THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES OM1AS, % THE MISSING LINK IN SHORTHAND A Treatise on LEGIBILITY AND THE ACQUIREMENT OP SPEED in STENOGRAPHIC WRITING By Samuel C. Dunham Washington Published by the Author 1894 Copyrighted 1894 by Samuel C. Dunham. PREFACE This book has been produced by photo- lithography. For the purpose of showing to some extent what may be accomplished with the perfected writing machine, be- yond the uses to which it is ordinarily put, the author prepared the text on a No. 2 Remington typewriter. The initial letter "I" on page 63 was made by use of the underscore and a special type (|) de- vised several years ago by the author for use in tabular matter, etc. The border of this page was produced by the same means, but to save time and labor all the other borders were printed in the ordi- nary way. When this enterprise was undertaken the author was somewhat at a loss for an adequate excuse for presenting to the public another work on stenography, but the splendid symposium of autographic shorthand which constitutes the greater portion of the stenographic part, and which, by the way, is the result of an afterthought, not only renders an apology unnecessary, but furnishes a sufficient motive for the publication of the book, even if it contained nothing but that one 448495 feature. The thanks of the author are due to all of the gentlemen who have con- tributed to this part, and he is under particular obligations to Mr. David Wolfe Brown, the senior member of the corps of official reporters of the House of Repre- sentatives, and to Mr. Theo. P. Shuey, of the Senate corps, for their encouragement and for their invaluable assistance in making this feature a success. With the hope that this book may be the means of making lighter the burdens of the beginner in the study of shorthand and that the veteran may not find in it much to condemn, the author consigns it to the tender keeping of his stenographic brethren. CONTENTS Page Preface, ....... 3 Introduction, . . . . . 7 Conflicting Word-Forms, etc., . . 10 List of Conflicting Word-Forms, etc., 27 Causes of Hesitation in Writing, . 29 Phrase-Writing, 39 Acquirement of Speed, .... 52 Selected Matter and Shorthand Notes, 54 Needless Burdens of the Modern Learner 55 Key to same, ...... 63 Page from Note-Book of S. C. Dunham, 62 Key to same, ...... 75 Shorthand Contributions and Fac-Simile Reporting Notes, 79 Contributions by D. F. Murphy, 89 Key to same, ..... 110 Theo. F. Shuey, 90 Key to same, ..... Ill E. V. Murphy, 92 Key to same, ..... 113 H. J. Gensler, 93 Key to same, 114 Dan. B. Lloyd, ..... 94 Key to same, ..... 116 Milton W. Blumenberg, .... 95 Key to same, 117 Contributions by Page David Wolf 6 Brown, .... 96 Key to same, . . . . 120 John H. White, 98 Key to same, . . . . 123 Andrew Devine, 99 Key to same, ...... 124 A. C. Welch, 100 Key to same, ..... 127 Fred Irland, 101 Key to same, 128 Geo. C. Lafferty, 102 Key to same, 130 W. J. Kehoe, ....... 103 Key to same, 131 E. D. Easton, 104 Key to same, 133 Eugene Davis, 105 Key to same, ..... 135 Fac-Simile Reporting Notes By Charles Flowers, .... 107 Key to same, ..... 139 By George N. Hillman, . . . . 108 Key to same, . ... . . 141 By Joseph E. Lyons, .... 109 Key to same, . . . . 143 Index, 145 INTRODUCTION During the past quarter of a century there have appeared in this country and abroad numerous shorthand text-books, each purporting to promulgate a new "sys- tem" of stenography, but nearly all of which are in fact mere modifications or adaptations of the Isaac Pitman phonog- raphy, embellished more or less by new hooks and expedients, and rendered more complex and difficult of acquirement by the addition of various abbreviating de- vices of doubtful utility. While two or three of the "new systems" are in some respects improvements on the old pho- nography, all the others have been found in practice to be inferior to the simple and logical method of writing shorthand which prevailed forty or fifty years ago. It is true that some of the later methods possess much greater theoretical brevity than the old phonography, but this has been secured at the expense of legibil- ity, and their mastery entails upon the learner an amount of labor which is not justified by the results attained. Each succeeding author, instead of being con- tent to simplify and harmonize the ample material already existing, has apparently striven to produce a system which should have the semblance of originality, and to that end has encumbered his text-book with as many novelties as his ingenuity could devise, many of which had never been tested in practice, and most of which, although alluring and brief in theory, are found in actual work to be impracticable and unsafe. Recognizing these defects in existing text-books, the writer some years ago "broke away from the false prophets and determined to work out his own stenographic salvation. Starting with Graham's reporting style, in its more simple form, as a basis, the author has, by a careful selection of well-tried expedients from the reporting notes of some of the best stenographers in the country, so modified and simplified his style that conflict between familiar word forms has been practically overcome, while hesitation in writing such phrases as he uses has been reduced to a minimum, thus securing much greater legibility than he was ever able to attain by a strict adherence to Graham 1 s principles, and at the same time very materially in- creasing his speed. Every word-sign and contraction presented in this book, with one or two exceptions, which will "be noted in the proper place, has been used 8 for years by some of our best stenogra- phers and proved to be absolutely safe, and the suggestions relative to phrasing are based on the practice of the same eminent authorities. These various modi- fications, each in itself of slight sig- nificance, but in the aggregate consti- tuting the means of overcoming many of the difficulties which are encountered by the student in acquiring a practical knowledge of stenography, have been de- nominated, for want of a more comprehen- sive title, "The Missing Link in Short- hand", and they are submitted to all writers of phonography who have not al- ready selected similar expedients with the confident belief that they will be found, after a fair trial, to be worthy of adoption. CONFLICTING WORD-FORMS Nearly all authors of text-books based on the phonetic shorthand of Isaac Pitman have adopted his very defective lists of grammalogues and contractions as the nu- cleus of their own more extensive but equally imperfect lists. Mr* Munson, Mr. Bishop, Mr, Osgoodby, and one or two oth- ers have evidently realized the need of distinctive outlines for some of the con- flicting word-forms in the old phonogra- phy, but, unfortunately, in attempting to provide them have so radically "reformed" the whole structure of phonography as to 10 render their text-books worthless to the student who desires to follow the study of the art according to the methods used by the great body of shorthand writers, although the experienced stenographer may find in them some features of much value. The consequence is that phonography, as exemplified in the most popular text- books and as written by the large major- ity of shorthand writers to-day, is en- cumbered by a score or two of word-signs and contractions of the most common use which clash badly under varying condi- tions, requiring constant care on the part of the conscientious stenographer, through vocalization or other means, to 11 avoid conflict. In this chapter the ef- fort is made to provide for the most com- mon of such conflicting word-forms dis- tinctive outlines which will not clash, even when written out of position and un- vocalized. At the close of the chapter is given a list of word-signs, contrac- tions, etc., which contains nearly all words written in accordance with the sug- gestions offered in this book. In most other cases the author follows quite closely the outlines given in Graham* s Handbook of Standard Phonography, and he advises the students of other systems to do the same with regard to the text-books from which they learned the art. From 12 experience he is convinced that it is un- wise, after one has thoroughly mastered any system, to make a change involving fundamental principles, as the hesitation in writing caused by the constant tend- ency to revert to those principles first acquired more than counterbalances any advantage to be derived from the adoption of another system, even though the new system selected be far superior to the one abandoned. The few simple changes suggested in this chapter, however, can easily be made, and if adopted one at a time can gradually be incorporated into one's writing with no difficulty what- ever. The words in the list which seem 13 to require some comment are the follow- ing: ACCOUNT, AMOUNT. By reason of their close resemblance,, ^account and ~. amount are apt to clash, and having the same vowel sound, different outlines are nec- essary. Write ..^rrv:.. for account. AFTER, FUTURE. It is incomprehensible why words so apt to clash as ...v,. ...after and .-..,..... future should have been given the same sign. Difference in position does not provide sufficient means of distinction. The use of-...i. for after is recommended. AFTERNOON, FORENOON. As usually writ- ten ( ...s^_r>..afternoon, S^.. forenoon) , these words quite frequently conflict. Write 14 .for the former and ..L_a..f or the latter. ANNUAL, ONLY. --Graham gives the same outline for both of these words. As they sometimes clash, it is advisable to write ..^-.for annual. ASTONISH, ESTABLISH, OPPORTUNITY. --The minute signs provided by most authors for these words are the source of much uncer- tainty, as there are many cases in which they conflict with the forms of other words. The outlines given for them and their derivatives in the accompanying list are absolutely legible and suffi- ciently brief for practical purposes. BUT, AND. The signs for these words, as usually written ( , ..and,.. -i.. but ) , fre- 15 quently clash in rapid writing, the dot having a tendency to become a tick, and the tick sometimes degenerating into a dot. The adoption of Munson 1 s_ _\ for but provides a means of absolute distinction and at the same time furnishes a stroke which phrases readily. CAN, CAN NOT. These words, as usually written ( T ^ .can, can not), constantly clash, especially in testimony. Mr. Gra- ham writes !7_ ..for I can and ' ...for I can not, which are obviously liable to con- flict. Mr. Munson, Mr. Marsh, and one or two other authors use for can, and it has been adopted by the writer. In prac- tice.- can should be written considera- 16 bly longer than the ordinary K-stroke, so as to distinguish it from could. COME, GO. The signs provided by many text-books for these words (. .-^-...come,.... go) are very liable to clash. Write ^> for come. CONNECT, ACT. Connect and its deriva- tives sometimes clash with act and its derivatives, as commonly written: .con- nect,. _act. The adoption of. r-^. for the former removes all danger of conflict and provides an outline which phrases well, as:...7kr-^>in this connection,..s_^-i^. no con- nection. ERRONEOUS, EARNEST. Mr. Graham writes erroneous and..Z^..for earnest, and 17 as a consequence they frequently clash. Safety is secured by writ ing. ,TI_p. .for erro- neous. EXAMINE, SUMMON. These words, which occur very often in legal reporting, are represented by the same sign in Graham's Handbook. The adoption of-rrrtc?>...for exam- ine is recommended. EXPEND, SPEND. Mr. Graham represents both of these words by the same outline. Obviously the former should be written in full :..-... expend. HALF, PEW. Although these words quite often conflict, most of the text-books give the same sign for both:. {_. half , few. Write., /..for half. It joins naturally in 18 compounds and phrases well, as:. ...u*f. .one- half ,... vt- half dozen. fc_^x HIM, ME. The signs for these words, as usually written (..<^..him, me), con- stantly clash, especially in phrases. By the adoption of_..../. ...for him absolute dis- tinction is secured. This sign compounds and phrases naturally, as :...A. -himself *.>^*. know him,.. ...C777... like him, I,.. ..for him. It does not clash with.... A... .who. NOTHING, ENOUGH. It is strange that * 1 *-^t outlines so much alike as. . .(. ..and v... should have been accepted for thirty-five years as the "standard" for words so apt to conflict as nothing and enough. Write .for nothing. 19 OF, OP A, OF THE. Some authors indis- criminately indicate of, of a, and of the by writing the strokes between which they occur close together. It is generally desirable, and in legal reporting abso- lutely necessary, to make a distinction between these words. They are written in v > this book thus: of, of a, of the. Of the is also indicated according to Mr. Graham's rule, viz.: by writing the words between which it occurs close together or by joining them, thus: day of the week,..?^^.. .one of the best. OLDER, LATER. Graham's Handbook gives the same sign (....L. ) for these clashing words. Write ....for older. 20 OR. --The sign provided for this little i word by most of the text-books or) is the source of much uncertainty in read- ing, although it might be difficult to specify any particular instances where it clashes with other signs. The use of ^ .for or is advised. It stands out dis- tinctly in one's notes, and it phrases better than the old sign; e. g.: on or about ,...._. ..on or before,.....^! on or after, fS did you or not,.. ..A three or four, four or five. PAID, PUT. These words, as written by most modern authors ( \. paid, ... x . .put ), are liable to clash. Write.. .>-.... for paid. PRINCIPLE-PAL, PRACTICE. Mr. Graham 21 writes^ \ for principle-pal and. A for practice. As they sometimes clash, it is advisable to write A for principle-pal. REGARD, REGRET. Notwithstanding these words are liable to conflict, many text- books assign to them the same outline: -..^r. .. regard, __^~.._ regret. Write, /...for re- gard. SATISFY, SUIT. The sign commonly used for satisfy ( P...,) sometimes clashes with the outline for suit (....f ..). The former should be written in full: P.. ...satisfy. C This does not affect the derivatives of satisfy, which are written in the usual way:. P satisfactory,.. P satisfaction. SITUATION, STATION. The outline given 22 for these words by Mr. Graham (. ...u ..} oc- \J casionally causes confusion. Write Y.. for situation. THESE, THOSE. --Nearly all of the text- books provide the same outline for these words, distinguishing between them only by difference in position. When written in phrases they very frequently clash. The adoption of for these is advised. TRUTH, TRUE. According to most au- thorities, these words are represented by the same sign. As they are liable to clash when written out of position, it is advisable to write the former in full:, truth. YEAR, NIGHT. --Year and night, as writ- 23 U *_x ten by most authors (_ year, night), sometimes clash. By writing '....for year the necessary distinction is secured, and phrasing is facilitated; e. g. i .....(. this year , ^e... .next year,... .*-*.... one year, ...^ ...two years,.. . beheld, behold -6-> examine-ation \ but -S expend calculate s expended *""*- can %^ expenditure 27 ^ follow ^-j opportunity kj forenoon or half ^ paid ^ hereafter o * princ iple pal , him recollect i himself X| recollected ^.. infinite recollection .-^^-... language .../:. regard f less than .. f _ satisfy " my own situation % never these ^ no one \ truth ^ no, sir C until ^_^ nothing year of a ( yes s older C r ^ yes, sir 28 CAUSES OF HESITATION IN WRITING SHORTHAND With the exception of the injudicious use of the principle of phrasing, which will be discussed in the next chapter, the greatest cause of hesitation in writ- ing shorthand lies in the numerous unnec- essary and illogical exceptions to the rules relating to the use of the strokes for R and L. In the text-books the student is told to write initial R upward in all cases where it is more convenient than downward R, and then in turning to the shorthand exercises he finds such outlines as the 29 following:. ........... read, ..... 7.. ...redeem, . surae ,...^T. ...retail,...:^. re turn, etc. He is instructed to write the R-stroke downward. when preceded by an initial vowel, but is \ * confounded by finding in the shorthand illustrations outlines like the follow- ing :./*~/..arrange 5...^ ..arsenic,....-x e 7^T..arson, artist,...../^. ..... erroneous ,_..' ...ordain, oriental, etc. * In the use of the L-stroke the excep- tions are still more bewildering. When L stands alone or commences a word the rule requires that, it be written upward, but in writing over the exercises the student discovers many such outlines as these: ... ...hem. N and NG 35 form an exception to the rule, it being more convenient to use the aspirate in connection with these strokes or to omit the H entirely; e. g.: hint, ...#.... hunt , ...w hand ,..>^... hence j...^, Jiang ,. .s^_jr . .hungry , .. hanker, etc. Most of these forms are longer than those commonly used for the same class of words, but they are un- questionably .more legible. Mr. Graham writes.-^.... .for hip,.,>. .for hob,....' for heat, etc., signs not at all suggestive of the words for which they stand. When written in full O hip, .. V \... hob, heat), his forms can not be as rapidly executed as the outlines here recommended. Another cause of hesitation in writing 36 is the unphilosophical method in general use of indicating the past tense of reg- ular verbs whereby the form of the prim- itive word undergoes a change in order to produce the past participle. The follow- ing examples illustrate the old method: ..i.. date,..J t ...dated;..r create,...^ .created; .^.. freight ,...~V freighted; need,." 1 . needed; ...snort,...' ..snorted;..' .want,..' '...wanted; wilt,. ....wilted, etc. The form of the primitive word in all such cases should be preserved and the past tense indicated by simply adding the D-stroke as follows: -J._ date, ... .j| dated; create, J created; <\. freight ,...ri. .freighted;.... need,..J .needed ; .snort ,_...J.. .snorted;... want ,....1 ....wanted; 37 448495 wilt,... fl_ wilted. These new forms are quite as easily written as the old, and through their use the element of hesita- tion in the writing of this class of words is entirely removed. This completes the enumeration of the minor causes of hesitation in writing and reading shorthand. For a consideration of the most prolific source of these dif- ficulties the reader is referred to the next chapter, entitled "Phrase-writing". 38 PHRASE-WRITING The value of the principle of phrasing in promoting speed in shorthand writing is so generally recognized that no argu- ment in favor of its use is necessary. While there can be no question that with- in proper limitations phrase-writing is conducive both to speed and to legibil- ity, it is equally true that the injudi- cious use of this principle causes more hesitation in writing and difficulty in reading than all other hindrances com- bined. The purpose of this chapter is to point out some of the most flagrant in- 39 stances of the improper use of the phras- ing principle and to suggest a few simple rules which will to a very large extent remove the causes of hesitation in the formation of phrases and at the same time render them perfectly legible. In treating of the causes of hesita- tion in phrase-writing they have been di- vided into three classes: 1. The phrasing of unfamiliar words. 2. The indiscriminate use of ticks in- itially and finally to indicate the words a-n-d and the. 3. Unnatural phrasing; that is, chang- ing the form of a word for the purpose of incorporating it into a phrase. 40 Passing by the first of these causes for the present, we come to the second cause, the indiscriminate use of ticks to indicate a-n-d and the. The authors of most modern text-books advocate the use of a tick written in the direction of |_._... or...^^..to indicate a-n-d, and a tick writ- ten in the direction of.....\..., /....or ../<... to indicate the. According to many au- thors, these ticks may be joined indis- criminately to preceding and following strokes; e. g.: ^....and by the,. ...I... and do a, -<^vr^..and make a, L...the day the, etc. The hesitation caused by the mental ef- fort required to determine in what direc- tion these ticks must be written in order 41 to join a following stroke at the proper angle outweighs any possible advantage which may be claimed in support of their use. The examples just given are more rapidly and easily written with separate signs, thus: . / and by the,.....]..! and do a, .,..^,.t.and make a, ...L....the day the. The third, and undoubtedly the great- est, cause of hesitation in phrase-writ- ing is ascribable to what may be called "unnatural" phrasing. A familiar example of this class of phrases, and one which ' well illustrates the point, is.. i it has been. This phrase contains three ele- ments, viz.: I it,...o has, and.. .Y . be en. The first two element s, ___]_._. and.... <>.._., join 42 naturally, but in order to make a junc- tion between. .. .1. ... and ...V.. .it is necessary to turn the S-circle to the left of the I ....... thus making an unnatural phrase. By rea- son of its frequent use, resulting in great familiarity with it, this phrase does not cause much hesitation, but it is safe to say that nine out of ten stenog- raphers have at some time in their career experienced some difficulty, and conse- quent hesitation, in determining on which side of the stroke the S-circle should be turned in this and similar phrases. As an illustration of unnatural phras- ing carried to an absurd extreme, the following examples are taken from a popu- 43 lar phonographic dictionary:... ..7. ...... I shall ...it will therefore, ..... j?..jun- \ I til they are having ...... /...was it therefore, ..which are all having,.... /....which they are therefore, /^..when it otherwise, ....vv... you are not therefore. Perchance in the ages yet to come some genius may ap- pear, --some Shakespeare or some Raphael of shorthand, who will write with fa- cility at high speed such phrases as these, and possibly read them when cold; but the world has not yet seen the feat performed, not even by the author of the dictionary from which these specimens were taken, if we are to measure his ca- pacity for phrase-writing by certain fac- 44 simile reporting notes of his printed some years ago in one of the leading pho- nographic magazines. When the man who invented these highly ingenious but ut- terly impracticable phrases forgets how to write them when following a speaker, the conclusion is irresistible that they were constructed for exhibition purposes only, and their use in the future should be restricted to the objact for which they were devised and to which they have chiefly been devoted in the past, to show the brevity of the system to which they pertain as compared with any and all other systems. With the object of simplifying phrase- 45 ography so that hesitation in writing and uncertainty in reading shall be practi- cally eliminated, the following rules have been adopted: 1. Phrase only familiar words. 2. Discard the indiscriminate use of ticks to indicate a-n-d and the. 3. Do not change the construction of a word-form for the purpose of making a phrase. The first rule is so simple and the advantages of its observance so obvious that it requires no explanation. The second rule is one of great impor- tance. As has been remarked, the use of ticks to indicate a-n-d and the initially 46 and finally is the cause of much hesita- tion in writing. This is more particu- larly true in the case of a-n-d joined to a following stroke. To obviate this dif- ficulty, the principle of indicating and by a tick, either initially or finally, should be abandoned. The often recur- ring and useful phrases, ^....and the ,...-i...and a-n, are exceptions to this rule, and may be written in the old way, as indicated. In all other cases and must be indicated by the dot, thus :....;... and. A and an may be joined to a following stroke at an acute or right angle, but must never be written horizontally or out of position; e. g.:^-j v -.a copy, -\?^*.. a man, 47 a writer,. ..y a year, ^. ..an hour, ..fv..a number, h-...a trial. It may be used finally in the case already noted ( .-> ..and a-n) , and in a few familiar phrases it may be used medially; e. g. :....^-r^r-r^. as a ^^ matter of course, L in a short time, ^S in an hour,....^?.. .in a year. The must never be indicated by an ini- tial tick. In all other cases it may be indicated according to the rules given in Graham's Handbook; e. g. :...?:. .and the,... ...at the, .A... are the ,....^.. ..for the,., '..give the, ...of the,... .on the,... ..or the,...V- ..sup- pose the, ^in the matter, etc. The third rule, which relates to "un- natural" phrasing, requires special con- 48 sideration. There are two kinds of un- natural phrases, --f irst , those in which the form of the first word is modified to indicate the succeeding word or words, and, second, those in which the forms of the individual words of which they are composed undergo a complete change. The following are familiar examples of the first class i....^^.. at all times,. ....f _____ at all < events, ............... in order,.. ..^"^..in reference, in our own, etc. Many of the phrases of this class are very useful, and they occur so frequently that little or no hesitation is experienced in writing them. In this case, therefore, a strict adherence to the rule is not desirable, 49 as it would preclude the use of a large number of phrases which have been uni- versally adopted by phonographers; but by applying the rule to a reasonable extent one of the principal causes of uncer- tainty in phrase-writing will be removed. The following examples of phrases of the second class are taken from Graham's r Handbook: .....all its,....; all their own, J>...h-as it,__ \ ...h-as there, is it,.. is ( there ,_ .with it, with all its, with their own, etc. This method of phrasing can not be too stro-ngly con- demned. It is illogical in principle and unsafe in practice, and is one of the worst stumbling -"blocks in the way of the 50 beginner. So far as it relates to this class of phrases, the rule should be strictly followed. Of course there is an apparent loss in its observance, on ac- count of the few additional strokes re- quired to write separate outlines, but this apparent loss is entirely overcome by the great gain resulting from the men- tal relief which one experiences in dis- carding a principle so productive of hes- itation and uncertainty. 51 THE ACQUIREMENT OF SPEED The shorthand magazines devote consid- erable space to a presentation of the views of numerous contributors as to the best means of acquiring speed in short- hand. ( One class of writers contend with much plausibility that all that is neces- sary is for the student to select an art- icle of a thousand or fifteen hundred words, and, after putting it into the best shorthand at his command, to write and rewrite it from dictation until he attains the highest rate of speed of which he is capable. Another class of writers advocate, with equal plausibil- ity, the writing (from the dictation of kind and indulgent friends) of such works as Macaulay's History of England and Gib- bon's Rome, with an occasional chapter or two from Plutarch's Lives by way of re- laxation. The best method of practice is probably that which combines in reasona- ble proportions these two plans, with the modification of selecting for both classes of dictation the kind of matter which the student is likely to encounter in actual work when he becomes a practi- cal stenographer. The first plan men- 52 tioned is particularly effective in pro- ducing a high degree of manual dexterity, while the second cultivates mental alert- ness and provides a fund of general in- formation, without which the reporter, no matter how proficient he may become as a note-taker, will never be more than a mere machine. If the student, at the outset, will adopt the simple method of writing advo- cated in this book (not necessarily adopting the specific modifications here- in presented, but yet following the gen- eral line of simplification recommended), he will find much less difficulty in ac- quiring verbatim speed than he would en- counter by a strict adherence to the brain-racking incongruities of the text- books. Finally, no one should allow himself to be persuaded that there is any "speed secret" now on the market which will ob- viate the necessity for hard and persist- ent practice in order to attain that high rank in the profession which is the goal of every conscientious shorthand stu- dent's ambition. 53 SELECTED MATTER AND SHORTHAND NOTES The seven pages next succeeding are devoted to shorthand written by the au- thor for the purpose of showing the prac- tical application of the suggestions and modifications presented in this work. The subject matter consists of extracts from a very valuable article by Mr. David Wolfe Brown, entitled "The Needless Bur- dens of the Modern Learner," which ap- peared in the January number of The Sten- ographer, and the use of which has been kindly granted by the editor of that mag- azine and by Mr. Brown. The key to these notes begins on page 63. To show the application of this sim- plified method to actual reporting, there is exhibited on page 62 a reproduction of some fac-simile notes taken from the note-book of the author. The key appears on pages 75 and 76. With this feature "The Missing Link in Shorthand" is brought to a close, and with the hope that he has given to the learner the means of lightening his labor in the acquirement of a practical knowledge of shorthand, the author now gives way to his contributors. (See page 77 et seq.) 54 ^e / f 3 ' r./Ji-b. V v 2r . L. _ ^ U. / ^e v - i \ i \ L/ v- ~>.,. / n _ 7 1 .4-.4-.-a-i- o L \^.. -U-- -r- , V 56 \ A--fc- --> - .: ...v ../. & v I *~~& 1 ..\. I .-?..) -V \ / A A /\ ( V \ \ \ LJ . ...5^... ..^...U.'. 57 \ N "C :T ._L _v. H v -u r ^ L l_jC=r. I ^ A. 58 r - r ' Xl^ZL V ^.L^.yy.. JL , -v> 7 - 1----' 'v^: ' J i j for every reporting purpose. Surely this burden of the learner--the necessity of carrying on his back or around his neck the mere isms of his se- lected authoris a needless one, though at present unescapable. Amid this wrangling of factions, if any man cares to know where I stand, he is welcome to the information. I have adopted Isaac Pitman 1 s Ninth Edition, which at the time of its approval by the Phonetic Council all phonographers in England and America cordially accepted. This Ninth Edition includes the most use- ful parts of every "improved" system 68 which has since been put forth; it gives to every such "system" the vitality and reporting capacity for which loudly- vaunted "improvements" too often receive unmerited credit. But I have not clung to the Ninth Edition as faultless, com- plete, and unchangeable, like a revela- tion from Heaven. I have added to it, not "individual innovations" of my own, but every improvement which, since the action of the Phonetic Council, has re- ceived (though not by any formal vote) the general approval of all practical writers. I have welcomed every device which constitutes a part of all modern phonographic systems. In this way, for instance, I engraft upon the Ninth Edi- tion the f and v hook with its accompany- ing enlargement of the shn hook-, and also the lengthening of curved consonants to add tr and dr. While I thus incorporate into my system every improvement which by the verdict of the reporting profession at large has established its right to live, and while I exclude from my system every innovation which is as yet merely individual, experimental, and of but par- tial adoption, do I not build upon broad and catholic ground, above the miasmatic air of sects and cliques, a platform sol- id and strong, upon which every phonog- rapher desiring to attain "unity" in the 69 only practicable way may firmly stand? This is no personal platform. Those who may stand on it need wear no man's col- lar. If "unity" is to be postponed till the world bows to a "standard" prescribed by a single mind, the day of "unity" will never dawn. If, standing on this platform, I am to be charged by Mr. Longley and others with writing an "antiquated system" if any of the wrangling stenographic factions should fling at me the epithet "old fogy", I retort: "Gentlemen, the innova- tions you are undertaking to introduce upon your own personal responsibility may be of great value in your eyes, but they have not become a part of catholic, cos- mopolitan phonography. You can not even agree among yourselves. The value of each one of your proposed "improvements" is still controverted, ably and earnestly controverted; no one of them has passed from the stage of experiment into that of general adoption. I agree heartily with each of you--in condemning the "individ- ual innovations" of the others! Stand back, then, with your dubious "improve- ments", as to the merits of which you can not agree, and which, after years of ad- vocacy and experiment, have failed to demonstrate to the profession at large their right to exist. Cosmopolitan short- 70 hand has no room for the hobbies of indi- viduals. Remove your needless obstruc- tions from the pathway of learners. Go on, if you will, with your experimenta- tion and agitation; make converts, if you can; bring the whole world, if possible, to your way of thinking. But do not as- sume that your case is won, while the is- sue is still in controversy; and do not force upon learners what has not yet be- come a part of the phonography of the world. Eliminating from the curriculum of the student all controverted and merely ex- perimental principles, how long a step we take for his relief! If this work of elimination gave us no other gain than reducing by almost one-half the number of the ever-puzzling "hooks", how much we thereby lessen the pupil f s liability to get "muddled"! Surely abbreviating rules must have been multiplied unduly when a distinguished text-book maker finds occa- sion to apologize for his inability to apply his own rules in following a speak- er! I refer to the fac-simile notes of Mr. Elias Longley (Shorthand Review, Au- gust, 1892), in connection with which the writer confesses that the notes "are not written exactly in accordance with his Reporter 1 s Guide," but pleads the excuse that "in the haste of following a speaker 71 one can not always conform to his own rules!" Why coldly frame in the library rules which ooze away in the heat of ac- tual work? Must the tyro waste his time and strength in trying to acquire rules which are "too many" for his teacher, and this teacher, too, a gentleman who an- nounces himself in his advertisements as having been "for twenty-five years a practical verbatim reporter and teacher of the phonographic art?" The sad day has come when shorthand students are ex- pected to acquire more than the authors of their chosen text-books have mastered! "Ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne; and ye yourselves touch not the burden with one of your fingers." Another burden of the shorthand stu- dent must not be forgotten. Too many of the "reporting expedients" which he spends months in acquiring tempt him to seek brevity by dubious and perilous methods. Expedients admitted to be some- times dangerous (the danger needing to be recognized and guarded against in the midst of actual note-taking) are recom- mended to the student, and he is expect- ed to apply them, with no guide but his own inexperience. . The student who follows such instruc- tions toils to learn rules and expedients 72 which are highly useful in every case except where he may discover from the context at the moment of writing that they must be avoided as dangerous! Do careful, conscientious reporters, whose professional capital is their character for accuracy as well as speed, who make records on which property and reputation and life in many cases depend do such men indulge in hazardous "reporting expe- dients", trusting to some happy inspira- tion to give warning of the danger at the moment of writing, or "trusting to memory and the context" to carry them through when the ordeal of reading comes? It can not be. Such men know that the hurry of note-taking allows no time for the detec- tion of stenographic pitfalls, and that methods of writing which are sometimes unsafe must be avoided always. "Reporting expedients" which, to save a pen-stroke or a pen-lift, would make the reporter's record the plaything of "memory and con- text," do not belong to the shorthand of practical life as written by practical, painstaking, conscientious men; they are simply a species of book shorthand, of which the modern learner is the victim, and which makes more heavy his "needless burdejis" .--The Stenographer, published by Francis H. Hemperley, Sixth and Chestnut streets, Philadelphia, Pa. 73 NOTE. The foregoing selection was written by the author of this book, in accordance with the modifications advo- cated t>y him. In one or two instances he inadvertently used a novelty with which he has been experimenting for some time, namely, the lengthening of P, K, and Ray to add either "ted" or "tr"; for instance :..L^ TTT: ..conducted-or, .1 _. directed - or ,.r.. elected- or,.... -^^rr-r.^pro tec ted-or, adopted-er,.. <-?/.. imported-er. It is a very useful and apparently safe expedi- ent, but the writer is not yet ready to recommend it. 74 PAGE PROM NOTE-BOOK OF SAMUEL C. DUNHAM Have you any suggestions to make as to any different or better method of sup- ply or distribution of the Record? I have not. I have been so busy since I have been connected with the office, in the preparation of volumes for publica- tion and in carrying them through the press, that I have not been able to give much attention to the body of beneficia- ries, and it would be a little I would have to have the co-operation of Members of Congress, I imagine, to make any in- telligent examination of it. Do you not think it would be well, by some such process as this, to ascertain whether these valuable books are being wasted or properly distributedcommuni- cate through the Postoffice Department with every postmaster to whose office these books go, letting the Postoffice (Department) make it official from them, and let the postmaster make inquiry as to whether these books are being received by the parties designated, and if not, by whom they are received, and whether sets are being kept intact and together--don f t you think that would be a good idea? I think it would. 75 The impression obtains that the list of names furnished by Members of the 47th Congress is kept secret by the War De- partment. Is this true? No, sir. I re- gard the list of beneficiaries in any particular district (Extract from statement of Maj . George B. Davis, U.S.A., Chief of the Board of Publication of the Official Records of the Rebellion, before the Committee on Printing of the United States Senate, April 22, 1891.) 76 SHORTHAND CONTRIBUTIONS AND FAC-SIMILE REPORTING NOTES SHORTHAND CONTRIBUTIONS AND FAC-SIMILE RE- PORTING NOTES The remaining pages of this volume are devoted to the presentation of an exceed- ingly interesting and valuable collection of contributions relating to the subject of shorthand and shorthand reporting from the official reporters of Congress and other stenographers of national reputa- tion, followed by an exhibition of fac- simile reporting notes taken from the note-books of three of the foremost sten- ographers in the United States. The contributions, all of which appear in the handwriting of their respective authors, and which have been specially prepared for this work, begin with a spec- imen of the writing of Mr. D. P. Murphy, who has been connected with the Senate as one of its reporters since December, 1848, and who since March, 1873, has been the Official Reporter of Debates for that body. The key to his notes appears on page 110. The next contribution, entitled "Men- tal Processes of Shorthand Reporting," is by Mr. Theo. F. Shuey, who has been a 79 member of the Senate corps since Decem- ber, 1868, and since the death of Mr. J. J. Murphy, in 1874, the Principal Assist- ant of Mr. D. F. Murphy. The key to his notes is given on page 111. The third article, entitled "The Re- quirements of a Reporter," is from the 'pen of Mr. E. V. Murphy, vho has been as- sociated with his brother for 34 years in reporting the proceedings of the Senate. The key to his notes will be found on page 113. In the fourth contribution Mr. H. J. Gensler, a member of the Senate corps since 1866, gives a list of phrases used by Senate reporters, which will be found very convenient in parliamentary report- ing. The key appears on page 114. "Rate of Speaking in the Senate" is the title of the next article, furnished by Mr. Dan. B. Lloyd, who joined the Senate corps in the fall of 1877. The key is given on page 116. The contributions from the Senate re- porters are brought to a close by an art- icle on "The Difficulties of Verbatim Reporting," by Mr. Milton W. Blumenberg, who became a member of the corps at the beginning of the present year, and who is the youngest stenographer connected with the official reporting of Congress. The key to his notes is given on page 117. 80 Mr. David Wolfe Brown, since 1864 one of the Reporters of Debates of the House of Representatives and since the death of Mr. McElhone, in June, 1890, the senior member of the corps, leads the contribu- tors from the House end of the Capitol with a letter in which he gives some val- uable suggestions and cautions to young phonographers, a key to which appears on page 120. The next contribution is entitled "A Composite Shorthand System," by Mr. John H. White, who was appointed to a position on the House corps in 1878 by Speaker Randall. The key to his notes is given on page 123. Mr. Andrew Devine, for 11 years an Of- ficial Stenographer to Committees of the House of Representatives, and since 1885 a member of the corps of Official Report- ers of Debates for that body, next gives an interesting letter in which he states some facts not generally known about the invention of the talking-machine. The key begins on page 124. "The House of Representatives" is the title of the contribution of Mr. A. C. Welch, for two or three years an Official Stenographer to Committees of the House of Representatives, but since August, 1888, a Reporter of Debates. The key to his notes will be found on page 127. 81 Mr. Fred Irland, the junior member of the House corps, who received his appoint- ment in 1890, contributes an article on "The Use of the Phrasing Principle." The key is given on page 128. Mr. Geo. C. Lafferty, who has been an Official Stenographer to Committees of the House of Representatives since April, 1886, next furnishes a sketch entitled "The Joys of an Official Reporter to Committees," the key to which is present- ed on page 130. The contributions from Congressional reporters conclude with a few words on "Committee Reporting," by Mr. W. J. Ke- hoe, who became an Official Stenographer to Committees of the House in 1888. The key to his notes will be found on page 131. Following this splendid collection of autographic shorthand, which embraces a contribution from every official stenog- rapher in both branches of Congress, we have a letter from Mr. E. D. Easton, the official stenographer of the Guiteau and Star Route trials, but now retired from the active pursuit of the profession, in which he tells who were "The First Users of the Graphophone. " The key to his notes is given on page 133. This feature of the stenographic exhi- bit is completed by a communication from 82 Mr. Eugene Davis, one of the most accom- plished stenographers in the country, and formerly reporter of the New York Asso- ciated Press on the floor of the Senate, in which he describes the methods of press reporting in that body. The key to his notes appears on page 135. We next present a page of the report- ing notes of Mr. Charles Flowers, of De- troit, Mich. Mr. Flowers was for many years the leading court reporter of the West, and acquired a national reputation as the most accomplished exponent of Gra- ham's Standard Phonography in the world. He was the father of the law providing for stenographers in the courts of Michi- gan, and was appointed official stenog- rapher of the Recorder's Court of Detroit in 1869, which position he held until 1880, when he resigned to take up the practice of the law, in which profession he has attained eminent success. The page of Mr, Flowers 1 notes given herewith is from his report of the argument of Hon. Wm. C. Maybury in the case of The People vs. Hugh Peoples, a noted murder trial which occurred in Detroit in 1881, and in which Mr. Flowers assisted Mr. Fred Irland, the official stenographer of the trial. The key is given on page 139. Following the notes of Mr. Flowers is a page of the reporting notes of Mr. Geo. 83 N. Hillman, the accomplished official stenographer of St. Paul, Minn. Mr. Hillman has been actively engaged in court and legislative reporting in Minne- sota since 1874, where he has attained an enviable reputation for rapidity and ac- curacy. The key to his notes appears on page 141. This work is brought to a close with a page of the reporting notes of the late Joseph E. Lyons, who was probably the most rapid writer of beautiful shorthand that ever lived. As this remarkable stenographer was but little known outside of the State where he practiced his pro- fession, it is thought that a brief sketch of his career may prove of inter- est. He was born in the city of New York August 23, 1857, and graduated at the age of 13 from the Moore Street Grammar School, and immediately went to work in the General Offices of the Erie Railway Company, where he took up the study of Graham's Standard Phonography. He made very rapid progress, and at 15 years of age became the assistant private secre- tary to Mr. Blanchard, at that time the Vice President of the Erie Railway Com- pany. Two years later he entered the service of the eminent law firm of Man & Parsons, as the assistant of Mr. Eugene Davis, at that time one cf the foremost 84 law stenographers of New York, who has kindly furnished the following tribute to his memory: "It is quite safe to say that in the making of shorthand notes no human hand was ever more artistic or skillful than that of Joseph E. Lyons. It was my good fortune to secure him as an assistant when I had my office with Messrs. Man & Parsons, a leading law firm of New York City. The work of the office was heavy, and having as well an outside business, I needed some one to read and transcribe notes, and found that he could read mine practically as well as his own. He left his former employment with regret, but in obedience to a strong ambition for the stenographic profession and with a desire to secure a class of work that would con- stitute a training for it. Although at the time only 17 years old, he wrote very beautiful shorthand notes, and from the ease with which he handled his pen it was clear that with proper experience he had in him the making of a great shorthand writer. After some experience in note- reading, so that the varied and technical terminology of the law became quite fa- miliar to him and the corresponding vari- ety of stenographic outlines had found thorough lodgment in his mind, he began to relieve me of the routine work of the 85 office. Thus he grew by degrees into taking notes of occasional hearings in the office, and finally to taking "refer- ences" as they offered, with, for his age, wonderful ease and facility, always maintaining a high order of artistic ex- cellence in his notes. "For one so young he had done a great deal of good reading, having in mind at all times the gradual and complete prepa- ration, not of his hand alone, but as well of his mind, for the highest attain- able standard in the line of the profes- sion which he loved. He was possessed of a rare combination of enthusiasm and com- mon sense, and had in an unusual degree the faculty of making and keeping friends. When, owing to failing health, he was obliged to seek another climate, it was clear to all who knew him that, should his life be spared, he would be- come widely known and admired in his pro- fession. His success in his new field shows that he continued to bear in mind that high standard of excellence which in early youth he had set up for himself. By his untimely death the stenographic profession lost one of its brightest or- naments. " In the summer of 1876, on account of ill health, Mr. Lyons was forced to seek a milder climate, and removed to Minneap- 86 oils, Minn., where, in the following Oc- tober, he was appointed official stenog- rapher of the District Court. At that time he was suffering from incipient con- sumption, and it was thought "by all who knew him that he could not live a year; but he lived long enough to write nearly half a million folios of the most beauti- ful shorthand the author of this sketch has ever seen and to accumulate a modest fortune of $30,000.' On many occasions he gave evidence of his ability to write over 250 words in a minute. The writer once timed him while he was taking a charge to the jury by Judge Koon, proba- bly the most rapid speaker in Minnesota, and a careful count showed that he had written at the rate of 267 words a minute for three consecutive minutes. His re- porting notes always exhibited wonderful uniformity, and he would write for days without a pen-slip or erasure appearing in his work. When pressed by a rapid speaker he wrote small and compact notes, and he possessed the rare faculty of grouping clauses, --the grasping of groups of words by the "handful", to use Mr. Ir- land's expression. This peculiarity, which contributed greatly to the legibil- ity of his writing, is strikingly exem- plified in the last four lines of his notes presented herewith. His speed in 87 longhand was marvelous, it being no un- usual thing for him to write 26 folios in an hour from his notes with a stub-pen, and on one occasion he wrote from dicta- tion, on a fair test, 63 words in a min- ute in good, legible longhand. After more than eight years of service in the courts of Minnesota, he succumbed to the disease with which he had battled from the time he left New York, and died in Minneapolis, in February, 1885, at the early age of 27. All things considered his youth, his opportunities, his always precarious condition of health he was probably the greatest stenographer that ever lived. The specimen of his writing given on page 109, which has been repro- duced without reduction, was taken from his notes of the argument of Hon. John W. Arctander in the impeachment trial of 'Judge St. Julien Cox, in the Legislature of Minnesota, in November, 1881, which he reported in connection with Mr. Geo. N. Hillman, a page of whose notes is given elsewhere. Mr. Arctander is an exceed- ingly rapid speaker, and it is safe to say that the notes were taken at the rate of 200 words a minute. 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