Rocky Ford enterprise., 1911-01-20

MIM course-huffy. rat-h 1 e d,
N*D goo-goo-eyed creatures. who
monotonously click their
typewriters when no stran-
gers are in the office and at other
times use their eyes to but advan-
tage, or at least try to hear every
thing that is going on. That is the
idea OF fiction writer's OF what a stem
ographer is. and 1t seems to have
become pretty generally the idea.
But there are stenographers and
stenographers. and maybe 1t would
surprise you II somebody should tell
you what a lot Of great men began in
exactly that position. To refer to two
who have been considerably in the
public eye OF late. take Cortelyou and
Loeb. the former now the head OF the
Consolidated Gas company OF New
York. one of the biggest corporations
In the country. and the latter the col.
lector OF the port Of New York, the
biggest job In the customs service.
Both Of them were stenographers and
earned their living through It, and
they got their start through the same
means.
Indeed. there is probably no occu.
patton on earth that offers to the
young man SO many opportunities for
advancement In SO many lines as ste
biography. The stenographer Is the
father confessor OF the man he works
for: he listens to the inner commu.
nings of his employer. who is a pro-
fcssor or n business man or a lawyer
or n politician. and writes all his
nd knnurQ n nhr,,
thing he is doing. II he is a wise
photographer and becomes personally
intimate with his employer, ms the
very nature OF his job Is sure to make
him, he has access to every opportu-
nifty that his employer has: for every
thing of consequence in this world OF
activity at some stage or all stages
has letters written about it-and the
stenographer takes down these let
ters. And. Of course. knowing that
the .amanuensis knows all about Il.
isn't II the most natural thing In the
world for that employer to give his
faNorite assistant a direct opportu.
nifty to get in on things in an honor
able why-perhaps, in time. to be-
come business partner. even?
Taken generally. a private secre-
tary begins as stenographer: for It IL
by the showing Of proficiency and dis
crcetness as a stenographer that the
promotion comes. Every big business
man has a private secretary: hence,
when your boy takes up stenography.
every big business man in the coun-
Try is potentially his future boss.
Therefore. 1t follows that your boy
has made a start that may land him
anywhere he chooses to go. provided
he attends to business.
The getting of n job as stenograph-
er is not at all difficult. OF course.
your boy must have first learned to
he stenographer. which requires
about six months of study and prac.
tisc Many of the public schools have
added stenography and typewriting to
their curriculums: practically all the
Y. NJ. c. AS have n course that is
free to members: the country Is filled
with business colleges and special in.
structors. who. for s25 to 800. accord
Ing to the particular "classiness' OF
the promoters. give courses in ste
biography and typewriting. But II
through some strange circumstances
your DOy IL uuaDle u avail himself Vi
any of these opportunities, he can
buy a textbook on stenography for 81
or less. rent a typewriting machine
for 50 to IS a month. and learn II ali
himself. There is no business the
rudiment5 of which can be acquired
80 easily. Most typewriting machine
agencies maintain employment agen
cies, open to those who use their ma
chimes. The educational requirements
of stenographer are practically
nothing except the common school
sort, with special attention to gram
mar and punctuation.
There is a great bugaboo about the
speed requirements of a stenographel
and typewriter. The aspirant's frs,
job will undoubtedly be with some
business man who will ask only that
his letter writer shall be able to take
down what he says. read It back &c
him when he gets stuck and wants tc
make n correction. and after awhile
bring in the transcription neatly type
written. Most business men. espe
cially when debating, speak very
slowly: so that your boys speed oi
taking seventy to hundred words
a minute, which he can easily do after
his six months study. is amply, as 4,
his ability to typewrite forty to nifty
words a minute.
.tS skA Nr- xasn