One evening, early in the Fall of '89, voices were heard in the
school-room as though many persons were talking at once. Suddenly the
bell rang and the talking ceased. "What does this mean?" you would
have asked, and then, your curiosity getting the better of you, you
would have peeped in. Such a sight! At the front of the room were four
or five rows of young girls, books and pencils in hand, and on the
platform stood a gentleman who was evidently their teacher. What were
they going to do? Why, take their first lesson in stenography, and you
can see from the number of bright and happy faces here to-night, what
that first and each succeeding lesson has done for them. Like little
children just beginning to spell they began with the alphabet, and
step by step, gaining strength and courage, learning everything
thoroughly, till at the end of three months, they had laid a
foundation upon which whatever followed could securely rest; and, when
the mid-winter examination came on (which had all along seemed like a
great wall that was insurmountable), they were able to scale it
without much difficulty.
But you must not think this goal was reached without many mistakes
which were sometimes very disheartening, and sometimes very funny; as
you will think when I tell you for the letter H a tick is sometimes
used; and one girl slanting this tick the wrong way wrote, "Pale, thou
poly king"; and another, who misplaced a vowel, wrote, "I like my live
eel boy." However, these errors only tended to make them more careful,
and when they started the speeding course, it served them a good
purpose.
At the beginning of this course, they were addressed as "My dear
reader," and told to observe what they were told; then followed some
maxims to be laid to heart, and a little dwarf was introduced whose
name was "Try." This little fellow had a way of making every one try
to do her best, and those who were unable to do very much at first he
encouraged by giving them a helping hand. After a while he left us and
in his place stood a very impudent fellow known by those with whom he
had had dealings as "I Forgot," or "I Didn't Think;" but as soon as we
learned his mission, which you probably have guessed, or perhaps know
from experience, we discharged him and to secure ourselves from his
return, sent the "Careful Dog" after him. Tom's uncle then gave his
opinion on Phonography, but although it had over four hundred words in
it, it did not amount to much as some of the girls got it down in less
than three minutes.
Soon afterward John Smith received a letter from his brother Timothy
Jenkins (this name was given the latter by mistake by one of the
girls), about some place in New York State where they could spend a
very nice vacation. This place had advantages in the way of fishing
and boating, lawn tennis and all the rest; but one of our number, who
evidently thought more of good solid comfort, wrote that there were
"good furniture and bedding."
While thinking still of this delightful resort with all its
acquisitions, the strong arm of the law suddenly came down upon us and
holding out a document to our wondering gaze demanded the name of
same. Then was heard a confusion of voices, every one guessing the
wrong thing, until one, who thought of course she knew, cried out
"Oh, it's a divorce case!" It was no such thing, however; it was a
simple complaint, in which the husband and wife were plaintiffs. We
went through the entire pleadings of this case and when finished, took
up another and another until now we are not lawyers, but some are able
to be stenographers for lawyers, and others amanuenses.