The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-10-08
STENOGRAPHEPS.
Many or Them Unsatisfactory. hut often
the Employer i TO Blame.

To THE EDITOR OF THE SuN-Sir: All
employers will confirm II. y. SIS" state
ment that It In difficult to get efficient
stenographic service ] have worked ms
stenosrapher. have prepared n.enographers
and have employed stenographers | am
therefore able to speak on the subject
from these different points Of view
Poor work is due to % lack OF ade-
quate general education, 90 poor and
Incomplete instruction and training In
stenosraphy. typewritinE. &C, and go
want OF ability to dictate well.
Some business schools get tho names
and addresses OF students Of the elemen-
tary public schools and employ solicitors
to visit their homes and induce their
parents TO allow them to take stem
ographic course These runners are most
successful with the poorer and more ig-
norant class, the majority OF whose chill
dren are not suited to the occupation be-
cause Of extreme youth and lack OF sum
Client English education and sroper home
training. Some of the schools that orrer
20 prepare stenographers are not thorough
In their work. They employ cheap, In
competent teachers. and. owing to compe-
tition between schools and the pressure n
parents with little money TO spend. send
their students adrlft in too short time
with incomplete preparation. The max
ing OF real" stenographers s one of the
most difficult tasks In the educational
world. To succeed II is necessary 70 have
Intelligent young persons with sufficient
educational grounding. good system %
stenography, the most accomplished teach
ers and an efficient method
Often the employer is responsible for
the unsatisfactory work OF a stenog-
rapher. Some men do NOT know how g.
dictate and never learn. Their language
is frequently slovenly and ungrammat,-
cal. and II tho scribe fails TO correct
all the defects or TO make the letter say
what the dictator meant to say whether
he said II or not, the faults are apt 10 he
laid at the door Of the stenographer.
Some employers dictate with cigars n
their mouths. some speak with their
heads turned away part OF the time and
still others fail TO enunciate distinctly,
especially technical words, proper names
and figures. Another frequent fault OF
employers is that they put off their work
until near the close Of the day. and then
hurry the stenographer and perhaps keep
him after the regular hours, which does
not result In the best work There should
be n school for dictators. because not
many can dictate finished letters or other
compositions at fair speed without ask
ing the writer to read what you got
and without interlineations.
Experience does much for a stem
ographer as Il does for any other worker.
and an employer must expect to pay n
fair salary for competent help. But a
good beginner often proves 10 he more
satisfactory, on the whole. than the usual
experienced one for the reason that he Is
more willing to adopt his employers meth
DDS is more apt to have a cheerful dis
position unspoiled by "A former grumpy
boss and puts more enthusiasm into the
work I prefer n beginner Of not fewer
than eighteen years. from a home of re-
fnement with not less than a high school
general education and broad. unhurriel
preparation in n good business school.
GEORGE g. WALwoRTH.
NEW YORK, October T.