what happens in the court or at the meeting rather than a verbatim report of what was actually said. As a consequence, to the newspaper man it is more important that he should have a lively imagination rather than skill in verbatim reporting.
In interviews we have found a knowledge of shorthand useful, as public men, if their sayings are to be reported at all, desire that what they say shall be quoted exactly as they said it. There are, however, few reporters on the staffs of the daily American papers who can write shorthand, and some reporters we have met allege that when they write shorthand it deadens their imaginations and consequently they do not make such good reports. We do not agree with this statement, for we have found a knowledge of shorthand extremely useful in newspaper work on many occasions.
REPORTING DELIBERATIVE BODIES.
The highest branch of the reporting art is undoubtedly that of congressional reporting. One must be fitted for the position by good education and a complete understanding of parliamentary rules and procedure, together with a complete knowledge of the constitution of deliberative assemblies. In the United States House of Representatives and Senate the reporters have the liberty of the floor, and can pass from speaker to speaker, note-book in hand, in order to get their "turn." Each reporter
