Practical Pointers for Shorthand Students/Part 2
PART II.
Pointers About Typewriting
THE MACHINE.
It will be impossible in the following pointers to deal fully with the mechanism of the various makes of typewriters. This information can best be obtained from publications on the subject issued by the typewriter companies. Neither is it our intention to enter into a disquisition as to the advantage of one make over another. We have no particular preference; there are many machines of standard make and all of them good. Some have points of advantage that appeal to one class of operators and others have points that appeal with equal force to another class. Fortunately for all of us, tastes differ; but in the case of typewriter selection it is not only a question of taste, but of fulfilling certain requirements. Some operators prefer single-case keyboard machines, others prefer double case; some prefer two, or double shift machines, others again prefer a keyboard that differs from the so-called "universal." And so it is all a matter of choice and adaptability to purpose. It is not so much a question of machine as operator.
Machines nowadays are built strongly and substantially to withstand wear. Experience has demonstrated to the typewriter companies that wearing qualities are paramount, so all have striven to obtain strength and long life in their machines. The first-class machines have similar labor and time-saving devices. An operator on one machine can soon become equally proficient on another. Learn to operate to the best of your ability whatever machine you use at school or during your study. Find out all there is to know about it. Keep it clean and free from dust and practice on it every moment you have to spare, and make every moment of your practice count. Do not waste time in writing aimlessly and superficially. Be in earnest.
THE MACHINE AND THE OPERATOR.
The vexed question, "Which is the typewriter—the machine or the operator?" seems never to have been satisfactorily settled. So far as possible we shall use the word "typist" in these pointers to designate the operator of the machine, and the word "typewriter" to allude to the machine itself.
TYPEWRITING.
A few years ago little attention was devoted to the teaching of typewriting in business schools. Certain classes of machines were supplied for the use of students, generally old models in more or less dilapidated condition. In fact, anything in the shape of a typewriter was thought to be good enough for students to practice on. In those days a student was introduced to the typewriter somewhat in this fashion: "Here is the So-and-so typewriter—the machine you have to practice on. You place your paper in so, move on to the next line thus, draw your carriage back in this way, strike the space bar like that; the keys with the letters on them are there; you make your capitals so; now use one or two fingers of each hand in writing; here's something to copy; now practice, and do your best." And that was all the instruction the pupil received! Was it a wonder that he struck the keys heavily and experienced difficulty? Is it to be marveled at that printers went so far as to print imitations of typewriting, with one letter above the line of writing and the next one below? The standard of instruction was low and poor work and poor typewriting was the natural result.
The business man demanded something better, and in due course he obtained it. The standard of typewriting was raised. More attention is now devoted to the teaching of typewriting because the business man is naturally a better judge of good typewriting than of shorthand. The employer can only judge of the qualities of his stenographer, or typist, by the finished product. Herein, then, lies the importance of good typewriting. It is imperative that the stenographer be able to transcribe rapidly and accurately on the machine. Today good typewriting is recognized by advanced teachers as the more important study of the twin arts of shorthand and typewriting. Don't forget this. You can do good work on the machine by having a method in your learning and by persistent and constant practice. There is comparatively little difficulty in learning typewriting; it is simply a matter of time, patience and the right kind of practice.
SINGLE, DOUBLE CASE, AND DOUBLE SHIFT MACHINES.
Typewriters are generally made with what is called "single" and "double case" keyboards. The single case machine has keys with all the letters of the alphabet and the numbers on what is called the "lower case." By depressing a key called the "shift key," the capital letters as well as the various punctuation marks, are brought to the printing point. This is called the "upper case." In the double case typewriters there is a separate key for each letter, figure and punctuation mark—consequently there are twice as many keys on a double case machine as on a single case. The double shift machine has two shift keys—one for capital letters and another for figures and punctuation marks. It is best for the pupil in learning typewriting to confine his practice to one or the other of these keyboards exclusively and become proficient on it. He can subsequently, if business demands, readily adapt his knowledge to another keyboard. It will entail only a few hours' practice.
MEMORIZE THE KEYBOARD.
It is necessary that the location of each key upon the machine should be memorized. On the same principle that to write shorthand rapidly one must know the principles so well that the writing becomes automatic, the pupil should know the keyboard so well that he can operate the typewriter automatically. In fact, the location of each key should be photographed, as it were, upon the brain, so that when a letter is to be written, the mind will instinctively impel the finger to drop upon the key required. Experienced operators naturally obtain this facility of operation in a degree after years of practice. They become expert by continuous repetition of words and sentences. It has been found that a thorough knowledge of the keyboard is indispensable to correct writing. Those who have memorized the keyboard in this way and practiced certain fingering, have attained a degree of proficiency in operating that could never have been equaled by those who used the old method. There are various methods of memorizing the keyboard—learning one row at a time, covering up certain keys with celluloid key caps, gummed paper, etc. A good plan is to learn the location of the keys in their relation to each other and to associate certain keys with certain fingers.
There are so many good text-books and treatises on typewriting now published, among which is a book called "Rational Typewriting," that it would be needless for us to dwell further on this matter of instruction. One thing must be borne in mind—a thorough memorizing of the keyboard is essential to satisfactory progress and ultimate success.
THE TOUCH OR ALL-FINGER METHOD OF TYPEWRITING.
The "all-finger" method of typewriting, generally called the "touch" method, has been demonstrated to be the best method. By this plan all the fingers of each hand are used as in playing the piano; certain rows of keys being allotted to each finger, and the space key being struck with the thumb—generally of the right hand. By the touch method more rapid work has been done on a typewriter, with a degree of ease to the operator and less wear and tear to the machine, than is possible by any other plan.
The advantage of the touch method lies in the fact that the operator or typist, having the keyboard thoroughly memorized, is enabled to read his notes and transcribe them simultaneously. In this way the carriage of the machine is kept moving unceasingly, and every moment is utilized.
The average stenographer in transcribing his notes takes up an "eyeful," or as much as he can remember, writes those words on the machine, watching his fingers all the while, because he has not memorized the keyboard, then stops, for he cannot read his notes and typewrite at the same time—takes up another "eyeful"—once more starts and repeats. This constant stopping of the machine while referring to the notes wastes much time. Touch operators have been found to do from 25 to 50 per cent more work in a day than the old-fashioned operators. In addition to this the touch operator has a lighter and better touch; he is more accurate; does not waste energy, and consequently is able to do more work with less labor and less fatigue. Again, the touch method saves the machine. The touch operator, striking the keys lightly and evenly and with precision, does not subject the machine to the rough usage of a sight operator. The touch method is rapidly pushing the sight operators into the background; therefore the student who expects to reap the richest reward will learn no other method.
TOUCH TYPEWRITING REQUIRES EARNEST STUDY.
The pupil must not become imbued with the idea that he can learn touch typewriting without effort. It requires a good deal of effort, much patience and considerable perseverance. Many have tried it, and, while admitting its superiority, have abandoned it because it required too much time. Teachers have abandoned it because it demanded more attention, more time and more machines in the school. It has been condemned by some teachers because, not being touch operators themselves, they could not teach it; it was a case of "the blind leading the blind." There is no gainsaying the fact, however, that when properly learned, "touch" typewriting is far superior to the old method of operating the machine. It produces better work with less effort in the same length of time. But the fact remains, it entails more work for the student and more attention on behalf of the teacher.
Another difficulty which meets the average student of touch typewriting is the training of the third and fourth fingers. The touch method necessitates the use of these fingers, and herein lies a struggle. Some claim, perhaps with reason, that they cannot use these fingers on the machine, and even when they do they produce an uneven touch. We once heard a pupil exclaim, "Please, sir, I can't do touch typewriting." "Why not?" we inquired. "Because," came the reply, "my mother's little finger is weak and so's mine!" Of course it is all a matter of special training, the same as learning the fingering on the piano or the violin. The difficulty is to make the pupil see the advantage of devoting time to properly training the fingers. The best is none too good for your future work. You can, if you will, learn touch typewriting.
BLANK KEYS.
In a large number of schools, where a conscientious effort is made to teach touch typewriting, it has been the practice to cover the keys of the typewriter with celluloid keycaps or other devices for concealing the letters. By this plan it becomes obligatory upon the pupil to learn the keyboard by studying the location of each key. Many claim this materially assists the learner in his work, and we do not doubt it. But neither blank keys nor other devices will make a touch operator of you unless the desire is within you. Cover the keys of your typewriter, and practice your writing without watching your fingers more than is necessary. You will make mistakes at first, but if you persevere with your practice you will soon find that it is easier to write without watching your fingers than by the other method.
CULTIVATE A LIGHT, UNIFORM TOUCH.
Do not strike the keys with a slow, ponderous stroke. Strike each one a sharp staccato blow with the end of the finger, withdrawing the finger from the key instantly. Adhere closely to the fingering outlined in your manual, because invariability of fingering is absolutely essential to correct work. Always strike the space bar quickly with the side of the right thumb. Endeavor to cultivate as light a touch as is consistent with a clear, sharp impression of the type. Keep your elbows fairly close to your sides, your wrists well up and clear of the machine. Let the hands drop easily from the wrist, and train your fingers to strike the keys with an impetus from the hand. Practice is the only thing that will make you perfect, so practice all you can on the machine. Get a uniform touch; look at your work, and if one character is light and another heavy, your touch is uneven, and must be corrected. Strive for uniformity in this respect.
ACCURACY BEFORE SPEED.
Don't hurry in your typewriting at first. Accuracy is the great desideratum in typewriting, as in shorthand: It sometimes takes longer to properly correct a trifling error in a typewritten letter than to rewrite the whole letter. Of course the corrесtion of a mistake by an erasure saves the stationery, but it wastes time. Practice all the time for accuracy so that you can write page after page without an error. The majority of teachers at schools will not accept typewritten matter from pupils unless it is absolutely free from errors and erasures. This is a good plan; it enforces accuracy, carefulness and cleanliness from the start. Good habits once cultivated remain long. Acquire the habit of accuracy in typewriting—don't sacrifice accuracy for speed—the latter will come in due course after practice.
USELESS DELAYS—LIFTING THE CARRIAGE AND ERASURES.
Two sources of slowness in operating the typewriter are lifting of the carriage and erasing. The lifting of the carriage is very much a matter of habit. It consumes valuable time and can usually be dispensed with. Almost the same amount of time is lost by operators of the "visible" typewriters who stop frequently to see if the machine has written correctly. To avoid this bad habit give the machine credit for doing its own work; try to realize that it will not make a mistake if you do not. The machine is built purposely to reproduce in printed characters the words you spell out. But no typewriter has yet been invented equal to the feat of spelling. It will, however, write properly, and faithfully reproduce your spelled words. If you feel in your mind that you have done this, and this knowledge will soon become instinctive and certain, don't waste time by lifting the carriage or stopping to see if the machine has done its work. It is sure to do that. Be content that if you have done your part well the machine also has done its work well. Don't raise the carriage or stop your writing to verify this; go straight on with your work. Write line after line without lifting the carriage or stopping to see if the machine strikes the wrong key. If you are a touch operator you will instantly know when you have done this. Then raise the carriage and read all you have written, and if you have made a mistake turn the roller back and correct it. It is as easy to correct a mistake six or ten lines back as one line back, so wait for the first known mistake to correct any others that may be noticed.
In learning typewriting, don't trouble to erase your errors. Write slowly and carefully. If you make a mistake, destroy the copy and begin again. Do not be satisfied with typewriting that contains mistakes. When you get into business the inculcated habits of writing correctly will serve you in good stead. In business you will have to erase occasionally to avoid destroying stationery. In your school work, where pressure of time is not so forcibly insisted upon, proceed slowly and accurately with your typewriting. Speed will come to you later.
TRANSCRIBING THE NOTES.
We will assume that the student by this time has so far progressed with his typewriting that he is able to copy business letters and other documents on the machine correctly and at a fairly high rate of speed. He may now be called upon to transcribe his shorthand notes upon the machine. This is likely to trouble him a little at first. There will be the reading of the shorthand notes with the simultaneous transcription of them upon the machine. To get the best results, it will be necessary for you to glance through a sentence before beginning to put it on the machine, in order that you may properly punctuate it. If you do not use the touch method, just before you write on the machine the last three or four words that you have in your mind, glance at your note-book, still keeping the machine running take up another sentence and write that. By this plan you will save time, and gradually as you train yourself you will find that you can remember more and more and will be able to write longer stretches without glancing at the keys, until at length you can carry three or four lines of shorthand matter in your mind, and keep the carriage of your machine traveling without a moment's cessation. Herein lies the real utility of the touch method—the ability to keep the machine constantly moving.
CLEANING THE TYPEWRITER.
Pupils often try to avoid cleaning their machines. It generally soils the hands, and some people are as much afraid of a little oily dirt on their fingers as they are of soap and water, and vice versa. For this reason many pupils shirk cleaning their machines and look upon this feature of their work as not only dirty and disagreeable, but entirely unnecessary. They overlook the fact that the typewriter is a machine and that its chief enemies are dirt and dust. They altogether ignore the fact that when they get into business as stenographers a machine will be placed in their charge, an expensive machine, too, and that upon their satisfactory operation of that instrument will depend their bread and butter. If it runs well it will do good, rapid work and give satisfaction. If it is dirty, covered with dust and oily waste, it will run less easily, entail more work on the operator, write unsatisfactorily, and eventually break down from the simple lack of attention and care. All machinery must be cleaned to work smoothly and produce the best results. Clean your machine daily before you begin to write on it. Rub off all the dust from the rods and wearing parts. See that the dust does not accumulate on the enameled parts of the machine. Keep the nickeled parts bright. Clean the type—picking out the full letters with a pin, or brushing the faces of the type with the small brush supplied for that purpose.
Habits of cleanliness should be inculcated and encouraged in the school or class-room, and learning how to care for and clean your typewriter is almost as necessary as learning to operate it.
SPELLING.
If a typewriting machine could spell, it would be worth its weight in gold! But it not only will not spell, but it insists upon showing up, in the most glaring manner, every orthographical error that is perpetrated by its operator. "Why do you make so many mistakes in your exercises?" asked a teacher, and the innocent pupil replied, "I don't know how it is, sir, but that machine of mine doesn't spell a bit correctly." "My boy," said another teacher, "do you know that your spelling is bad—atrociously bad! It is useless for me to attempt to teach you shorthand and typewriting until you can spell well." "I'm sorry to know that, sir, but I can't help it." "You can't help it, eh? Why not?" "Because, sir, bad spelling runs in our family, sir—my grandfather couldn't spell!"
This kind of excuse will never be accepted anywhere. It is absolutely necessary that the stenographer should be a good speller. He must learn to spell or abandon all hope of becoming a stenographer. Too many young people take up the study of shorthand and typewriting without the primary qualification of a fairly good knowledge of the English language. Is their failure to be wondered at? The average business man may not know shorthand and typewriting, but he knows when his correspondence is correctly spelled, and will seldom put up with bad spelling for long. We heard of an instance where a young woman by her prepossessing appearance and the kind interest of friends obtained a position. Her employers soon discovered her weakness in spelling, but she was such a pleasant young woman that they put up with it as long as they possibly could. At length she went too far, and the manager arose in his wrath. "I say, Miss Jenkins," he exclaimed, "we really, you know, can't put up with this any longer; your spelling is something awful; it is simply appalling." "Good gracious, sir," she answered, "why—why—what is wrong?" "The word 'sugar," he replied, "here you have spelled it 'suger.'" "Dear me!" was the innocent reply, with her brightest smile, "how foolish of me; I left out the 'h,' didn't I?"
If your spelling is weak or defective, do your best to improve it. The average business man will not have the courage, or, possibly, may not care to tell you that you are a poor speller, and that is his reason for discharging you. He is more likely to make some other excuse. In fact, we have known instances where an employer, rather than tell a stenographer of her poor spelling, has given her a nice letter of recommendation on the eve of her discharge in which he stated that she was a competent and painstaking stenographer. He did not mind so long as she was off his hands! It was unfair of him, no doubt, but don't let the necessity for such a subterfuge arise in your case.
Make an effort to have a complete command of the English language. Whenever you meet with a strange word, make a note of it, look it up in the dictionary, and learn exactly how it is spelled and used. We have found that the best way to learn spelling is to write the word several times in longhand, or on the machine, if you have one. Write it ten or a dozen times in longhand until its exact spelling is photographed upon the brain. Once it is fixed there, you will never have any further trouble with it. The attempt to learn spelling by mere rote is absolutely useless. Write out the word many times, apply it in sentences, and before long your vocabulary will be increased and your spelling will be improved. Keep a dictionary by your side and refer to it whenever necessary.
PUNCTUATION.
In addition to accuracy in spelling, the stenographer should have an accurate knowledge of punctuation. One is quite as essential as the other. While the language is dictated, the correct spelling and punctuation must necessarily be the sole work of the stenographer. It behooves the student, then, to study punctuation carefully. A misplaced comma has sometimes been the cause of endless trouble. Only very recently it was necessary to recall the legislature of New Jersey for an extra session through the omission of a comma in a certain clause of an important hill. In business, sentences should be short and concise. Commas should be used only where the sense demands them. The semicolon is not used to so great an extent as it was formerly, and parentheses should be avoided when possible. Learn the use of the various punctuation marks; read good literature, leading articles in papers and magazines, and carefully note the punctuation. This will assist you materially in your studies. Use your common sense whenever you are transcribing and devote your best efforts to make sense of what you are writing. Make each sentence clear, understand it yourself, and then punctuate it so that there can be no doubt of its meaning to the reader.
NEATNESS IN TYPEWRITING.
Good typewriting can always be distinguished by the way it is "set up," and by the neatness of the work. Considerable taste and judgment can be exercised in this respect. In business letters see that the date is placed well to the right. If there is a date line, arrange the paper, or set the "variable spacer" of your machine, so that it will write exactly on the line. Do not be satifised with writing it just a little above or a trifle below the line; it must be exactly on the line. Set the address out nicely. Some employers prefer the address to be spread out, others like it arranged in successive steps. Find out from your teacher or from your typewriting manual the different plans, and practice them. See that your paragraphs all start at the same distance from the left hand side of the paper. If the letter is short, use the double space and get the body of the letter in the middle of the page. If it is a long letter, don't carry the matter so far down the page that you leave no room for the pen signature. Try to keep your right hand margin as regular as possible. Don't have an inch to spare on one line and three characters crowded in beyond the margin on the other. You will seldom succeed in getting the margin on the right hand side to look as regular as that on the left, but give careful attention to it and you will do good work in time. If you properly set your marginal stop you should have no difficulty in this respect.
Place "Yours truly" fairly in the middle of the page, at about 35 or 40, according to the suggestions of your teacher. Never arrange a letter so that you are under the necessity of carrying only a few words on to the second page. If that happens re-write the letter, so as either to finish the whole letter on one page, or carry over a sentence or two on to the following page.
In envelope addressing, write the name just below the middle of the envelope and the city and state well toward the bottom. If you are using a single case machine be sure not to get a double impression from the upper case characters. Open the flap of the envelope, if necessary, and arrange your paper guides so as to keep the envelope flat against the platen or roller.
If you are copying a document set it out as nicely as you can, putting in capitals those letters which you think should be prominent. If it is necessary to erase, do it neatly, so that it will not show. Rub long enough to get the paper clean of ink stains. but don't rub a hole in it. Neat erasures require practice. Be satisfied with nothing but good work and neat work. Keep the type of your machine clean; to write with type that is clogged, or dirty, should not be tolerated. Don't write on your machine so that the letters print or pile up one on the other. If the machine writes in that way it may be that it needs cleaning or your touch is very uneven. Clean your machine and try again. If the type still print on each other, it is probably the fault of your irregular touch. Try to correct it so as to make your work neat and regular.
In hot weather keep your warm hands away from: the ribbon and the printed letters. If you do not, your letters are likely to look soiled. Don't strike the period and other punctuation marks so they show through the back of the paper. This is a common fault of the majority of typists. If you have accidentally struck your punctuation marks too hard, turn the sheet over, lay it face downwards on a flat surface, and pass the nail of your thumb or finger over the punctures in the paper, and in future strike the punctuation marks more lightly.
COPYHOLDERS.
Where to place the shorthand note-book when transcribing has been the subject of much discussion. Hundreds of different ideas of copyholders have been invented and put on the market, but the majority of them have met with no success. Some models stand on the table or desk, others are attached to the machine, but all of them vibrate to a certain extent when the machine is operated rapidly. It is an open question whether or not the copyholder is an advantage. If you have an opportunity in school to practice with a copyholder, by all means do so. It is mainly a question of becoming accustomed to a certain thing. If you use the touch method of operating a typewriter a copyholder will be found useful. Sometimes in business it will be found that there is not sufficient room on the desk for a copyholder. It will be advisable, therefore, for the student to become accustomed to reading his shorthand notes or copy from the level of his desk or table. The great point with a stenographer is to be always ready for emergencies, and to adapt himself readily to surroundings. Practice reading and transcribing your notes with and without a copyholder, and then you will be able to meet all contingencies.
THE TABULATOR.
The growing importance of the typewriter has called for new uses for it and opened a wider field than ever for the employment of good typewriter operators. A few years ago the machine was used only for correspondence, but the economy effected in this branch of mercantile life pointed out other ways of economizing time. Hence a demand for typewriters, or an attachment to the typewriter, which could be used for making out invoices, statements and all kinds of tabulated work. Tabulation was, previous to the advent of the tabulator, always regarded as the most difficult line of typewriting. The introduction of this attachment to the typewriter has reduced tabulated work to the simplicity of ordinary correspondence and at the same time has opened up a still wider field for the machine and the operator. By an ingenious arrangement the machine can be made to stop at any point desired upon the scale, and columns of figures can be written with an ease and speed unknown a few years ago.
The tabulator can be attached to any of the standard makes of machines, and the learning of its use should become a part of the school duties of the pupil. The operator of today will not find himself fully equipped unless he is perfectly familiar with the tabulator. He is likely to meet with it in any business house in which he may be employed.
There are several modifications of the tabulator on the different makes of machines, and all do good work under proper manipulation, and the pupil who has learned how to operate one kind can readily grasp the details of the other. The tabulator is also useful in addressing envelopes and arranging names and addresses in business correspondence, etc. Some of the largest firms in New York City are making it obligatory for each clerk in their employ to take a comprehensive course of typewriting and the use of the tabulator. Don't be behind the times. Bookkeeping ere long will be done on the typewriter by the aid of the tabulator. Learn all you can about this time and labor-saving device.
BOOK TYPEWRITING.
The clearness and conciseness of typewriting, and the ability of the typewriter to make manifold copies, has called forth other uses for the machine, hence the introduction of the book typewriter, a machine designed to write in a bound book. Before the invention of this machine, if it was desired to keep a permanent record of typewriting, the matter was first written on loose sheets and then bound up in the ordinary way into a book. With the book typewriter the leaves of the open book are held in position by a series of clamps and the typewriter travels across the page, the machine being operated in the usual way, except that the operator has to work on a moving keyboard. Hundreds of these machines are used throughout the world, writing the records in bound books, and they do their work well. If the student has an opportunity he should not neglect learning all about these wonderful machines. They have the universal keyboard, so he should experience very little difficulty in operating them if he can use the ordinary machine. They are also used to a large extent in railroad and steamship work for the writing of large sheets and "manifests," where thousands of figures are used and several copies are required. Learn all you can about the book typewriter, for its sphere of utility is increasing daily. many of them being used by large dry-goods stores and others for invoice and statement work.
The competition of the book typewriters has caused the manufacturers of the ordinary typewriter to bring out books with loose leaves. These are written on by the use of the typewriter in the ordinary way, and by a series of catches are securely fastened in book-form between covers. Protection against abstraction of the sheets is obtained by having each page numbered. By the use of the loose leaf books and an ordinary typewriter any kind of work can be successfully accomplished and bound securely in book-form.
THE CARD SYSTEM.
The writing of postal cards and envelopes upon the typewriter has until recently been attended with some difficulty. It was difficult to make the stiff card or thick envelope present an even, regular surface on the circular platen. The introduction of the card system of filing, by which thousands of different colored cards are used for reference and even ledger-keeping purposes, has created a demand for a typewriter, or an addition to the typewriter for the purpose of card writing. So great has been the increase of the number of business firms using these reference cards that nearly a dozen large firms are now engaged in the manufacture of reference cards and filing cabinets. Typewritten cards are so much easier read than hand written ones that a demand sprang up for machines and operators for this purpose only. The book typewriters are undoubtedly the best for card writing, as they permit of the cards being written while lying perfectly flat, and the machines are so arranged as to take cards of any degree of thickness. The ordinary typewriters, however, by means of attachments, are now almost equally adapted for the purpose of card writing. Card cylinders and card holders can be bought and attached to any make of machine, and they will be found to take any of the ordinary "stock" cards with the greatest ease, and produce satisfactory work. It will be well for the student to learn all about the "Card System," and practice energetically the writing of cards until proficient. This method of filing is coming more largely into use daily and the typist is sure to meet with the card system, in some form, into whatsoever office he goes.
THE ANNULAR SCALE AND ITS USES.
The use of the typewriter for bill and charge work has called forth the invention of the Annular Scale. an attachment to the billing machine of the typewriter. By means of this scale invoices can be written in the usual way, and at the same time, by the addition of carbon paper, a copy of each invoice (one immediately underneath the other on a separate sheet of paper) may be made. As each invoice is written it is withdrawn from the machine, but the carbon and paper at the back remain in the machine. By the use of the Annular Scale, which is attached to the left-hand side of the roller or platen, the carbon and paper are moved up the requisite distance to permit of the next invoice being written immediately below the preceding one, as one would write entries in a day-book by hand, another invoice form inserted and written on as before. When the sheet is filled with the copies of the invoices it is filed away in a loose-leaf binder, becomes a part of the "journal" or "day-book," and is used for posting the entries of sales directly into the ledger. The Annular Scale attachment saves much time and labor, and is used largely by dry-goods houses and others. The pupil should learn its uses.
WIDE CARRIAGE TYPEWRITERS.
Railroad and steamship offices, as well as accountants, dry-goods stores and many mercantile firms, require occasionally machines that will do what is called "wide work." The ordinary typewriter will usually write from 72 to 75 characters to the line. This is not wide enough for some classes of work, and as a consequence the typewriter companies have put upon the market machines that will write as many as 300 characters to the line, and take paper almost three feet wide. The book typewriters will write on paper of almost any width, in fact as wide as any writing paper made, and do tabulating work at the same time. In the majority of cases the carriages are large and cumbersome, and not very suitable for rapid work. Some machines have interchangeable carriages, so that it is possible to slide the ordinary 75-point carriage off the typewriter case in a few seconds and substitute a wider one upon the same base. The advantage of this style of machine is obvious—it can be used for ordinary work if desired and arranged for wide work in a few moments.
The very wide machines used for steamship and railroad work have no small letters. They write capital letters, figures and special marks required in shipping circles. The student should see and learn about the wide or long carriage machines. If there are none at the school he attends he should visit the agencies of the various typewriter companies and make an inspection and investigation of the long carriage machines. They have come to stay.
MANIFOLDING.
Apart from the fact that the typewriter confers a benefit on the business community by placing all its correspondence in a printed and consequently a readable form, there is the added advantage that if desired one or more copies of any document can be made at the one time of writing. This economy of time and space is effected by the use of carbon paper. By placing a sheet of carbon paper at the back of the sheet on which the typewriting is to appear, and above another sheet of paper, the sharp blow of the key of the typewriter on the paper will cause an exact copy to be imprinted from the carbon sheet to the sheet below. Thus one or more copies can be made at one time, the number of copies being limited only by the number and thinness of the sheets of paper and carbon, and the force of the "touch" of the operator on the machine. The mode of arranging the sheets of carbon in the machine requires a little practice, but your teacher, or any typewriter demonstrator, will readily show you, so it is needless to enter into details here. The colors of the carbon paper may be varied—they can be obtained in a number of colors, and very pretty ornamental work can be arranged with the exercise of a little patience and ingenuity.
THE MIMEOGRAPH.
Among the many inventions of Mr. Edison one of the most useful is the mimeograph. By means of it exact reproductions of typewriting may be made in a few moments and hundreds of fac-simile circulars produced in a short time. The process is a very simple one, and the sheets upon which the writing is done may be quickly prepared on any of the standard typewriters. These sheets are called "stencils." If the machine has a ribbon it must be unpinned or the ribbon mechanism arranged so the ribbon will not move, so that the type may strike directly against the stencil. A specially prepared waxen sheet is placed over a piece of fine silk and above that a sheet of tissue paper. These three sheets, with an oiled backing sheet, are placed in the typewriter as one would put in carbon sheets, the tissue sheet being uppermost. The typewriter is operated in the usual way. The bare type striking the tissue paper forces the impressions from the waxen sheet on to the piece of silk. The wax adheres to the silk and when the circular is completed the waxen sheet is found to be perforated wherever the type has struck it. The waxen sheet is taken from the machine, separated from the others, and fixed in a special frame with a porous sheet over it. By means of a roller, printer's ink is forced through the porous sheet and perforated waxen sheet on to a sheet of ordinary paper. This produces an exact fac-simile of the letter or circular, and at each passage of the ink roller over the porous and waxen sheets another circular is printed.
The new rotary mimeograph will print a circular at every turn of a handle, and we have seen some marvelous work done with it in an astonishingly short time. At an exhibition some time since of the capabilities of producing circulars by the combined use of the typewriter and the mimeograph, 100 words were written on a typewriter and the first mimeograph copy produced in two minutes and fifteen seconds. One hundred copies of the circular were then run off in two and one-half minutes more, making four minutes and forty-five seconds from the time the circular was started on the typewriter to the time when 100 copies were printed ready for folding and placing in envelopes. This shows the rapidity with which circulars may be reproduced. Pupils at school should learn how to make stencils for the mimeograph and how to use the machine. Nearly every business firm has use for this invaluable aid to circularizing.
THE HEKTOGRAPH.
The hektograph and similar inventions are made of a composition placed in shallow tins. The composition, which has somewhat the appearance of glue, is first wiped with a damp cloth and the typewritten letter, written with a specially prepared hektograph ribbon, is laid face downwards upon it. It is allowed to remain there for a few minutes, and on being removed an imprint is left on the composition. On laying another sheet of paper on this, and passing the hand, or a roller, over the back of the sheet, a perfect fac-simile of the typewritten. matter is transferred to the sheet. As many as 100 copies can be taken from one writing in this way. The first few copies are of course the best, as the ink gradually is absorbed, becoming fainter and fainter as each copy is taken off. For a few circulars the hektograph is very useful and expeditious. It is used largely in steamship and other offices, and a knowledge of how to work it should be obtained by the pupil if possible.
COPYING TYPEWRITTEN LETTERS.
It is usual in business houses to keep copies of all letters. Copies are sometimes made by using a copying ribbon on the typewriter, and copying the letter by means of a press in a book made of tissue paper leaves. The typewritten letter is laid face downward on a sheet of tissue paper beneath which is placed a damp linen cloth. The moisture from the cloth passes through the tissue and transfers some of the aniline ink of the typewritten letter to the tissue paper, thus making a fac-simile. To facilitate the transfer the book of tissue paper is subjected to pressure in a letter press. It requires some practice to get good, clear copies. The best results are obtained when the cloths are moderately damp. Although in most offices the office boy is required to copy letters, it will be well for the student to learn how it is done in case he is called upon to do this.
An invention called "the rapid roller copier" greatly facilitates the ordinary mode of copying typewritten letters, and the student would do well to become familiar with this also.
In some offices, instead of copying the letters in a bound book with a copying press, a carbon copy is made of each letter, and attached to the original letter, all being filed together. This dispenses with the copying press and the letter book. The pupil of shorthand should learn all these methods of copying and filing letters, and in fact make himself thoroughly familiar with office routine.
ADDRESSING.
Addressing an envelope on a typewriter is not usually accomplished so easily as writing a letter. It requires care in feeding into the machine and considerable attention in spacing and judgment in arrangement. When the envelope is made of thick paper, it is advisable to open the flap. On single case machines, unless some care is exercised in adjusting the paper guides or fingers, a slight imprint from the capital letters is likely to appear above the other letters thus giving the envelope an untidy appearance. The pupil at school should have plenty of practice in addressing, for unless he has this practice on his entrance into the business world, he will have difficulty in addressing envelopes. Long "fool's-cap" envelopes will occasionally require careful feeding into the machine. It is advisable to use the knobs or handles on the ends of the platen when feeding envelopes into the machine and not to use the spacing handle.
GENERAL ADVICE TO THE STUDENT.
By this time we presume that you are fairly prepared for your entrance into the business world. You have studied shorthand properly and faithfully until you can write at a fairly good speed, and you can now, doubtless, transcribe your notes on the machine rapidly and well. Before leaving school be sure that your teacher says you are ready and fit to enter upon the duties of a stenographer. Don't leave school simply because you think you are competent and can do just as good work as somebody else who was formerly in your class and is now earning a living. Let your teacher be the judge of your competency; he knows best your exact qualifications, and will be willing for you to go forth into the business world, provided that you can do justice to yourself, your teacher and the school. He knows, as you should, that it will do you more harm than good to leave school before you are thoroughly competent. Don't be impatient. Everything comes to him who studies while he waits the favorable opportunity. If you are well up in spelling and punctuation, alert and capable in taking dictation, rapid and accurate in transcribing your shorthand notes, well-informed on copying letters, mimeographing, hektographing, manifolding and card indexing and, above all, have "nerve" to face a new dictator, then you are ready to leave school.
Your teacher should give you a thorough examination. You should be able to write at least 100 words per minute in shorthand for five minutes, and even for ten minutes would be better. You should be able to transcribe the notes you have taken, in the five or ten-minute test, on the typewriter at the rate of 20 words per minute. If you can transcribe them at the rate of 25 or 30 words per minute accurately and practically without error, you are doing well. In this examination your teacher should give you new matter, and not letters that you have written several times before. It would be no test to take letters you had written before, for in all probability you would know them by heart. The test should be on business letters of not too technical a nature; on the other hand, they should not be made up of words of one syllable, but should be a fair mixture of ordinary language such as would be used by one business firm communicating with another. If you succeed in putting the letters in really proper shape, so that if they were real letters your dictator would not hesitate to sign them, then you are ready to launch forth as a stenographer. Be courageous, have confidence in yourself, in your shorthand and in your typewriting.