Reminiscences of the Shorthand Congress. 33 



writers except in the Divorce Court. This subject was touched 

 upon by Sir Charles Russell in his speeches at the opening 

 meeting, and at the dinner he expressed a strong opinion that 

 the whole proceedings should be taken down by an official 

 reporter, so as to dispense with the present tedious process of 

 note-taking by the judge. This was also the general, but not 

 the unanimous, opinion of the speakers at the conference. 



A broad line is drawn in London between newspaper 

 reporters and another class of men who are called " shorthand 

 writers." The business of the latter is to take a completely 

 verbatim note, especially in the London law courts, where their 

 employment lies. As no abridgment is permitted, they 

 require to be able to write at a very high speed, and they 

 must also have five years' practice before they can be admitted 

 members of the Institute of Shorthand Writers. When taking 

 down evidence given before committees, as in the case of 

 Gurney's men, they must be able at any moment to read off 

 from their notes any part of the evidence respecting which a 

 dispute may have arisen. This great skill is only acquired 

 by long practice, combined with a very elaborate system of 

 abbreviation, and resting on a foundation of great natural 

 dexterity in rapid penmanship. No thought is given at the 

 time of writing, except in the case of unusual words, either to 

 sound or spelling, but the outline for each word is individually 

 known and written by memory. Such methods of writing are 

 not adapted to the wants of people who merely wish to use 

 shorthand as an aid in their ordinary business ; neither are 

 they adapted to school work, and it does not appear that there 

 was any school in the whole of the United Kingdom where 

 shorthand is used to save time in the writing of English 

 exercises, with the single exception of one of the Board schools 

 of Leeds, where his (Professor Everett's) own system is 

 regularly used for that purpose by the boys in the higher classes, 

 and by the pupil teachers, whereby a very great saving of time 

 is effected. 



The members of the Congress were hospitably entertained 

 by the Lord Mayor at a luncheon in the Mansion House, and 



