3i6 SCIENCE PROGRESS 



the whole Language. On the *' Combinational " the corresponding figure is 

 516 out of 1,070, resulting in a very considerable saving in finger movements 

 between these extreme lines, and leaving the dominant task of word-making 

 to the middle and most convenient line of the keyboard. 



A notable weakness of the " Standard " lies in one of the most powerful 

 letters, N, being relegated to its bottom line, and four out of the five vowels 

 to its top line, with the result that the combinations TION, NT, SION, the 

 prefixes in-, un-, enter-, intro-, intra-, under-, the common prepositions " in " 

 and " on," and the thousands of other words in the structure of which N as 

 a semi-vowel is found closely associated with the pure vowels, have to be 

 taken between the extreme lines of the keyboard in a disjointed fashion. 

 These defects ought to have been guarded against. The more nearly all the 

 representative letters and combinations can be brought into close and sym- 

 pathetic touch with each other the more pleasant is their manipulation. 



The MIDDLE LINE of the " Standard " keyboard is of itself enough to 

 prove the entire absence of scientific method in its arrangement, since, starting 

 from the letter D, the consonantal sequence onwards to L is purely alphabetic, 

 and on ending with L drops down to the bottom line and continues with M 

 and N as if it were quite a matter of indifference where all these letters should 

 be placed. Hence we have the sequence D F G H J K L, none of them, 

 except H, letters in the first rank of importance, monopolising the most 

 efficient positions on the most efficient line for word-making, and the really 

 powerful letters of our Language relegated to the weaker lines and positions 

 of the keyboard. Furthermore, having only one vowel. A, on its middle 

 line, placed in an extreme reverse position, very few words can be written 

 on it, and the typist is constantly referred upwards or downwards for the 

 most frequent letters, thus causing a much more restless movement of eyes 

 and fingers than should be necessary. By comparison, without an upward 

 or downward movement, the " Combinational " can write on its middle line 

 alone some 500 words, the majority of them within its central area, and 

 amongst the most commonly used in the Language ; and so powerful is the 

 vowel and consonantal distribution of letters on this line that, by reference 

 upwards or downwards for one other vowel or consonant, the number of 

 words begins to increase in an almost geometrical progression. 



One of the real differences between the two keyboards, as will already 

 have been divined, consists in the process of writing on the " Standard " 

 being from the outskirts— the weakest area of the keyboard — towards the 

 centre ; but on the " Combinational " from the centre, where the eyes and 

 most efficient fingers naturally adjust themselves, to the outskirts for letters 

 of the lowest value and infrequent use. It need not be said that it is the 

 latter process which agrees with the natural position of the efficient fingers 

 and represents a great gain in ease and speed, though more stress is to be laid 

 on the gain in mental and visual ease than on speed. 



But the most serious defect of the " Standard " is not only that the most 

 powerful consonants are shunted off the most ef&cient line, but also that the 

 leading vowels are banished to the outskirts of the keyboard ; and by far the 

 greatest of them, and the most powerful of all the letters, E, is placed on the 

 upper line in a reverse position. The next most important vowel, and the 

 third letter in numerical value for word-making, A, is wholly shunted, as 

 already noted, to the extreme reverse end of the middle line. What follows 

 is to be carefully noted. In typing, these two most valuable vowels, together 

 numerically greater in sum-total than all of the remaining three vowels, are taken 

 by the less efficient hand — point one ; they are taken as regards A and 

 almost as regards E, in the least efficient positions — point two ; the mind, 

 eyes, fingers, have to travel backwards to the left instead of forwards to the 

 right, as is natural to them in ordinary writing and reading — point three ; 

 the important diphthong EA is not only taken in a reverse position but the 



