New-York tribune., 1906-10-25
TYPEWRITING CONTEST.
Business Shoe Girls Will Compete
for WorIRs Record.

People who have not kept in close touch with
modern business will probably be surprised at
the conspicuousness Of the feminine element in
the National Business Show, which opens on
Saturday at Madison Square Garden. Several Of
the inventions to he displayed are of feminine
origin. and many of the best sales VIII undoubt-
edly be made by women. The typewriting con-
test will be almost entirely woman's field and
the same will be true of the adding machine
contest The management of the show, realizing
the interest taking in 1t, have gone
out of their way TO provide for the comfort both
OF those visiting and those participating in it.
II is expected that all existing records will be
broken at the fifth annual contest for the type
writing championship of the world. which is to
be Of the most important features Of the
show. Several score of women, with a few men,
are confident that they will be able wrest
her laurels from the present champion Miss
Rose L. Fritz of New York The men are par
ticuarly determined in their rivalry because
Miss Fritz took the championship from a man
last year and they wish to retrieve the honor
of their sex. The following are the remarkable
records that they will have to beat: Number of
words written in one hour. 4467: in thirty
minutes. 1854; in ten minutes. $50; in five
minutes, 433; in one minute, PIG.
Miss Fritz. who says it was force of circum-
stances rather than ambition or any other mo-
is preparing for the coming contest simply by
resting. only doing little work. some copying
and some writing from dctation. every day.
THE best way to increase speed on the type
writer Miss Fritz says, ''is by repetition prac-
tice. Take piece of about two hundred or
three hundred words and practise it over and
over again, probably seventy-five or one hun
dred times accurately. History. speeches and
newspaper editorials very good to practise
IN fact oh Lind
speed"
Miss Fritz's first and most exciting contest
was the one IN which sne won her championship;
since then she has participated in three others
Miss Ruth Maxwell of Cincinnati. who will
be the only non-professional typewriter in the
contest, says that she has beaten Miss Frifz's
record in private and hopes to do so at the
Garden. The story Of how Miss Maxwell came
TO be a candidate for typewriting honors is
rather curious. II seems that couple of wears
ago she had literary aspirations The ma ga zine
eoltors failed 10 appreciate her talents and she
blamed II on her handwriting. So she bought a
VpeWTlter. her manuscripts were more Iegible
but they came back with the same startling
regularity as before, She gave up the literary
work, ana. having the typewriter on her hands
she started in to see how fast she could operate
It Her previous piano practice helped her and
she was soon delighted TO find that she could
write like blue streak" as she expresses II
Another close rival Of Miss Fritz is Miss Mae
CATr1ngton, OF Springfield. Mass, q former
champion and present holder Of the "blindfold"
championship. From abroad are entered Miss
Bertha Baumgarten, Of Berlin; Miss Eloise On
2ont. OF Paris who won the prize at the Paris
&xposinon. and Miss Elizabeth Mason of Lon
don. Other manipulators OF the keys who are
oonhdent Of success are Miss Lillian Rehmer of
Chicago; Miss Sarah Vernon, of st. Louis: Miss
!1elis Hahn. Of Indianapolis; Miss Blanche
Newell. of Boston; Miss Eva De Fries. OF Louis
vile; Miss Dorothy Fisher Of New OrIeane.
Mrs Jane E. Hurtzog Of the Pension Depart,
Tnent. Washington; Miss Carolyn Snow. of Port
land, Ne; Miss H. .. Pembroke Miss EoIa
Wortning, of New York; Miss Helena Alexander
Miss Sylvia Deering and Miss Bishop.
Charles McGcrrin. Of Kalamazoo Mich who
has written 212 legible words on machine in
one minute. is entered. and John D. Shields of
ottumwe, Iowa. who claims that he can write
at least s. dozen more words a minute than Mr.
McCfurrfn. IS also after the title
me contestants will be placed on a raised
PLATFORM in plain view of ell in the Garden and
viii be permitted TO any make of machine
and to select themselves those who will dictate
them ''0-NN