Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1913-01-11
P|TMAN CENTENARY
CELEBRATED IN
ALL COUNTRIES
English Speaking People Every
where Revere His Memory.
FATHER OF SHORTHAND
is NOT FORGOTTEN

Birthday of Sir lssae pitman. lnven
tor of Photography, Celebrated
Throughout the World With Appro-
pirate Exercises-history Of the
Great Educator Briefly Reviewed.
LONDON, Jan. Ain all English
speaking countries throughout the
world the centenary of the birth of
Sir Isaac Pitman. inventor of phono-
graphy, the parent system of modern
shorthand, was celebrated today with
appropriate exercises. The celebra-
ton in this city. which was held un.
der the direction of a committee head
ed by Sir Thomas Crosby, Lord Mayor
of London, included exercises in all
schools where shorthand is taught
and a large gathering and banquet
with addresses by noted opponents
of the Pitman system and many pub
lie men interested in stenography. In
New York also, a celebration was
held, under the auspices of a commit
teeincluding many men of note,
among them President-elect Woodrow
Wilson, Andrew Carnegie, President
Hadley, of Yale University, DIR. VIII
liam II. Maxwell, Prof. Brander Mat
thews, George b. Cortelyou and many
others.
Issac Pitman was born Ill the little
town of Trowbridge, England, on Jan
uary 4. 1913. His father, Samuel Pit
man, was o%yerseer in n of the mum
cloth mills at T~rowbridge, and
raised a family of ten children, six
of whom later became teachers. Isaac
was sen to the grammar school of
Trowbridge to receive the rudiments
of an education, but showed no par
ticular brilliancy in his attachments.
Owing to the poor ventilation in the
school young lsaac's health broke
down and at the age of thirteen he
was compelled TO leave school.
After leaving school Issac was en-
ployed In the office Of the mill of
which the father was overseer and in
the evenings his father, who had a
good education, taught the boy and
enabled him to advance rapidly in his
studies. In August. 1881, Isaac decid-
ed to take up a course in teaching and
went to London where he entered the
British and Foreign School Society's
College. In January, 1882, at the age
of 10, Isaac took charge OF a school
at Barton-on-Humber. a market town
In North Lincolnshire, and four years
later he removed to the town of Wot.
ton-underEdge, where he established
and managed a school with much sue
cess.
While conducting his school at Wot-
ton.under-Edge, Mr.. Pitman took up
the study of Taylor's system of short
hand, and finding il a great time-sav-
er. he urged upon his students to take
up the study of the system. AS there
was no cheap textbook of the system
on the market, pitman tried to induce
Samuel Bagster, a Bible publisher, to
publish one. In the spring of 1887 he
even forwarded to Bagster the manu-
script for a cheap manual of Taylor's
system, but Bagster suggested to him
to invent a system of his own.
In accordance with this suggestion
Pitman began to experiment In the
construction of shorthand a~lphabets,
at first adhering to the system used
by Taylor, but soon evolving a system
of his own, in which he aimed at ex
pressing sounds rather than letters
of the alphabet. On November Is,
1887, the first edition of the Pitman
system was issued from the press UNI
der the title 'Stenographic Sound
Hand" This was a little t~welve-page
pamphlet in ordinary type with two
additional pages of Autographed
plates in shorthand. Copies of this
work are now extremely rare, only
fifteen known to be extent.
Shortly after the publication of his
pamphlet, Mr.. Pitman was summarily
discharged as head of his school on
account of differences with the school
committee Of the town in regard TO
religious views. Mr.. Pitman went to
Bath and there opened a private
school at Nelson Place. The second
edition of his booklet was published
on January 10. 1910, under the title
Photography" and soon thereafter
a third edition became necessary.
Isaac Pitman worked s%trenuously to
make his system, which he continued
steadily to improve and simplify
known throughout the country. He
travelled extensively during vacation
time, lecturing upon the advantages
of photography, and created so much
interest in the subject that the month
ly magazines first published in jan
uary, 1912, became a success. The
first Photographic society was found
ed in 1S43. In the following year his
system was introduced in America
and since then it has spread through
out the English speaking countries OF
the world. 1t is used not only COM
mercially, but also for reporting the
-. - AxvAr