El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-01-04
DEMAND FOR MEN IN
COMMERCIAL LIFE
BIGGEST BOOKKEEPING SYSTEM IN WORLD

anceS is growing rapidly.
Short Hand Systems.
One Of the surprising things about
business education is the large num-
| Der of shorthand systems that are in
/ use. OF course there are really only
| two basic systems, but on these there
! are innumera5le notifications and
| nearly every system has it's own spec
/ ial journal There has been a merry
war Of ''pothooks" going on for some
! time. each system claiming superior
/ ity and supremacy, Some systems are
| hard to learn. but when once mastered
the tongue cannot move too fast for
] those who write them. Other systems
! are easy to learn and up to a certain
! point will work as well as any other,
, but beyond a certain point they be-
| come too slow and try as the writer
will he cannot keep the pace.
"Learn to Do by Doing"
The business school claims the honor
/ Of originating the great principle upon
, which all modern industrial training
! is based: ITO learn to do by doing"
! Long before industrial training became
: fixed idea. the business schools had
! instituted college money and business
| transactions. in order TO train their
! pupils.
! The college bank, the college express
| and freight office, the college commits
! sion house, and the colOge depart
ment store were all in full operation.
/ The students who were advanced were
! placed in charge of the institutions
/ while the beginners dealt with them
! In every particular the methods OK
/ business in its actual doing were simu-
| lated
Clerical Business of Nation.
1t takes. in round numbers. nearly
! 100000 men and women to look aftes
/ the clerical side of the business life
| OF the nation. A half million of these
+ arc bOOkkeepers and accountants. and
! about 100000 are stenographers and
/ typewritists- The remainder belong to
! that great class designated as clerks
! and copyists." The great strides in
! business systemizatiOn that have taken
! place in the past decade have not suf-
/ f1ced to meet the demands OF the coun-
! try's ever charging business activities,
but have resulted in a practical doub-
/ ling of forces.
The Treasury Accounts.
/ The treasury department OF the
/ United States has the biggest book
keeping system in the world The de-
mands made upon il are past the con-
J ception of the layman.
There is an income OF nearly a bill
/ non dollars year to be looked after.
! 1t comes in from thousands of sources,
! sometimes in millions at a time and
; at other times in pennies, nickeIs and
! dimes But every penny that comes in
must be properly entered. even If it Is
! but contribution TO the conscience
! fund Then there is an outgo of a bill
| hon or therea bouts TO be looked after
Sometimes it happens that Uncle
oam owes person a single penny. and
! so careful is he TO meet every obliEa-
/ ton that more than once he has issued
warrant for one cent in order to
square up his accounts. But this does
| not always suffice to clear them The
/ recipient of such a warrant often
/ frames it as a souvenir instead OF
having 1t cashed The result is that
! there must be carried forward to The
| next year an entry in the bills payable
| account showing that this warrant re-
mains unpaid. 1t often costs the gov
eminent many dollars in clerical work
10 square on a penny account.
Expert StenOgrapher.
The expert man stenographer was
! never in such demand as he is TODAY
J and when he builds up a reputation for
speed and accuracy he has a most valu-
able business asset. A notable example
of this is the case OF Robert TAYLOR
! of Minnesota
Years ago he started out as an
ordinary stenographer, but by the time
7 the big Standard Oil cases started he
was agreed upon by both sides as the
I Official court stenographer This case
made $4,000 pages Of typewriter mat
ter. and Robert Taylor made fortune
out of it. even if Uncle sam did not
get his $29.OOO.OO fine
Theodore Shuey. the principal STE
/ nographer OF the United States senate.
is another instance OF the career that
awaits the proficient stenosrapher.
Years ago he was just a plain country
I lad. and grew up as a farmers son in
Virginia. By application TO his pot
hooks" he has made himself one OF
the most important personages IN
! Washington The senate would miss
none OF its members more than II
! would miss him. He can write with
both hands at once, and the senate
! never gets into such a wrangle thar he
! cannot keep account of every word that
! is spoken.
George B. Cortelyou is another who
! reached the top rung Of success by the
| business school route. There IS hardly
any other line of endeavor where a
mans success is so assured as when
he makes himself an expert account
ant or a great stenographer. Both take
great patience but possess great OBJ
! pOrtunities.
TomorrOw-The Passing of Steam.