Omaha daily bee., 1910-01-05
Some Things You Want to Know
Growth of Commercial Education.

The teachers Of the business and COM
mercial schools Of the United states met
recently In Louisville for the purpose Of
getting closer together in the work Of
training young men and young women
for the market. the counting house and
the other innumerable activities in which
the student Of the business school must
be fitted to engage. Omitting the large
number Of teachers who are connected
with the business departments Of schools
that teach other things beside commercial
courses, there are some $500 teachers in
schools this give instruction in nothing
except business arts. There are nearly COO
such schools, and their annual enrolment
Of pupils aggregates 1910 o young men and
women.
There never was such a demand for
young men trained in the art Of business
Tecord-keoping as there is today. The
same applies with equal force to young
women, except that the demand is more
nearly met by the supply than in the case
Of young men. In eighteen years the num-
Der of pupils enrolled in schools teaching
nothing but commercial courses and short
hand and typewriting has practically doub-
led. In a single year the gain amounted
to more than 1900. There are about one
seventh more men in the commercial
schools Of the country than there are
women. though when II comes to short
hand and typewritlng the girls are de-
cidedly in the majority. In the last fiscal
year there were two girls learning short
hand and typewriting for every boy that
was taking a similar course, 5000 girls
as compared with 1900 boys,
b This disproportion of women in the study
of the amanuensis course obtains also in
the number OF graduates turned out. More
than 1900 women were sent out into the
world of business last year, and only
5000 men. From this it will be seen that
the women still hold a safe grip on this
kind of work, although they nave been
losing ground to a certain degree during
the last decade. Ten years ago there
were nearly three women stenographers
to each man amanuensis. Gradually the
demand for men stenographers has in
creased, and it is still increasing. The
government service affords a notable ex-
ample of this increase in the demand for
the man stenographer. A decade ago the
woman was always favored for such po-
sitions, but there has been such a shift
Of sentiment among government officials
that now a man is preferred in three cases
Oul VI Jul 4hib pIGIcItHCS mas TeaCD6u
such a stage that to become a proficient
stenographer now almost insures a man a
life position under the civil service. The
supply of male stenographers for the gov
eminent far from equals the demand, while
thousands of women are on the civil SER
vice waiting list, hoping that they will be
called to a position.
While the women have a marked taste
for shorthand and fynauyrftinu thay chou
comparatively little inclination to take up
the regular commercial course, of which
bookkeeping Is the central study. Here
the ratio is changed and there are two
men-students of bookkeeping and allied
arts to one woman-student. OF the 62.O0
pupils taking commercial courses IN eX-
elusive business colleges, 5000 graduated
last year.
The figures of the Bureau of Education
show that there are now approximately
250,OOO young men and women fitting them
selves for service in the commercial world
In addition to the business Schools about
which data Is given above, there are 1,31C
public high schools which now teach bust
ness courses and about 500 other institu-
tons which give similar instruction.
1t is said that the first business school
in the United States was established in
New York bS one, James Bennett. He was
succeeded in the management of this school
by James Gordon Bennett, founder Of the
New York Herald, who INDUCED in much
publicity for his institution and built 1t
up to no mean success. But he soon de-
cided that journalism was the profession
to which he was called and the New York
Herald is the result of that decision.
The next exposition Of business equipment
is to be held in Berlin. Every known
appliance for the reduction of detail work,
the enhancement of the capacity of the
worker, and the elimination of error is
exhibited at these business expositfons, and
tho whole world acknowledges the SUI
periority OF American ingenuity in handling
large business transaction with easy cleri-
cal work. The tendency Of the time in
business record-keeping seems to be exactly
summarized in the potto of one of the big
establishments engaged in office out
fitting, business with the ~drudgery cut
out" The American export trade in mod