Shorthand as an Occupation for Women.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 826, 30 December 1887, Page 4

Shorthand as an Occupation for Women.

A congress, remarkable even in this age ofj congresses and international meetings of alf kinds, was opened recently in the theatre of the Geological Museum, Jermyn-street,, and in the evening a very large company assembled to hear the inaugural address of the president of the congress, the Earl of Rosebery. The gathering consisted not only of the chief English stenographers, bnt a very large number of foreign delegates attended, proving the wide spread of the interest attaching to the question 1 . Amongst others Mr Seki, from-‘Japan; Mr Bridge, from New York ; Mr Alteuer, from. Bavaria ; Dr Zeibig, from Dresden ; Herr Brakler and Dr Dreinhofers, from Berlin; M. Dupois, stenographer of the Chamber of Deputies, and a large number of French shorthand writers, were present. Lord Rosebery, in an admirable speech, set forth most lucidly not only the history of the subject, but its great claims on the attention of the- public, more especially on women. *lu these days of rigid and anxious competition in economical matters,’ said his lordship, ‘we must make it understood to all our growing lads that an indispensable coudition of a- commercial education is a knowledge of short* hand. And we must make it understood that to all those who aspire to secretarial and clerical posts tnis knowledge is indispensable. Still more indisputable and important was the expression of the opinion that, when women are loudly and; justly calling for increased and enlarged employment, shorthand offers to them a pursuit in which they are eminently qualified to excel, and in which their experience with the typewriter clearly shows they have a great right to expect excellence. There can be- no doubt that the employment of shorthand writers is greatly on the increase ; even at the present time there is scarcely an important merchant’s, lawyer’s, or banker’s office, that does not utilise the service of shorthand clerks. And many literary men dictate their works, employing amanuenses who write in shorthand, and afterwards transcribe the copy for the Press.

Lord Rosebery, in his address, stated that in his opinion the choice of a private secretary was only second in importance to that of a wife, and that every man who aspires to that position will in future be severely handicapped if he oannot write shorthand. One aspect of the question did not appear to suggest itself to his Lordship, or, if it did, he did not express himself on the matter namely, the possible combination of the two functions, that of shorthand amanuensis and wife. Men have before now not unfrequently selected as their partners in life women able and willing to assist them by acting as their secretaries ; how much more valuable would a helpmate be who could take down in shorts hand literary or scientific work, letters, &s-., and reproduce them in longhand, or still better, through the medium of a type writer, ready for the press ! There are many men nowin most lucrative positions who owe their advancement primarily to the fact that they were facile shorthand writers, able to> write expeditiously from dictation, and to. transscribe accurately into longhand the matter written down. Women are how laagely employed as amanuenses and private secretaries, and it needs no evidence to prova that, however intelligent and accomplished a woman may be, her value would be doubled did she add the ability to write in shorthand from dictation to other accomplishments. The history of shorthand iu England is not without interest. It appears to have originated three centuries, since, being the invention of Dr Timothy Bright, who was both physician and clergyman, who published ‘an Arte of shorte, swifte, and seoret writing by Character.’ Of this work, only one copy is known, which is in the Bodleian Library at Oxford. Bright’s system consisted mainly in the employment of arbitrary

signs in place of words, and was of a very oumbrous character. It was vastly improved by John Willis, who, in 1602 published the ‘Art Of Stenography,’ this being the first use of the word. Willis’s was an alphabetical system, which so far commended itself to the writers of the day that many editions were called for ; and it is said that, in consequence of its very general use at the time, corrupt readings got into the text of Shakespeare and other authors of the period. Innumerable systems followed ; Lord Rosebery stated that there were nearly five hundred iu existence. At the present time the most popular system appears to bo that of Isaac Pitman, which is phonetic; the sounds of the voioe and not the letters of the words being represented. So very successful has been this phonographic shorthand, which has now reached its jubilee year, the inventor being still, we are glad to state, alive, that no fewer than 500 editions of his manual have been published, and 1,000,000 copies of his 4 Phonographic Teacher.’ The continued popularity of the system proves its success,. which has even been greater in America than in this country. There every merchant and large dealer, to say nothing of 1 lawyers, , litterateurs, and-professional politicians, has his shorthand clerk or clerks, to whom hedictates his correspondence, with an economy of time and labor that is characteristic of the nation; whereas in England, and even in London, the employment of stenographers lin private businesses is the exception . rather than the rule. This is not as- it should be, but at present the difficulty is to find 1 clerks and amanuenses who can write stenographically, with sufficient skill to enable writings to be''read by others. If the Wise of shorthand- is to extend —and’it assuredly will otend —more young people will have to learn The method.

In the present acute struggle for-life, girls could do much better in learning a good system of phonography, by which, when proficient, thfcy could earn a competency, than in acquiring a mechanical dexterity at the pianc, which only pays jthose who. have great musical 'taste and ability,, or in endeavouring to earn a living as governesses without having been specially trained to the work. It is quite certain that a girl, whocould write accurately sixty or eighty wordsa minute in correct and legible shorthand would never lack employment, and would beable to command a very remunerative salary.—Queen.