The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1907-04-20
A WONDERFUL DEMONSTRATION,

vi MONQdy evening OF LnlS week a
large and interested throng were pre-
sent In the commercial room of the
Central Business College, Hayes build
ing, 80 East Superior street, in an
swer to an invitation to witness a.
demonstration of the new Charter
Shorthand.
Prof. l.. c. Spencer, Of New Orleans,
president Of the Spencer chain of bus
mess colleges Of the South, one Of the
authors of the new system, first gave
an extremely interesting talk on the
subject of shorthand in general, point
ing out the fact that the so-called
STANDARD" systems abound to such an
extent in rules, exceptions to rules,
words signs, contractions, expedients
and all sorts of complicated outlines,
while the system he represented is so
simple a child can learn it. He show
ed that the principles Of Charter
shorthand are so comprehensive that
every word in the English language
can be written, and yet only ten SIM
pie rules are necessary to enable the
student to master the most extensive
vocabulary any stenographer may need
, also that it has equal advantages from
the speed point Of view as any other
system Of shorthand.
In introducing the speaker, Mr..
Brocklehurst, president of the Central
Business College, took occasion to in
form the audience that while he had
taught and used Pitman and Graham
shorthand for nearly II years in Du-
luth, yet after looking into the new
h ctr u
pressed with it's wonderful simplicity,
it's remarkable reading power, that
after consultation with his partner,
Mr.. F. A. Barber, they had determined
| to give the new system a place in the
| courses Of the Central Business COL
lege.
In the course Of his lecture, Prof.
Spencer called a small boy in the au-
dience to the front, and in a few
minutes actually had the little fellow
reading shorthand from the black
| board.
He next called up a class Of about
a dozen young men and women, who
had never seen the new system before
the Tuesday previous, and they read
letters from the blackboard and wrote
letters from dictation better than any
student in the ordinary shorthand
could do after three months study
A remarkable test Of the readableness
OF the system was shown when Prof
| Spencer asked any of the audience tc
give him an ordinary business letter
and was handed a letter by a gentle
man in the audience. Prof. Spencer
wrote this letter on the blackboard
and it was read by the class word BY
word as readily as though readina
from printed page.
The audience were agreed that Il
was most wonderful exhibition con.
s1dering that most Of the students who
took part had never seen shorthand
until taking a few days work with
Prof. Spencer
The Central Business College man.
ayers are certainly enterprising. and
we congratulate them on having &C.
cured the exclusive right to teach this
| new Charter system. It shows thai
they are alive to the commercial need.
OF this strenuous age and are deter
mined to give their students the best
that Is on the market
| large number Of students have en-.
rolled IN the college, it being fully
| demonstrated that 1t is possible fo,
| everyone possessing a common school,
education to learn shorthand in less
than half the time required bv the
old line systems.