Letters From The People

ITblieolumn laopan to the people toexprea thelr optnloD opon miy ¦nbjeoi ol Interes! u publto, and oorrespondenoe upon lidai of all sutiji'ciM la doalrad. All we aak ofoori v.spouiirnis íh to keep oot of peraoDailtles, and Die argumenl Inataad of abase. Be conrlsr, tloii'l iiLincfforih tlnin neoeMVJ to exprcss ule. Tbe pabllsher of tbeCoi kuch does nol bold blmself respoinlble foroplnions exprdSMd.] Sliorlhand in tlic Uigh Scliool. ANN Alilloll, .)! l.Y 81, 1886. Ed. Coi ribb:- Wltb your permisslon I wouid like to mske uso of tome of your valuablf Bpaoe tbla week. 1 uisli tu s:iy a few wordt concernlng tlic iiitroilucüon of sliorlhaml hilo OUr public Khoola. AJ tlic subject is belng Rgltated amoog tbe school autlioritius, a tcw worda apon tlic subject 11 noi be units. Theru ire sevcral tliiugs, whfch, il Beema to me, tlm board sliould oonslder before taking deflnlte nctlon on the budjeet. In tlic iirst place, is Hiere a demand for inttractloD in stenography f 'l'ins, I tliiuk, bardly mlniits of qaestion. I have been nasured by different partios who iiavc gi?n iiistriiction in tbil niethod of wiiting hcre in Ann Aibor daring the pust year, tii.it nearly two Uoadred liuvc taken ap the study ol thorthand. ïTouiig people raallae the nced of :i brielcimetbod of wrltlng, not only daring their unlrenlty course, but also dnrlng their professional and botloen Ufe afterwards, and uc ready to take advantage of the flrst opportonity tbat presenta luelf. It ia safe to lay in coiincctlon wlth this tbat wera itnmde a regular gtudy in tlic scboola 111:111 ' ilhlcnt wmit-l lic mlm't'il t,i e nnr to Aun Albor wlio would otbci wise :ittcnil fehoiil elsevvberc. Another questlon i ''llave tbe Mucleiits time to panne the itudy la oonnectlon with thelr other workf This bas been clearly demonttrated by students whotn we coulU Qamei who have done so ilurlng the peJt ycar. ir, however, t were not thought advtoable to Increate the work ol the student, it could, t aeenu to me, ! made optlODkl tb BOU16 Other sttidy in ench of tlie varloüï cnuises, thus enablin; auy one to pursuc I lic ooorH who deslro to do so. The questiou as to the itudy of ihorthaiul, apart trom the Other ailvanlayis claimeJ for it, would be of equal im [ .rUnce with other studies as a mental drill, raay be with some ao open questlon. TIiosp, however, who liave taken, ander a competent toacber, a thorough coiirse of' instructiou in the art will not, 1 ain sure, liesitate a moment In declaring that the mental training whioh tliey dtiicil from tbe study has been of more value to thein than that reeeived froiB nmny other ttudies. Kor real artistic drill in ferm and outline, theic la DOtlling eqoal to the study of itenograpby. Tlie training which it givei the memory is also wortliy of consideration. Another very important advantage to be derlved f'roui the study f shorthand is the practice it gives one in learnlng him to tbink and act 'qnickly. The drill tliat wonld be deel red in this particular way is vrell wortli the time necessary to learn Uie art. Look Ing at the matter as we do, we would urjce tliat the board keep up witli the times and make the stuii y of shorthaiid one of the rotular studies in tlie school. We have been Informed tliat a propoültlon bal been made to the board of education liv the principal of the Stenojjrapllic Iustitute to iive Inttruotioa in itenographv in the High School during the coml..fi ƒ¦¦ mr S meieiy nominnl sum, in order to Bliow in a practical wav uliat inay be done in the sliorthand line in onc year. It hardlyseems possible that school board sliould thiuk it necessary, at this late d:iy, to gire stenography a test to learn its uierits when it is In sueh general use. This tulght have leemed reasonable forty years ago, when shorthaml was still almost. in its infancy, but sliorthand is U superior to-day to what it was then as a modern steaint-hip is to an old-fashioned Balling vcssel. There are today a thowsand peojile who make a regular businem of shortliand reporting, whlle there are inany times tliis number ot Otbers who niake more or lea use of it as occasion may demand. It is to be hoped that the school authoriles will reoogoize the (.k-mand for instruction n tborthand and ïuake it a recular stiuly in the school without making it seem necessary that that wliich s in sueh comnion use needs tr inji before