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Shorthand Writers

Shorthand Writers image
Parent Issue
Day
29
Month
December
Year
1893
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

There are more stenographers in New York and its vicinity than there are lawyers or doctors. But not all of them are competent. A first class shorthand writer is very difficult to find, and if he is a f ast writer he ia sure of a good salary. Shorthand writing as a means of earning a livelihood is not as lucrative as many other callings, but it affords a young man, if he is quickwitted, afine chance to watch the internal workings of a business house, and thereby helps him toward a business education such as he could get in no other way. The only field that is highly reraunerative is law reporting, but to beconie competent for this work requires years of assiduoua practice, and the field of employment is limited. The highest salary paid to a court stenographer in New York is in the eurrogate's court. Mr. Edward F. Underhill, probably the oldest practicing stenographer in America, holds this position and receives a salary of $3,000 per year. He has been in the service since 1849. The municipal departments and courts in New York city pay annually in salaries for stenographic services $154,000. This salary list includes 90 stenographers, 27 of whom are conrt reporters, each receiving $2,500, and 19 $2,000 annually as salary. In addition to this, ho wever, all court stenographers are allowed by the code 10 cents per folio of 100 words, for furnishing copies of transcripts to the parties interested in any case when desired. Up town at 333 West Twenty-third street the stenographers of New York have & club, where they meet each other socially. In connection with the club is a "classroom, " where the members inay practice the art of shorthand writing. Here nearly every evening are gathered scorea of ambitious young shorthanders indnstriously driving their pens for love of perfection in their craft, while some one of experience reads or dictates. The classroom is provided with all the different styles of typewriting machines for the use of members wheri there is no dictation. The club also maintains an employment bureau. The club is open to either sex. In fact, it is the large merabership of yonng ladies that gives zest to the social sido of the club, which is one of its important features. lu the winter the club gives receptions, entertainments, occasioaally a dinner and once every year a ball. In many of the public schools of the country stenography is a part of the training. An evidence of its recent remarkable growth is shown by a circular issued by the bureau of education at Washington. Here it is shown that from Jüly 1, 1889, to June 80, 1890, 57,375 persons received instruction in the art of shorthand in schools and colleges in the United States. Five thousand five hundred and fifty of these were in New York and Brooklyn. A similar circular was issued by the bureau in 1884, in which it was showu that during the year 1882 the number of pupils receiving such instruction was 12,470. It is therefore quite safe to say that the number for 1S93 fxceeded 7",, 000. But this number does not take into consideration an army probably equally large who receive instruction from some other source or from professional stenographers. Out of this vast army, however, but a very small ininority are either physically or inentally qualified to become court reporters or even office amanuense. Cicero is said to have been the inventor of shorthand writing, and the freedman, Marcus Tullius Tiro, his friend, the first stenographer, and he undoubtedly did use a method of shorthand writing as early as 60 B. C. The first English treatise was by Timothe Bright, entitled ' ' An Arte of Shorte Swifte and Secrete Writing by Characture,-Inuented byTimothe Bright, Doctor of Phisike. Impriuted at London by I. Windet, the Assingee of Tim Bright, 1588. Cum priuilegie Regiae Maiestatis. Forbidding all others to print the same." Dr. Biight in this worksays: "Cicero did account it worthie his labour, and no less profitable to the Roman common weale (Most Gracious Soueraigne), to inuent a speedie kinde of wryting by character, as Plutarch reporteth in the life of Cato the younger. This invention was increased afterward by Séneca : that the number of characters grue to 7,000. Whether through inure of time, or that the men gaueit over for tediousness of leai'niug, uothing remaineth extant of Cicero's inuention at this day. " Every stenographer who recalls the efiorts required to properly master the few characters used in the art today wili not wonder that of Cicero's systern, with its 7,000 characters, uothing reinains at this day. It was not until 1642 that the art became of any practical use, and it was first used in the house of lords in 1699 in taking testimony in a divorce suit. Stenographers were not regularly employed in parliainent. however, until

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Old News