The beginnings of Pitmanic shorthand in England and in the United States, as I know them.
Chautauqua, NY: August 16, 1905. Typescript transcript, [1], 19 leaves typed on rectos only; bound with an incomplete transcript of a speech by Olivery Dyer on shorthand, 2 leaves; printed gray limp cloth covers, spine sunned, near fine. A speech given at the Chautauqua Institution, focused primarily on Benn Pitman's scheme for spelling reform rather than shorthand or its history as the title suggests. At the time of this speech Pitman would have been 83 years old, and had dedicated the majority of his life to the propagation of both Pitman shorthand and general spelling reform, but no system during that time had succeeded in achieving popular adoption. In his talk Pitman admits that the English speaking public is simply unwilling to introduce any new symbols into their alphabet, and proposes that a few small modifications to the existing alphabet, namely the use of a dot to indicate long and short vowels, is all that is needed to provide enough symbols for a phonographic representation of English. Mention is also made of Murray's Oxford English Dictionary, then in the middle of production. Only the first page of Dyer's speech dated Aug. 18, 1905 is included, but it follows the same lines, recounting the difficulty of teaching children English spelling. Dyer was an early American adopter of Pitman shorthand and developed a derivative system which was the first of its kind introduced to the US, though its popularity was superseded by Benn Pitman's system after the latter's arrival in the 1850s. He is best remembered for his work in journalism. The Chautauqua Institution, where these speeches were given was established in 1874 as a teaching camp for Sunday-school teachers, and was closely associated with Methodism. Its format was popular enough to inspire a number of satellite institutions up until World War II, and many notable individuals have spoken there, including a number of US Presidents. Item #54167
Price: $125.00
