The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-05-07

mits' however. that few pupils do tins and
20 deal with IL the evidence Of lack Of school
ing In most Of the candidates who apply.
have no desire 10 find fault with our
public schools" said he, but I must say
that 10 my opinion the New York schools
do not pay enough attention 70 spelling
and grammar. In my experience gradu-
ates OF the public schools were never 20
poorly equipped In these essentials a. they
are to-day.
MANY Of my students 60 to night school
20 try and make up their deficiencies and
besides that we give here lessons in spelling
and IN practical grammar-such az teach
ing the proper use Of is and are which
lot OF students don't seem TO know.
therefore when one finishes a three months
course he or she IL bound 70 have vocabu-
larry Of $500 words anyway, for the reason
that fifty words are furnished 10 a lesson,
and there are seventy lessons.
Occasionally letters are dictated ingram
m nat on purpose to test students e
by him they are pointed out and explained
by teacher when the typewriter copy
is sent in"
Perhaps the most significant statement
OF all IN regard TO the difficulty Of getting
capable stenographers came from the
manager'of a typewriting concern in lower
Broadway which furnishes stenographers
with places free Of charge provided they
pass a certain examination.
=, -Two-thirds Of the applicants who take
the examination fall down. said the
manager.
SIS the test unusually severe?-
Not ct all. II consists Of three different
dictations Of 100 words a minute, which
must be turned out properly spelled and
written. That Is all.
ITO my mind, though, the chief blame
for the low grade OF work turned out by
the majority Of the steno graphen now
drifting in and out Of the New York offices
lies at the doors OF the business men who
hire steno graphers. Dozens, yes, hundreds,
Of them are willing TO pay as low as - and
IS a week to their steno Rrapher, knowing
as they must that only the most inefficient
course, they may not expect much
The fact that such places may be had
encourages students who are not anywhere
near the diploma stage TO leave school and
try to get the necessary practise while
earning a few dollars a week. With few
exceptions, though, they stay right on at
the bottom.
The other day business man called me
up and asked IL had a stenographer to send
along in a hurry. told him had and that
her price was tl2 week.
II don't want 10 pay more than eight,
he shout ID back,
well. I have nothing Of that sort here
answered, and hung up the receiver.
Few days later he called me up again 70
let me know that by advertising he had
got a stenographer for So a week.
Nov / viii wager dollars to doughnuts
that that stenographer has no diploma
certainly not one worth the paper II is writ
ten on, that she studied only a few weeks
and also that her employer will before long
go around lamenting and deploring the
difficulty Of getting good stenographer.'
For the enlightenment Of any who may
be thinking OF learning stenography in
hurry here Is a table Of attendance fur
niahed by the manager Of one OF the best
known New York stenography schools.
Out Of Q class Of seventy-two pupils the q
who reached a standard Of speed, accuracy
and neatness warTanting a diploma, one
student only made the record in twelve
weels. Two other students reached II in
fourteen weeks. All three werel proficient
in English, quick TO think and had I'M
usual manual dexterity.
The others in the class, who were more
or less hamperod by q small vocabulary
and lack OF application. took all the way
from nineteen TO forty-nine weeks TO reach
graduation-siX requiring thirty-two weeks,
Ave, thiTty-seven weoksi five, forty weeks,
and one student forty-nine weeks.
In each case the diploma signiied q speed
Of only 100 words a minute.