
allowed under the law. Aside from almost
$500 received from reporting the criminal
cases alone, he was paid extra for civil
cases. that sum not appearing on the books
and, in addition to that. he filled the DO
sition of court reporter in Tehama county
as well as In Shasta county, In all proba-
biity his yearly income is SIS. Co., and II
is not at all beyond the bounds OF reason
to state that no attorney in that circuit
enjoys so lucrative a practice.
SO that. in the commercial world, short
hand is one OF the best callings, while in
the profession OF court reporting there are
few vocations to compare with H. Aside
from this standpoint the practice OF the art
broadens the intellect increasing the writ
er's practical and theoretical knowledge.
Whether It is ever used as a means OF
livelihood or not, IL is an art worth know
ing.
brings an Education.
II shorthand Is practically studied and
practically used there is no better medium
through which 10 obtain practical edu-
cation. The court reporter is each day
taking legal questions Of a technical ma
ture. From minds trained in this speciality
he receives discussions Of questions OF law
and as result absorbs practical legal
knowledge. II has been stated that three
fourths of the shorthand writer's OF the
country know more about the rules of evil
denoe and are better trial lawyers than
are seven-eighths OF the practicing attor-
neya Every day the shorthand reporter
takes debate after debate legal ques-
tons and on the admissbIlity Of evidence.
Then. too he is reporting evidence. of ex-
perts, such as doctors, surveyors chem
lists, microscopes. real estate experts and
men specially trained in every line OF bust
ness, and with the reporting and tran
seription OF the report OF expert testi-
mony, he assimilates an expert knowledge
IN all thasa subfacts The shorthand ra-