Armstrong High School - Resume Yearbook (Armstrong, IL)

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Ti.. B II Il H U Q Qlpurple zmh CEUID Q -9' N H H In Some people may be surprised to learn that shorthand was used in the time of the Caesars. Quintus Enniius the Roman poet in 200 B. C. was the first to invent an abbreviated system of writing. He devised about 1100 signs which he used for the purpose of writing more swiftly than by the ordinary a phabet. The chief use of shorthand in Roman times was made by the leaders in the church and by the officials of the government. The onfy definite information that we have of the use of shorthand is recorded by Piutarch who mentions that the famous oration given by Cicero in the Roman Senate in 63 B. C. was taken in shorthand. Tiro a highly educated man who received his freedom from Cicero invented the method of shorthand used at that time. He later became the confi- dential clerk of his master. We are much indebted to Tiro and his fol- lowers for their ability to write and read shorthand. There is evidence tiizt shorthand was used in this country within ten years after the landing of the pilgrims. The shorthand notebooks of Major John Pinchoni containing sermons which were preached by Rev. John Moxon between 1637 and 1639 are found in the library at Spring- field, Massachusetts. A Weil known shorthand writer at this time was John Winthrop, Jr., Governor of Massachusetts in the year of 1633. Many of his letters written in shorthand were sent to his wife Martha Winthrop who is the first female shorthand American writer of Whom there is a record. Charles Dickens, of whose works we American people are proud, was a Ll.o1-thand writer, using the old-fashioned Guerney system and many a time hls wife became provoked because he would write his Ltorlcz in snort hand. A great many systems were published by different msn beginning in the year 1588 until the time that a system cailed Stenographic Sound Hand , was published by Isaac Pitman in 1837, and in 1840 published his system of Phonography. Pitman's system was used to a large extent and became somewhat popular but was soon supplanted by a better sys- tem. The system of shorthand invented by John Robert Gregg was Hrs: published in Liverpool, England, in 1888, under the title, Light Line Pho- nographyf' The system was introduced in America in 1893 in the city IL-ll lIlll ll IF'-Q 1 9 2 4 Q'Fll A'7:Jll g If 1 IF II 'F ,...1-e.a..x..... .i

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B n u u n Q glgurpjg mhggulg, 9 u u u n lu AN EXPOSITION OF THE COMMERCIAL DEPARTMENT By A. F. Nelion There are many people who think that the commercial subjects which are taught in the high school, namely, Bookkeeping, Shorthand and Type' writing are relatively new subjects. I mean by that, that they were just discovered about a half a century ago. I shall in writing this article at tempt to give briefly a history of the three subjects mentioned above and the value that they contain for our future men and women. It was nearly two hundred years before Christ, when people began to live in communities, and industries were developed, it was found that the people needed some means to keep a record of accounts. I To the Romans the credit is given as having the first system of ac- counts more scientifically developed than any other people. Books have been found containing dates of 1406 to 1430. These books are re- markable for their neatness, but do not show that any scientific principles were followed. The first American text on double entry bookkeeping was published by William Mitchell in 1796. He is also given credit for recommending special columns for the cash book. Many books sets have since been published but the Twentieth Century text and set used in the Armstrong High School is one of the most. thorough and comprehensive text books in the market for the high school student. The invention of a calculating machine in 1890 by William Burrougn a bank clerk has aided the development of bookkeeping because it tends to lessen the work of the bookkeeper. QA Brief History of Shorthandj When Cicero the greatest of Roman orators rang for his stenographer in the year 63 B. C., it was not a dainty maid who came tripping to this desk with notebook and pencil but instead, however, a scholarly man came forward with waxen tablets and styli, the writing tools of that time, and sat at the feet of the great man and took his dictation. The shorthax d writers of those days were Without paper, pen or pencil and only a crude method of shorthand. A stylus was used for writing While the writing was done on tablets that were covered with a layer of Wax, IF ll u u -ul-31:0 1924 G n n n ll- n 'T

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ll n ll n i u Q purple zmhqgulh C9 n u ll n of Boston by Mr. Gregg. The Gregg system is radically diiferent from the geometric style which Pitman used, the characters being based upon the movement used in longhand writing. The Gregg Shorthand is the standard shorthand system of America and is used in about 90 percent of the high schools and colleges today and is readily the best system in use because it is easy to learn, easy to read, easy to write and superiorin speed. Ithink the people should be proud to think that the Board of Education adopted the best system for their school. Regardless of all that has been said. the use of shorthand did not be come general. I think the difHculty was due to the fact that the older systems were so hard to learn. Along with all these activities in the fields of shorthand and book- keeping, comes another great invention, the typewriter. The first type- writer of which we have any record was patented in England in 1714. In 1829, the first American typewriter, called a typographer, was patented by W. A. Burt. The Remington Typewriter made its appearance in the year 1873. When the great possibilities of shorthand in conjunction with the typewriter were discovered. the introduction of these two sub- jects into the schools of this country was assured. I will mention a few of our most famous men who give credit to their busineis training for a measure of their success. Ex-President Wilson. Frank A. Vanderlip, Ex-President of the City National Bank of New York, Judge Landis of Chicago, Hugh Chalmers of the Chalmers Detroit Motor Co., Governor Cox of Ohio, Senator Lenroot, of Wisconsin, Edward Bok, Irvin S. Cobb, Edward Everett Hale, and many' others have made their start with a knowledge of shorthand. ' Commercial Education used in connection with high school training is the process of equipping the normal youth of high school age, who pur- sues it with such knowledge, skill and power as he can reasonably be ex- pected to find useful in his immediate endeavor to earn a living in 2, recognized business activity. Commercial educationin the high schools of today should share with general education the responsibility of determining the place and efficiency of the individual in society. I think our high schools are meeting the de- mands of modern business. I may even go further and say that the frraduates' of our commercial schools. public and rrivate. are better Quali- fied technically for business service than the graduates of few years ago. pl flI'1'll u :ui 1924 Ca n u n ll um