speeches of the senator or political aspirant, or the Sunday sermons of the minister. Let him at once disabuse his mind of these illusions. This phase of shorthand existence is reached only after years of patient study and hard work. Be ambitious, if you will, but remember that you have limitations. No matter how high your aims are, there are always greater heights to attain; but they cannot be attained if the slow steps of progress that lead to them are scorned. The reporter's chair is well to bear in mind as a goal to work for, but it is not reached by the mere study of shorthand. There are hundreds of good stenographers to one shorthand reporter. The two branches—of court reporting and commercial stenography—although allied. are far apart. The shorthand reporter has been with us for years; the office stenographer is a creation of recent times. There are many phases of office and commercial life which call for great speed in shorthand, and these, in turn, lead to boundless opportunities for advancement. Qualify yourself first for office duties; be a good amanuensis by learning to write shorthand well and read it with facility. Learn to operate a typewriter accurately and rapidly. When you have attained this height, continue to study and practice shorthand until you are master of it in every detail; improve your general education by wide and intelligent reading, and in due course you may be qualified to become a court reporter.
