Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-02-12
Girl Who Won Championship Six
Times Gives Hints on
Quick Transcription.

acquired in this way ! went to Chicago
and won the first prize in the contest
at the business show. 1 now have a
greater speed than at that time. and /
hope that by next year 1 shall be able
to crowd in q few moro words a min
ute. says the writer in the Sunday
Plain Dealer.
In the first place / learned the touch
system perfectly-so perfectly, in fact,
that my fingers think for me. | see q
word and 1 don't think how 1t is
spelled; my fingers are spelling IL out
for me after my mind has forgotten IL
and Is reading the next word.
L never think Of looking at my key
board o. at what ] am writing. If |
make a mistake / know 1t as [ am
making it, sometimes before. That is,
l know / am going to make a mistake,
but I haven't time to stop myself.
! think the first thing a young
typist should learn is absolute ac-
curaoy. Speed will come itself. Too
often a beginner is so anxious to be-
come a fast operator that he forces
himself at the expense Of accuracy.
This is a fatal mistake, because once
that bad habit is acquired it is almost
impossible to break 1t.
1 think it is best TO practise from
all kinds of copy. For my part, | make
use of newspaper stories more than
anything else. Working over set exer-
cises like, NOW is the time for all good
men to come to the aid of their party
has very little value.
I IL ,,at ,tea INV yIr 10 I-aay nv
place in my copy Some operators
make use of liners or other devices. /
never lose my place, because l never
take my eyes off the copy. ] just sirnp-
ly read along almost as rapidly as /
should if I were not transeribing.
I have often been asked II piano
playing is any aid in typewriting. For
myself | find that 1t is really a him
drance. OF course, in hat it gives
strength to the hands it is a help, but
the theories Of piano playing and type
writing are different.
I place my typewriter so hat the
lower bank of letters is on a level with
my elbows. l always sit erect and
move as / find it comfortable. This, !
think, is merely a matter of comfort,
for two of my nearest competitors sit
in an entirely different attitude; one
absolutely erect, not moving by a hairs
breadth in an hour; the other Is all
bumped over his machine. Personally,
/ think, a woman should always sit az
nearly erect as possible to preserve her
health and figure.
Strength in the hands and arms is
the most valuable requisite one can
possess. Exercises or homework which
employ the muscles. Of the arms and
hands are very valuable, and every
typist should give some attention to
this matter.
The stroke should be q sharp STAG
cato blow to the key. The finger must
not linger on a letter. 1 take the let
tiers Off my machine and substitute
cellulold caps. as being more comfort
able for the finger-tips.
In closing, I want to lay stress upon
the necessity of having the typewriter
absolutely clean. l am astonished when
1 go into business offices to see the con-
dition in which the average operator
keeps his machine. 1t is impossible to
work fast on a dirty, sticky typewriter.
and a blurred letter is a disgrace TO
the operator and to the firm for which
it is written.