Sir Isaac Pitman
481
Transcript of Sir Isaac Pitman
THE L IFE OF
S IR ISAAC PITMAN
( INVENTOR OF PHONOGRAPHY )
ALFRED BAKER,F .I . I .
CEN TENARY EDI TI ON
LONDON : SIR ISAAC P ITMAN SONS , LTD .
No . 1 AMEN CORNER , E C. 19 13
PRI NTED BY S IR I SAAC P ITMAN
SONS,LTD .
, LONDON ,Bun
AND N EW YORK 19 13
THE RIGHT HON . THE EARL OF ROSE BERY
H .G .,K .T.
,
PRES IDE NT OF THE
FIRST INTERNATIONAL SHORTHAND CONGRESS
HELD IN LONDON IN 1887
TH IS VOLUME
I S INSCRIBED WITH HI S LORDSHIP ’S
KIND PERMISS ION
PREFACE
IN the illustrious roll of inventors who have in ourown age conferred great and varied benefits on
their country,the name of Sir Isaac Pitman
occupies a unique position,as the originator of
a method of brief writing as widely used as thelanguage in which it is written . His bold experi
ment of giving to the world a system of shorthandhaving an absolutely phonetic basis was animmediate success
,and for over seventy years it
has proved of inestimable service for every purposefor which a written record is desired
,and has
become the standard method of Engli sh shorthand . He did not live to see success attend hisproposals for a drastic reform of English spellingon a strictly phonetic basis . But it is only justto his memory to point out that
,to hi s work as
a pioneer,is to a large extent due the revived
interest in simplified spelling manifested in ourown t ime.The life story of Sir I saac Pitman has been
related in many forms,but not h itherto with the
completeness which has been attempted in thepresent volume . The author ’ s thanks are dueto Sir Isaac ’ s family for placing at his di sposalall the personal records in their possession . Mr .Henry Pitman
,younger brother of the Inventor
of Phonography,gave valuable information
on many points . From the writings of Mr .
vi PREFACE
Benn Pitman assistance was derived in relationto his early reminiscences of his brother . TheBiography of Isaac Pitman
,written by Mr .
T . A . Reed in 1890,comprises a large amount of
information which would not have been recordedat all but for his industrious pen
,and this work
has of necessity been freely drawn on.
Thanks are tendered t o the proprietors of
Punch for permission to reproduce the cartoonon page 219 ; to Mr . George Lansdown
,of the
Wiltshire Times,Trowbridge
,for permission to
reproduce a rare drawing of the school attendedby Sir Isaac Pitman t o Mr . F . H . Fisher ( editorof the Literary World) for permission t o quote theIn Memoriam sonnet ; and to Mr . A . T .
Donald,for assistance with the bibliography .
A . B .
Dec 1908.
PREFACE TO CENTENARY ED ITION
ADVANTAGE has been taken of the issue of thepresent second
,or Centenary Edi tion , to make a
few addi tions and corrections . I t is hoped thatthese will add t o the value of the Life t o all
interested in the Pitman Centenary of 19 13 .
A . B .
jan 19 1 3 .
VI I I .
XI I I .
XIV .
CONTENTS
EARLY DAYS . 1813-183 1
STARTING I N LIFE AT BARTON-ON -HUMBER.
1832—5
EVENTFUL YEARS AT WOTTON-UNDER-EDGE .
1836—7
INVENTION OF STE NOGRAPHIC SOUND-HAND .
1837—9
SETTLEMENT IN BATH AND PUBLICATION OF
PHONOGRAPHY .
”1839—40
BEGI NN ING OF THE P ROPAGANDA AND THE
PHONOGRAPHIC JOURNAL .
”1840—2
THE WRITING AND SPELLING REFORM— THE F IRSTINSTITUTE . 1843
PHONOTYPY INTRODUCED— PHONOGRAPHY AND
THE SPELLI NG RE FORM ATTACKED AND
DEFENDED . 1844—5
A DEPARTURE I N PRI NTI NG AND PUBLISH INGMR. A . J. ELLIS AND THE 1847 ALPHABET .
”
1845—8
THE PHONETIC NEWS AND WHAT FOLLOWED .
1849—50
THE I NTERNATIONAL EXHI B ITION AND EXETERHALL— THE SECOND AND TH IRD I NSTITUTES .
1851—6
THE TE NTH AND E LEVE NTH ED ITIONS OF PHONOGRAPHY . 1857—62
THE READ ING, WRITI NG,AND RECKON ING
REFORM .
”1857—62
A QUARTER OF A CENTURY OF PHONOGRAPHYPRESENTATION To THE I NVENTOR . 1862
A CHARACTER SKE TCH— ADDRE SS To THE BRITISHASSOCIATION ON BRIEF WRITI NG .
”1862—4
v ii
vi ii
XVI I .
XVI I I .
XIX .
XX I .
XXI I .
XXI I I .
XXIV
CONTE NTS
PHONOGRAPHIC AUTHORSHIP— TESTIMONY I N THEJUSTICIARY COURT AT ED INBURGH— ADDRESS
AT MANCHESTER. 1865—72
SHORTHAND P RINTING FROM MOVABLE TYPETHE FOURTH INSTITUTE . 1873—5 .
MAX -MULLE R AND THE SPELLING REFORM— A
P ROPOSED ROYAL COMMISS ION . 1876—9
MANY SCHEME S OF SPELLING REFORM AND
THREE RULES — PUBL IC APPEARANCE SACTION IN THE H IGH COURT— AMEN CORNER.
1880—6
THE PHONOGRAPH IC JUB ILEE— THE FIFTHINSTITUTE . 1887-9
A NEW EPOCH I N SHORTHAND TEACHING— THE
NATIONAL PHONOGRAPH IC SOC IETY - AN EDI
TORIAL JUB ILEE . 1890—3
KNIGHTHOOD CONFERRED ON THE FATHER OF
PHONOGRAPHY .
”— RE TIREMENT FROM THE
PHONETIC I NSTITUTE . 1894
INTERE STS,ACCOMPLISHMENTS , AND FADs— SOME
PERSONAL DATALAST YEARS . 1895-7
PUBLIC TRIBUTESAPPENDIX I . A REPRI NT OF STENOGRAPHIC SOUND
H
HANDAPPEND IX I I . THE EVOLUTION OF PHONOGRAPHYAP PEND IX I I I . B IBLIOGRAPHYINDEX
PAGE
PLATES
S IR ISAAC P ITMAN . MEMORIAL PORTRAIT BY A . S . COPE ,
R.A . , IN THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLE RY , LONDONF rontispz
'
ece
FACINGPAGE
SAMUEL P ITMAN,FATHER OF THE I NVENTOR OF PHONO
GRAPHYSCHOOL ATTENDED BY ISAAC P ITMAN AT TROWBRIDGEST JAME S ’S CHURCH , TROWBRI DGE
COMPREHENS IVE B IBLE P RE SENTED TO ISAAC P ITMANBY MR. SAMUEL BAGSTER
KINGSTON HOUSE (OR THE HALL) , BRADFORD-ON-AVONISAAC P ITMAN ’
S SECOND SCHOOL ATWOTTON-UNDE R-EDGEISAAC P ITMAN ’
S HOUSE AT WOTTON-UNDE R-EDGE THE
B IRTHPLACE OF PHONOGRAPHYSTENOGM PHIC SOUND-HAND P LATE 1
STENOGRAPH IC SOUND-HAND PLATE 2TITLE AND COVE R OF STENOGRAPH IC SOUND-HAND .
PUBLISHED I N 1837FACS IMILE OF ISAAC P ITMAN ’
S LETTER To SAMUEL
BAGSTER, 14TH NOVEMBER , 1837
NELSON PLACE ,BATH (FROM A DRAWING ABOUT 1840)
THE F I RST PHONETIC INSTITUTE , NO . 5 NELSON PLACE,
BATHPHONOGRAPHY . THE PENNY PLATE ,
1840
THE PHONOGRAPHIC JOURNAL,JANUARY , 1842
FACS IM ILE OF FIRST PAGE PRI NTED I N PHONETIC SPELLI NG
ISAAC P ITMAN (AGE PAI NTED BY J. B . KEENEREDUCED FACS IMILE OF THE TOP PORTION OF THE F IRST
PAGE OF THE PHONETIC NEws ( 1849)ix
PAGE
THE SECOND PHONETIC INSTITUTE , UPPER BRISTOL ROAD,
BATHPHONETIC SOCIETY CARD OF MEMBE RSH IP . 1857
ISAAC P ITMAN (AGE 46)CARTOON PUBLISHED I N THE PHONOGRAPH IC LUMI NARYI N 1862
FACS IMILE OF ISAAC P ITMAN ’
S LITHOGRAPHED SHORTHANDFROM THE 1870 ED ITION OF MACAULAY ’S B IOGRAPH IES
ISAAC P ITMAN (AGE 55)CE RTIFICATE ISSUED To MEMBE RS OF THE PHONETIC
SOCIETY FROM ABOUT 1870 To 1879 .
THE FOURTH PHONETIC INSTITUTE ,KINGSTON BUILDI NGS ,
ABBEY CHURCHYARD ,BATH
FACS IMILE OF ISAAC P ITMAN ’
s LITHOGRAPHED LETTER ToMEMBERS OF THE PHONETIC SOCIETY ( 1873)
HAZE LWOOD,WARMINSTER ROAD
,BATH
FACS IMI LE OF SHORTHAND LETTE R ON THE JUB I LEECELEBRATION FROM ISAAC P ITMAN To MR. REED
I SAAC P ITMAN FROM A MARBLE BUST BY THOMAS BROCK,
R A . ( 1887)THE AME RICAN GOLD MEDAL To COMMEMORATE THE
JUB ILEE OF PHONOGRAPHY , P RESENTED TO ISAACP ITMAN
THE F IFTH PHONETIC I NSTITUTE ,LOWE R BRISTOL ROAD
BATHISAAC P ITMAN AND SONSS PECIMEN OF PHONOGRAPHY PRODUCED BY THE TYPO
GRAPH IC ETCH I NG P ROCESSADDRE SS OF SHORTHAND WRITE RS OF AUSTRALIANO . 17 ROYAL CRESCENT, BATH
ILLUSTRATION S
FACS IM ILE OF SAMUEL P I TMAN ’
S HOROSCOPE OF HIS SON
! ISAAC
DE S IGN ON THE COVE R OF THE POCKET ED ITION OF
PHONOGRAPHY ( 1842)THE THIRD PHONETIC INSTITUTE ,
PARSONAGE LANE ,BATH
A CORNER I N THE TH IRD PHONE TIC I NSTITUTE
FACS IMILE OF GENE S IS 1 , 1— 5, PRINTED I N MIKMAK .
SPECIMEN OF P ITMAN ’
S SHORTHAND (REPORTING STYLE )PRI NTED FROM METAL TYPE CHARACTE RS .
AN EVERGREEN VEGETARIAN
FUN I N SCIENCE . SHORTHAND DRAWING BY LORDBURY
MEMORIAL TABLET PLACED BY THE BATH CORPORATIONON No. 17 ROYAL CRESCENT
,BATH
PAG E
122
TH E L I FE O F
S IR I S AA C P ITM A N
EARLY DAYS
18 13- 183 1
S IR ISAAC P ITMAN,the inventor of the most
widely used system of English Shorthand,
and a lifelong advocate of Spelling Reform,was
born on Monday,the 4th January
,18 13 . His
birthplace was Trowbridge,in Wiltshire
,but
his parents were natives of Taunton,in the neigh
bouring county of Somerset,and his family name
is one which has been borne with distinction byseveral West Country men . The father of thefuture shorthand author was Samuel Pitman ;his mother ’s maiden name was Maria Davis .
They migrated from Taunton soon after theirmarriage in 1808
,and made their home at Trow
bridge . Th is town has been engaged for manycenturies in Cloth manufacture
,and as Samuel
Pitman was by trade a hand-loom weaver,the
reason of his settlement there is sufficientlyobvious . For the next twenty years he acted asoverseer of the cloth factory of Mr . J ames Edgell .He was an excellent business man
,and had the
satisfaction of managing a very prosperous undertaking . There can be no doubt that he possessed
ll
2 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
more than average abili ty,and the recollections
of his children and friends reveal an '
indiv idualityas well worthy ofbiographical notice as an exampleof a typical Engli shman of the middle class
,as
many on whom fortune showered more favours,
or circumstances brought into greater prominence .
Much that is di stinctive in the character of IsaacPitman he owed to heredity
,and some account
,
therefore,of the influence which his father exer
cised may appropriately precede the story of hisson ’ s life . I t Should be added that the influenceof Isaac Pitman ’s mother was
,in some respects
,
equally important . To her may be traced thedeep affection which united the family of elevenchildren to their parents and to each other . Ofthis affection the family correspondence
,which has
been preserved,furnishes abundant testimony .
Samuel Pitman had so little regular schoolinstruction that he thought it hardly worthy of
mention,but by self-education he attained t o
considerable abili ty in some branches of knowledge . He made a thorough study of astronomy
,
and acquired the skill necessary t o calculate eclipses and other celestial phenomena .
The imaginary science of astrology was largelycultivated in his time
,and he was a di ligent student
of Ebenezer Sibly’
s erudite quarto volume,A
New and Complete Illustration of the CelestialScience of Astrology . As each of his childrenwas born he cast the infant ’ s horoscope
,which
was duly inscribed in the family Bible . An
HOROSCOPE 3
additional copy of the horoscopes of both parentsand children was also made by him
,and has been
preserved in the family . In the cas e of his sonIsaac
,the horoscope did not indicate in any way
FACS IMI LE O F SAMUE L P ITMAN ’
S HOROSCOP E OF H IS
SON ISAAC
future greatness as a shorthand inventor,
and possibly this was one of the reasons whichled Pitman pere in later years to abandon hisfaith in the celestial science .
” At a time whenbooks were scarce and hard to obtain he was a
4 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
diligent reader,and when he returned to his home
after the discharge of the many active duties whichformed his day ’s work
,a book was invariably
the companion of his leisure hours . He wasconsequently well informed
,and his studies
,
coupled with his observation of li fe,made him
tolerant in matters of religion . A man of S incereconviction in regard to the truths of Christianity
,
he practised his faith with conspicuous impartialityand broad-mindedness .
Each member of his family of seven sons andfour daughters was baptised in infancy at theparish church of St . James
,. Trowbridge
,the
christening of his son Isaac taking place on the1 l th April following his birth . Soon after thi sevent
,the Rev . George Crabbe
,the poet
,received
his last clerical preferment,and was inducted
Rector of Trowbridge on the 3rd June,1814 .
Under the parson poet,Samuel Pitman became
superintendent of the Church Sunday School,
which Isaac and his brothers attended either asscholars or teachers . Their mother
,who was a
sincerely religious woman,and of a singularly
equable temperament and kindly di sposition,was
a Baptist,and the family attended with her at
Zion Chapel,which was not in its earlier days
equipped with a Sunday School . Through theexertions of Samuel Pitman and others thi s defectwas made good
,and he became superintendent
of this school,his eldest son Jacob and his next
son Isaac acting as teachers there . On alternate
EDUCATIONAL MOVEMENTS 5
Sundays father and sons continued to dischargesimilar duties at the older school established inassociation with the parish church .
The interest of Samuel Pitman in educationaladvancement unquestionably had a great influence on the future career of his son Isaac . Atthis period
,more than half-a-century before the
Education Act of 1870,almost the only provision
for popular education in England was in the formof the parochial Charity school . But three yearsbefore Samuel Pitman settled at Trowbridge
,
Joseph Lancaster ’s efforts had resulted in theformation of the great society
,which in a few
years established throughout the land institutionsdesigned for the children of the masses
,and popu
larly known as British Schools . In Trowbridgethe movement found an earnest pioneer in SamuelPitman
,through whose instrumentality subscrip
tions were obtained and a large school-housebuilt
,which
,i f not the first
,was one of the earliest
in the West of England . A few years later theinfant school movement arose
,and he promot ed
a scheme which brought the Pestalozzian systemwithin the reach of the children of his fellowtownsmen .
In another branch of social reform SamuelPitman was a pioneer
,namely
,that of temperance
—a good many years before the time when themen of Preston enriched the English languagewith the word teetotal . Nearly half-a-centurybefore free libraries were heard of in England
,
6 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
Samuel Pitman— again well in advance of his agehad established a library for the work-people
at his cloth factory,together with a reading—room .
Interested as he was in these movements for thegeneral welfare
,he was in his home an excellent
father,and not only set a good example there to
his sons and daughters,but while firm and just
in the discharge of the duties of the head of thefamily
,he madeuse of all means which lay at hand
for their moral and intellectual improvement .
I saac Pitman was born in a house at the rearof the King of Prussia Inn
,Trowbridge
,which
was many years ago pulled down , but hi s childhood was spent at the next home of the Pi tmanfamily in the town
,namely
,Nos . 44 and 45
Timbrell Street . The testimony of his brothersshows that in his early youth he began t o exhibitthose mental and moral characteristics whichwere distinctive of his later life . His youngerbrother
,Benn
,says
,
“I saac in his youth wasof a diligent and studious habit He was of
a sensitive nature,inclined to be thoughtful
,
regarding life and its duties as matters of graveconcern . His elder brother
,Jacob
,observes
,
Isaac never had any of that rollicking nonsenseabout him peculiar to most of us boys
,nor do I
remember his ever stopping on his way fromschool to play
,but home directly he went
,either
to his books or to his work .
” In the Pitmanfamily the greatest regularity and punctualitywere observed in regard to the daily round of
SCHOOL DAYS 7
duties the children were not permitted to loiterin the streets
,and any infringement of regulations
was followed by chastisement,administered by
Pitman pere with a strap . Recreative exercisewas not
,however
,neglected
,and took the form
of country walks,and bathing and swimming ;
in the last named pursuit his brother Benn bearsrecord that Isaac Showed courage and even daring .
The school days of Isaac Pitman began andended at a comparatively early age . He received
,
he tells us,the rudiments of an English education
in a day school of his native town From a listof the names of ' his pupils
,kept by the master
,
Mr . Nightingale,it appears that Isaac Pitman
left school on 8th October,1825
,in the thirteenth
year of his age . The school contained fromeighty t o 100 boys
,and the size of the schoolroom
was about 25 ft . by 15 ft .
,and 8 ft . or 9 ft . high .
A raised desk was placed against the wall on thewindow side of the building
,high enough to allow
of half-moon standing classes underneath . Inthe small space afforded by this high desk
,and on
the floor of the room about 100 boys were crowdedtogether . The air was consequently so vitiatedthat young Pitman was frequently obliged to
leave the schoolroom and go into the fresh air torecover from a fainting fit . His school days werethus early closed in consequence of these faintings .
No one suspected that the schoolroom was infault— SO little were sanitary conditions of li fethen considered .
”
8 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
In a note to the above account Isaac Pitmanrecords that the fresh air into which he wastaken was the churchyard
,lying between the
school and the church .
” This was,in fact
,used
as a playground by the scholars,and Benn Pitman
has recollections of the games which were playedby them among the monuments of the departed
,
over which the boys chased each other in wildestglee .
” On Sundays the schoolroom was used asthe Church Sunday School
,to which reference
has already been made .
The early termination of his school days wassincerely regretted by Isaac Pitman . He was atonce initiated as a clerk in the counting-house ofMr . Edgell ’s cloth manufactory
,and after a short
experience there earnestly begged his father t oallow him t o return to school and resume hi slessons
,but the latter did not see his way to accede
to his son ’ s request . He advised Isaac to con
t inue his studies at home,and indeed provided
the means for doing so . Although the Office hourswere from Six in the morning to six at night
,the
young Clerk found time for systematic study . Heand his brother Jacob rose at four each morning
,
and devoted nearly two hours t o their books,
till they left home to begin the duties of the day,
and in the evening they gave one or two hoursto study . I t Occasionally happened that therewas no work to be done in the early morning at thefactory office
,and Isaac used such opportunities
for study in the Open air.
O
BOOKS AND MUSIC 9
Among the authors who had a great influencein the formation of his habits and character wasIsaac Watts whose work on The Improvementof the Mind was a favourite volume of his earlydays . The well-known lines of this writer wereespecially applicable to Isaac Pitman
In books, or works, or healthful play ,
Let my first years be past ,That I may give for ev ery day
Some good account at last .
There were two periods in the family historywhen Samuel Pitman arranged an evening schoolfor his ch ildren
,securing as instructor Miss New
,
a lady of good general culture and musical ability,
who was daughter of the only bookseller in Trowbridge . Instruction was imparted in Englishsubj ects and in music . Music lessons were givenfor a considerable time to the young Pitmanson an antiquated triangular harpsichord . Whensome proficiency had been acquired in fingering
,
their father bought a Broadwood pianoforte of
fiv e-and-a-half octaves,t o the keen delight of
his son I saac,who had from his early years a
great fondness for music books and music,as he
once observed,were his two loves .
” At alater period a pair of globes was obtained
,and
Isaac profited by this addition to the means of
instruction t o such an extent that in subsequentyears he was very successful in his school workin demonstrations by the
“use of the globes .
”
10 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
Some of the particulars of Isaac Pitman ’s workof self-education recorded above are drawn fromMr . Thomas Allen Reed ’s Biography .
” As thisis the only account of this important period
,we
here make further extracts (revised by the subj ectof this narrative) , which exhibit the young studentunconsciously laying the foundations of his li fework . One of the books
,
” Mr . Reed says,
which he made his companion in morning walksinto the country
,was Lennie ’s Grammar .
’ Theconjugations of verbs
,lists of irregular verbs
,
adverbs,prepositions
,and conjunctions
,and the
thirty-Six rules ofsyntax,he committed tomemory
,
so that he could repeat them seriatim . The studyof this book gave him a transparent English style .
There was also a local library to which his fathersubscribed
,one of the earliest lending libraries
established in the country and Isaac was one of
its most diligent readers . I went regularlyto the library for fresh supplies of books
,
” heobserved in the course of a Speech delivered atManchester in 1868
,and thus read most of the
English classics . I think I was quite as familiarwith Addi son
,and Sir Roger
,and Will Honey
comb,and all the club
,as I was with my own
brothers and sisters and when readingthe Spectator at that early age I wished thatI might be able to do something in letters .
” Theperusal of the Iliad at this time gave him greatdelight . In addition to the lending library
,occa
sional parcels ofbooks were obtained from London,
SELF-EDUCATION 1 1
Samuel Pitman having the advantage of buyingthem from the publishing house of Tegg
,73
Cheapside,at discount prices . Of this privilege
J acob Pitman says that his father availed himself to a large extent
,purchasing a number of
books which he had never seen before,and this
gave a great impetus to our studies .
”
“I saac was in the habit,
” Mr . Reed tells us,
from the age of twelve,of Copying choice pieces
of poetry and portions of Scripture into a littlebook which he kept in his pocket
,for the purpose
of committing them to memory . Two of theselittle pocket albums have been preserved . Theircontents are very various . One contains extractsfrom Pope
,Milton
,Cowper
,James Montgomery
,
the Psalms,and Isaiah
,interspersed with the
Greek alphabet,the Signs of the Zodiac
,arithmet
ical tables,and other items of useful information .
This book is dated 3 1 5t May,1825 . The pen
manship is extremely neat and di stinct . A laterpocket companion contains a neatly-written Copyof Valpy
’
s Greek Grammar,as far as the Syntax
,
which he committed to memory a chronological table
,etc . In his morning walks [in 1832]
he committed to memory the first fourteenchapters of Proverbs . He would not undertakea fresh chapteruntil he had repeated the precedingone without hesitation .
Up t o the age of S ixteen he greatly increasedhis knowledge of books ; but he rarely had theopportunity of intercourse with educated persons .
12 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
One result of this was that,while familiar enough
with written words and their meaning,he was at
fault with regard to their pronunciation . A largeportion of the language of books he had neverheard in conversation
,or at school
,and the mis
leading or ambiguous spellings of these wordso ften led him to pronounce them (mentally)inaccurately . Happily
,he was conscious of this
defect,and did his best to remedy it . Of many
hundred words,known by the eye only as dumb
symbols,he learned ‘ the accentuation by his
reading and passionate love of Paradise Lost .
’
With characteristic energy and thoroughness,he
set himself a task,which to most persons would
be little less than repulsive,and whi ch probably
few have undertaken . He carefully read throughWalker ’ s Dictionary
,with the double obj ect of
extending his knowledge of words,and of correct
ing his errors in orthoepy . The words which hethus discovered that he had mentally mispro
nouncedwere Copied out with their proper diacriticsymbols of pronunciation . They numbered abouttwo thousand
,and their correct pronunciation
had to be fixed in the memory by repetition . Thechief di fficulty in this task lay in the fact that afalse pronunciation or accentuation had to beunlearned . This reading of Walker was madeat about the age of seventeen . He read throughthe book a second time
,with the same obj ect .
[In 1832Soon after the first study of Walker
,With
A MOMENTOUS DECISION 13
that instinctive love of knowledge common to
boys,
” Isaac Pitman says,I began to study
shorthand . I saw that it would be a great advantage to write six times as fast as I had beenaccustomed to
,and I borrowed a book
,read it
through,
copied the alphabet and arbitrarywords
,
’ and have written shorthand ever since .
The story of his mastery and use of the stenographic art will be more conveniently narratedwhen we come t o describe the invention of
Phonography .
I saac Pitman continued to hold the position of
clerk in Mr . Edgell ’s factoryuntil his father,in the
year 1829 (when the subj ect of this biography wasabout sixteen years old) , began business as a clothmanufacturer on his own account
,and installed his
son in the counting-house . The family moved to ahouse in Silver Street
,Trowbridge
,having a cloth
factory adj oining it . Isaac fulfilled the duties ofclerk in hi s father ’ s office until August
,183 1
,
when he was a little more than eighteen and a halfyears old. At that time his father
,who
,as we
have already seen,was greatly interested in the
movement forproviding popular education,decided
that Isaac should become a school teacher underthe British School system . This selection of a profession for Isaac Pitman was the originatingcause of his life ’s work
,for it brought him in con
tact with those whose influence on his career wasnoth ing short of remarkable . In accordance withhis father ’s decision
,he was sent to the Borough
14 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
Road Training College of the British and ForeignSchool Society . Here heunderwent a five months’
training,and at the end of this time left the College
,
just after he had completed his nineteenth birthday
,to take up his first appointment . The
preparation was brief in point of time,but the
young graduate was apt,and his training invested
him for the rest of his li fe with all the best at tributes of the schoolmaster
,so that down to his
latest years there was about him much that wasdistinctive of the manner and methods of thepreceptor of youth . When Samuel Pitmanapplied personally to the Training College for theadmission of another son
,the Head Master
,Mr .
Henry Dunn,in granting hi s request
,said
,You
may send me as many more of your children as
you can spare .
” Accordingly,in later years
,
five other members of the Pitman family werereceived at the Training Co llege
,namely
,Jacob
and Joseph of the boys,and Rosella
,J ane
,and
Mary of the girls . All of these afterwards receivedappointments to schools in di fferent parts of
England .
As references to the various memb ers of thePitman family will occur in subsequent chaptersof this Life
,the present is a convenient opportunity
for introducing them to the reader .
Samuel Pitman (b . 12 Sept .
,1787
,d . 2 Dec .
,
married on 17 April,1808
,Maria Davis
(b . 1784,d . 2 July
,After the death of hi s
first wife he married in 1857 Eliza Darton,relative
STARTING IN LIFE AT BARTON-ON-HUMBER
1832-1835
THE year which witnessed the passing of theReform Bill
,saw Isaac Pitman enter on the
duties of his first appointment . Almost at theend of his career
,in a letter to Mr . Gladstone
,he
reminded the veteran statesman of a coincidencein their personal history We commenced ourpublic life
,
” he wrote,in the same year
,1832
,
youas Member for Newark and I as Master of theBritish School at Barton-on-Humber .
” Bartonis a small market town in North Lincolnshire
,
six miles south-west ofHull,and the young school
master arrived there on the 20th January . Manya man who has been the architect ofhis own fortuneis proud t o be able to boast that he began lifewith the proverbial half-crown in his pocket . Inthe case of Isaac Pitman the amount hi s pursecontained when he alighted from the coach to
take over his first charge was no more than threehalf-crowns . With praiseworthy exactitude hekept in a small pocket—book a complete record of
his income and expendi ture from the date whenhe began life at Barton . This account reveals theabove fact
,and from it we are able to see with
what scrupulous promptitude he discharged everyliability he incurred
,and out of his slender means
1 6
BARTON BRITISH SCHOOL 17
contributed to various useful obj ects . More thanone entry bears eloquent testimony to the need ofpostal reform . Whenever a letter from homearrived
,it cost its recipient the sum of I s . 1d.
The position to which Isaac Pitman wasappointed was that of Master of what was knownas Long ’s School
,from the fact that the funds
came from an educational bequest by an indi vidualof that name . AS the trustees at this time conducted the school in association with the Societywhich sent the Master to Barton
,it became also
known as the British School . The number of
boys was about 120 . The new Master beganhis duties at a salary of £70 a year, which wasafterwards raised to £80 . From the testimonyof some of his old scholars
,intelligent and trust
worthy men,it is evident that he created a very
favourable impression in Barton by his conductand ability . One cherished till his latest yearsa priz e volume awarded to him at the BritishSchool bearing an inscription in the Master ’ shandwriting
,and another h ad in his old age as
vivid a recollection of the instruction impartedto him by the Master as he had when in earlylife he attended the old school (many years sinceconverted into dwelling houses) . Shorthand wasnot taught in the school
,but by the aid of the
blackboard Isaac Pitman trained the scholarsin methods of correct pronunciation . The Lancastrian methods of education appear t o have hadthe charm of novelty in this remote town
,and the
2
18 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
circumstance lingered in the recollection of hisold schoolboys that the marching
,which formed
part of the system,was done to the accompani
ment of the Master ’s flute . Like many distin
guish ed men who could be named,Isaac Pitman
found great delight in early life in playing thisinstrument . In respect of discipline he is describedas having been in a mild way a martinet . Heseems
,however
,to have made little use of the
cane . Incorrigible boys were dealt with bydetention after school hours
,and the tasks then
imposed had to be carried out under the eye of
the Master .
Outside his school Isaac Pitman appears tohave been active in his efforts for the mentaland moral improvement of the inhabitants of
Barton . He gave popular lectures on astronomy,
and his addresses on this subj ect seem to havebeen highly appreciated . He took a lively interestin Temperance Reform
,di recting his attack on
the use of ardent spirits . A Temperance Societywas formed at Barton
,under the regulations of
the British and Foreign Temperance Society,
and he filled the post of secretary . Work wascommenced by the Circulation t o every householder of a tract written by Isaac Pitman
,dated
sth November,1834
,in which the evils of intem
perance were described in vigorous language .
The tract was headed Gin,Rum
,Brandy
,and
Whisky,
’ and the opening sentenceswere calculatedto arrest attention . Its author wrote Ardent
TEMPERANCE ADVOCACY 19
spirits,pure or mixed
,are pronounced by the
highest authorities in our land to be evil spirits .
This is not generally believed : faith is weakbecause knowledge is imperfect . Not till latelyhas the old-fashioned falsity been exploded
,that
a comfortable glass does one good .
’ Sir AstleyCooper says
,Spirits and po isons are synonymous
terms .
’ An appeal was especially made to
Christians to aid in the work . In those earlydays of temperance advocacy
,the tract caused
some stir at Barton,and the V iews set forth in it
met with Opposition . A Nonconformist minister,
residing in the neighbourhood,published some
strictures on it But it happened that thesewere circulated before the original had been sentout t o the public
,and consequently Isaac Pitman
utilized the blank leaf of his tract for the purposeof replying to his too eager opponent . Fromthat time his interest in the TemperanceReformation never abated .
He attended the services at the Methodi stplace of worship
,and on 19th April
,three months
after his arrival,he was admitted on trial into the
Wesleyan Methodist Society,Barton Circuit . After
nearly three years ’ membership,his name was
placed on the plan of circuit preachers for 1835-6.
This plan Isaac Pitman wrote out with Copperplate neatness on an extremelyminute scale, andit is interesting to notice among the names thatof one who was in frequent communication withhim in later years
,namely
,the Rev . Joseph
20 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
Hudson,who took orders in the Church of Eng
land,and was for many years Vicar of Dodworth
,
near Barnsley .
In the course of his ministrations at the villagesaround Barton
,Isaac Pitman
,in October
,1835
,
conducted the serv ices in the Methodist chapelat Ulceby
,and he there saw for the first time a
copy of Bagster’
s Comprehensive Bible,in the
house of his host,Mr . John Hay
,a substantial
farmer . Hitherto the young schoolmaster hadused for his private reading the well-knownoctavo Reference Bible
,issued by the Bible
Society,which had been presented to him by the
Committee of the Borough Road College . Acareful study of thi s volume had led to the discovery of certain errors in the references
,and as
he was desirous of ascertaining whether the Com
prehensive repeated any of these mistakes,he
borrowed the volume and took it home with aView to instituting a comparison . He found thatof thirty—eight errors
,which he had detected in
the Bible Society ’ s edi tion,fifteen appeared in the
Comprehensive .
” A letter was addressed to
the Bible Society giving a list of the thirty-eighterrors Though the communication was not
acknowledged,the Society in subsequent years
corrected the errors which had been pointed outin their Reference Bible .
On the same date he wrote to Mr . SamuelBagster, the founder of the well-known publishinghouse of Bagst er Son
,whose publications in
BIBLE CORRECTION 21
association with the Holy Scriptures,i t has been
well said,
“earned for him the esteem of allBiblical scholars .
” As this letter brought IsaacPitman in touch with one whose influence on hislife work was very considerable
,it will be of
interest t o relate the circumstances which led to
their early acquaintance . The communicationaddressed to Mr . Bagster was dated 15th October ,and called attention to the errors which thewriter had discovered in references in the Com
prehensive Bible .
” I have made it my custom,
”
I saac Pitman said,
for two or three years inmy morning and evening reading of Scripture
,
to refer to every parallel place in some measureappreciating the value of the plan . I f youwouldlike to place a Copy of your Bible under» my care
,
to be considered your property,I would make a
constant and careful use of it,and give youthe
benefit of the corrections and mistakes which Imight discover in reading it through .
The next coach from London brought a promptreply from Mr . Bagster, accompanied by a copyof his Comprehensive Bible
,
” and subsequentlya second Copy
,divided into seven portions
,each
to be returned when read,was forwarded at Isaac
Pitman ’s suggestion . Some idea of the magnitudeof the self-imposed task may be gathered fromthe fact that the marginal references in the workamount to a total of five hundred thousand . Theyoung schoolrnaster made a careful estimate of
the amount of reading and revision he could
22 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
accomplish daily,and came to the conclusion that
he could complete the undertaking in three yearsfrom the latter part of October
,1835 as a matter
of fact he reached the end well within that period,
for it was in August,1838
,that the work was
finished . Moreover,these were years in the life
of the reviser when hindrances were to manifestthemselves that he could not at this time anticipate
,
which,with any less steadfast worker
,would have
effectually brought all progress to a standstill .Benn Pitman states that at least five thousandhours of the closest mental and physical application were devoted to this revision
,and that it was
religiously pursued every day till completed .
Mr . Bagster, he also tells us, offered to pay anysum which Isaac Pitman might name for hisservices
,but the ardent searcher of the Scriptures
would take nothing . To a friend who suggestedthat he ought to accept payment he replied
,
“Ioffered to do the work freely and
,of course
,I
would not now accept anything for it it has beena great satisfaction and a benefit to me but now
,
when I want to give my whole attention t o myPhonetic Shorthand
,I am only too grateful that
it is completed .
These laborious investigations resulted in thediscovery of at least one error per page
,some
times more,in the references
,and when the Bible
was afterwards printed with all these emendationsduly made
,the grateful publisher presented to his
voluntary helper a superbly bound Copy of the
COMP REHEN S IVE B IBLE P RE SE NTED TO I SAAC P ITMANBY MR . SAMU E L BAG STER
A PRESENTATION 23
large edition of the Comprehensive Bible,
on
the cover of which was a silver plate bearing thisinscription '
“Presented to Mr . Isaac Pitmanas a token of esteem
,and in remembrance of the
friendly diligence with which he laboured to
secure the Typographical Accuracy of this editionof the Sacred Scriptures
,by Samuel Bagster,
March,
The Bible revision had resultedin a lasting friendship between publisher andreviser
,and had
,as will be seen later
,a very
important bearing on the invention andpropagation of Phonography .
At Chapel Brigg (Glamford Briggs) on 5thJ anuary
,1835
,Isaac Pitman was married to Mrs .
Mary Holgate,a lady of good birth and education
,
the widow of Mr . George Holgate,solicitor
,of
Barton . Her late husband had left her an incomefor li fe
,so that I saac Pitman and his wife were able
to establish a well-appointed home,such as would
have been impossible on the slender stipend of
his scholastic post .
EVENTFUL YEARS AT WOTTON-UNDER-EDGE
1836-1837
IN the ancient Gloucestershire town of Wottonunder-Edge
,lying at the foot of the Cotswold Hills
,
and situated in a di strict famous alike for itsscenery and its associations
,a number of the
inhabitants— in emulation,no doubt
,of what was
being done elsewhere— decided to provide facil itiesfor popular education . A Nonconformist Schoolcommittee was formed
,and at the invitation of
this body Isaac Pitman,in J anuary
,1836
,went
from Barton to take up the duties of Master atthe new British School established at Wotton .
The salary was the same,and the school was of
similar size . Personal reasons appear to havestrongly influenced him in making the change .
His elder brother,Jacob
,had married and settled
in a pleasant house with grounds,situated at
North Nibley,not far distant from Wotton
,and
here Jacob ’s wife,who had formerly been a
governess,conducted a ladi es’ school . Isaac was
glad of the opportunity of residing near hisbrother
,and within easy distance of the rest of
his family . His younger brothers,Benn and
Henry,lived with him at Wotton and attended
his school .I t was about this period that Samuel Pitman
24
KINGSTON HOUSE 25
removed his weaving business from Trowbridge
to the neighbouring town of Bradford—on-Avon
(where water power could be utiliz ed) , and forsome years occupied Kingston House . This famous structure
,which Aubrey described as the
best house for the quality of a gentleman in allWiltshire
,
” was built towards the end of thesixteenth century . The architect is unknown
,
but the design has been ascribed to John of Padua .
After it ceased to be the home of the Pitmanfamily
,it was used as a farm-house
,but passing
into the hands of Mr . Stephen Moul ton in 1848,
was admirably restored,and is now justly admired
as a fine example of the architectural taste of theperiod in which it was built .
The length of Isaac Pitman ’ s residence atWotton was three years and a half
,and in many
respects thi s was the most important epoch of
his life,for its whole course and aims were deter
mined by what then happened . In the presentchapter we propose to deal with the earlier portionof these eventful years only
,namely
,the period
of less than two years which preceded the inventionof Phonography .
Very little either in the nature of narrative oranecdote is now obtainable concerning IsaacPitman ’ s conduct of his second British School .In the turmoil which arose over the religiousdi fficulty referred to below
,his educational work
seems to have been all but forgotten . But thatit was very successful the following facts will
26 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
show . The School Committee engaged a longroom called “The Folly
,
” in Sim Lane ; for
about a year the school was conducted in thisroom
,when it was found necessary
,in consequence
of the increase in the number of scholars,to remove
to larger premises . These were found in thefirst floor of a disused factory in what was knownas The Steep
,
” at the bottom of Long Street,
a building which afterwards became a ChurchInstitute .
The change in Isaac Pitman ’s religious conviotions which led to the di fficulty
,came about
under the following circumstances . In his journeyfrom the North t o Gloucestershire
,he made the
acquaintance on the coach between Birminghamand Wotton
,of Mr . John Kingwell Bragg, of
Clifton,an uncle of a well-known Birm ingham
citiz en . Mr . Bragg says,in a published letter,
that his stage-coach companion led the way to aconversation on religious subj ects and authors
,
and I ventured at length to ask him,
” he goes on,
“i f he had ever read any of the writings of
Swedenborg .
” The young schoolmaster repliedthat he had read with delight a work by the Rev .
John Clowes (Rector of St . John ’s,Manchester) ,
in which some of the doctrines of the Swedishseer were explained
,but confessed that prejudice
had prevented him from studying the revelationsat first hand in the works of the author . Afortnight later Isaac Pitman paid a visit to Mr .
Bragg,when the works of Swedenborg were
28 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
of his li fe,Isaac Pitman says that the two seem
ingly casual events,the visit to Ulceby (which led
to the friendship with Samuel Bagster) , and thecoach ride from Barton (which resulted in thechange in his scholastic position) , under theguiding hand of the D ivine Providence shaped thecourse of my life .
” They were,as we shall see
,
amongst the causes of the invention of Phonography
,or Phonetic Shorthand
,of which he has
stated that his early study of Walker was thefirst step .
During these years of storm and stress,it is
characteristic of the man that he went on uninterruptedly with the revision of the Comprehensive Bible
,
” in accordance with the plan he hadformulated at Barton . His views on total abstinence deepened . About the year 1837 he knockedthe bung out of his beer barrel and poured itscontents down the sewer
,and for the rest of his
life discontinued the use of intoxicating liquor inany form . I t was at Wotton that he adopted avegetarian diet . An unsuccessful attempt to killa fowl for the cook led to humanitarian reflections
,
and a resolve to dispense with animal food . Therewas also the influence of example —two ladies whoresided at Ebworth Park
,near Wotton
,with whom
he was acquainted,were vegetarians . A literary
influence must not be overlooked,namely
,the
reading of Shelley ’s Queen Mab,
” and to sucha diligent Bible reader Genesis i
,29 was a com
mand . Following the adoption of a vegetarian diet
G . J. HOLYOAKE 29
came relief from dyspepsia,from which he suffered
severely at this period of intense application to thework to which he had set his hand .
At this time George J acob Holyoake ( 18 17then a young man following the occupation
of a whitesmith,won a prize for mathematics
,
which was presented to him at the BirminghamMechanics’ Institute in 1836 . The prize was thegift of a certain “Mr . Pitman
,
”but although
Mr . Holyoake believed this individual to be theInventor of Phonography
,there seems to be no
doubt that he was mistaken,and that I saac
Pitman never came into personal touch with theapostle of Co-operation .
INVENTION OF STENOGRAPH IC SOUND-HAND
1837- 1839
DURING the early part of 1837 Isaac Pitmanopened a private school at Wotton-under-Edge
,
and secured sui table premises for the purpose atthe top of Long Street
,the British School from
whi ch he had been dismissed being at the oppositeend of the same street . There was an openingfor a school of a higher grade than that which hehad just left
,and in a very short time he derived
a larger income from his new enterprise than thesalary he had previously received from the Commit tee . Shorthand was among the subj ects inwhich he decided to impart instruction in his newschool . He had made much use of the art sincehe acquired it . From the year 1833 he had writtenout all his correspondence in shorthand in a letterbook
,afterwards transcribing these letters in
longhand for despatch to the addressees . Lettersto the Press and other literary productions werealso first composed in shorthand
,and he was in
the habit of taking notes of sermons and speechesin which he was specially interested
,as he could
write at a fair though not a high speed . But hehad not hitherto attempted to teach the art inthe British Schools he had conducted . Now
,in
a position of greater freedom,and with a Superior
30
MASTERY OF SHORTHAND 3 1
class of scholars to that attracted to the elementaryschools
,instruction in shorthand was introduced
in his own school .The shorthand method which Isaac Pitman
mastered in the course of his youthful studies wasWilliam Harding
’s edition of the system of SamuelTaylor . An account of the circumstances underwhich he learned the art will appropriately prefacethe story of his earliest attempt in the domain of
shorthand authorship,in which he was destined
to become famous . In the year 1829 a copy of
the system mentioned above was lent him by his
cousin,Charles Laverton
,a young man of great
promise,who had acquired shorthand as an aid
to his study for the ministry . The cousin was ason of William Laverton
,who married a sist er of
Isaac Pitman ’s mother,and it is of interest to
mention,in passing
,that other sons of William
Laverton,and cousins of the subj ect of this bio
graphy,were Mr . Abraham Laverton
,some time
Member of Parliament for Westbury,Wiltshire
,
and Mr . Frederick Laverton,the founder of the
well-known Bristol house furnishing business .
Isaac Pitman and Charles Laverton were of asimilar studious bent they helped each other intheir studies
,and a close attachment existed
between them . This friendship was broken in atragic way by the accidental death of CharlesLaverton . He had left England for America
,
intending to study at Harvard University,but
when about to land he slipped from the plank
32 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
connecting the vessel with the wharf,and was
drowned .
The feature of Harding ’s publication whichstimulated Isaac Pitman to make himself proficientin the art was an essay by William Gawtress
,of
which he thought so highly in later years that hequoted it in his own Manual of Phonographyin many successive edi tions of that work .
Phonography,
” he long afterwards wrote,with
all the intellectual and social benefits that followin its train
,has resulted from the seemingly trifling
Circumstance that the author,at the age of seven
teen,learned Taylor ’s system of shorthand from
Harding’s edition,and that he was incited to the
study chiefly by the perusal of the eloquentenum eration of some of the advantages arisingfrom the practice of the art
,from the pen of
Mr . Gawtress,the publisher of an improved edition
of Byrom ’s system .
”
Taylor ’ s shorthand was taught by Isaac Pitmanto a class of the more advanced boys in his schoolbut he soon discovered that it was necessary
,i f
shorthand was to become a subj ect of instruction,
as he desired it to be throughout the schools of the
country,that a suitable treatise should be available
at a much lower price and in a more concise formthan the cheapest edi tion of Taylor then knownto him . He accordingly prepared a smallinstruction book on this system,
which he supposedcould be published at the low figure of three pence
,
and submitted the manuscript to his friend, Mr .
ISAAC P ITMAN ’
S HOUSE AT WOTTON-UNDE R-E DGE(The B i rthplace o/ P honography
A FRUITFUL SUGGESTION 33
Bagster, accompanied by a letter dated 24th April ,1837 . Mr . Bagster readi ly agreed to undertakethe publication of the work
,but before taking
any practical steps submitted the manuscript t o aprofessional reporter for his Opinion . This wascommunicated to Isaac Pitman
,and was to the
following effect
The system Mr. P itman has sent to youis already in the
market now if he will compile a new system ,I th ink you
will be more likely to succeed in your obj ect to popularizeshorthand there will be novelty about it .
The name of thi s sagacious and impartialadv iser
,who
,no doubt
,himself used one of the
old stenographic methods,has not been handed
down to us . He deserws the gratitude of theEngli sh—speaking world fOr making the suggestionwhich led Isaac Pitman to become a shorthandinventor . But i f we cannot pay him the honourwhich is his due
,we can at least give praise to
Samuel Bagster, not only for having elicited thisepochal proposal
,but for his friendly offices during
the next few years in advising the inexperiencedyoung schoolmaster onmany practical points whichcontributed to the success of the new system Ihad no intention of becoming a shorthand author
,
the Inventor of Phonography remarked at Manchester
,the ambition of appearing before the
public in that capacity never entered my mind,
until it was suggested to me as a means of
accomplishing my end .
”
The Opinion above quoted appears to have been3
34 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
communicated to Isaac Pitman in the month of
May . He at once took steps to carry the idea intoeffect
,and started on the enterprise with the
sanguine enthusiasm which was such a markedfeature of his mental temperament throughout hislong life . When the phonetic idea had takenlodgment in Isaac ’s brain
,
”observes his brother
Benn,we talked of noth ing else on our way to
and from school,and in our occasional morning
walks,and intense was the joy of my brother at
the completion of his long task (on the Compreh ensiv e Bible and the opportunity it affordedhim to give his time and thoughts
,as well as heart
,
to new ideas in the field of experiment andusefulness then opening up to him .
”
The summer months of 1837 were consequentlyexceedingly busy ones in the li fe of Isaac Pitman .
In addi tion to his school duties and the completionof the Bible revision
,he embarked on the work
of constructing a system of shorthand based on thesounds of the Engli sh language
,with the analysis
of wh ich his study of Walker ’s Principles of
Pronunciation ” had rendered him,as we have
seen,thoroughly familiar . All the spare time not
occupied in other duties appears to have beendevoted to the construction of shorthandalphabets
,and to experiments with them ; even
the Midsummer holiday of three weeks wasoccupied in the task . It is interesting to note thatIsaac Pitman was most deeply engrossed in ex
periment s with his system on that momentous day
fl r‘
a zw z ty f raa c P etr/ ra n ,f t enag r ap h eft
FACS IM I LE OF P LATE I IN STE NOGRAPH IC SOUND °HAND
Key to P late 2 on oppos ite page.
I nscription over the Diagram — Thualphabe t contains snx teen vowe l sounds,twenty
-fiveS ing le consonants
,and twenty
-four doub le ones ; to tal six ty-five le t ters , inc lud ing everyvowe l sound in the language ,
and every comb ination of consonants that W i l l comm ence a
sy l lab '
e,all drawn from this diagram .
Examples .— xa
,The p laines t prac t ical plen of put t ing ren to paper fo r th e produc t ion
o f peerless poems or profound and powerful prose fo r the Press or for pr i vate pursuntsev er pub lished. 3h , Tea, t in pay , pe t father, fat daw
,do t show
,shut coo
,( OUICI ; fine ,
duke , boy ; vow . 5a ,Fear thouth e Lord In th y youth hate and avo id ev i llove and pursue good and so walk in the paths o f l i fe . Anguish bb ,
bd, bf ; Ba,
db,
( Id,( If : 8d so
,s t
,sf
, sk ,sr
, sm ou, sb ,sd
,sf
,sg oc , rbl, pkr 9g, fl mm , prpr I oa ,
leas t , a| l ,m l : right , our, raw , case
,us , see ; among ,
owm g ; I I c,spra in,
s trong ,screw I I / , spl1nter ,
swung ; I z b, princ ip le , instruc t 1 2g , possnble , toas ter, whisper ; 1 3a ,maxim
,s t icks ; X3C,
queen,re jue st ; T3e, exis t , languish ; I 3g, lm , : 1 4a , be yond,
s tat is t ics,Open,
a l ter,al t i tude ;
m x d, tune ;‘
I 5a ,transac t
,W lSdOHI ( h lldhOOd
,wi thout
,forward
, pro fessnens contents ,
FACS IMI LE OF P LATE 2 I N STE NOGRAPH IC SOUND HANDK ey to P late 2 (continued) .
incomp le te ,m issionar ies 1 6a
,though ts , comes
,thoumayest 30 0 ,
second,th ird
,four thly ; 1 7a,
comm a,sem i co lon,
co lon, per iod,
adm irat ion,in errogat ion,
irony ,
parentheses , bracke ts , hyphen , quo tat ion marks ; r7i , no tW i th standing ,nev erthe less
,indis
pensab l e , incompreh enS ible ,sat i sfac tor i ly 1 8e
,as i t is said
,there are
,kingdom Of heav en
H i s Majes ty'
s m ini sters, prac t ice O f the Court .
Rules of Li/e — I . To read Often and to med i tate we l l on theWord of God.
2 . To be alway s content and res ignedunder th e dispensat ions of Prov idence .
3 . A lways to observ e a propri ety of behav iour , and to preserve th e conscience clear andvoid o f o ff ence .
4 . To obey that wh ich is ordained,to be faith ful in the discharge of th e dut ies Of our
em pl
gym ent
,and to do ev ery th ing in our power to make ourse lv es as univ ersal ly useful as
pOSS I le .
Always to rem ember The Lord w il l prov ide .
36 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
must be writing by sound,and that the same
principle must be followed in the construction of
the remaining portions of the system .
“I sawthe truth
,
” he exclaims,practised it
,and it
became delightful . In a few months I got clearof the shallow waters and breakers of our presentorthography
,and committed myself to the
boundless deep of phonographic writing .
The story of the invention of his alphabet forrepresenting the consonant sounds of the languagehas been several times told by Isaac Pitman . I twas related in detail in a paper entitled TheGenesis of Phonography
,which he read on 28th
September,1887
,at the first International Short
hand Congress held in London,when
,after
remarking that the system was on the anv il for
six months,he said
The shorthand alphabet gi ven in the firstedition of P honography contains the elements ofthe present matured system
,but in several Of its
details it was imperfect,because it proceeded from
a finite mind . These imperfections were dis
covered by experience and removed . As a skilfulanatomist can
,from three or four bones
,construct
the entire Skeleton of an animal,so from three or
four shorthand Signs or letters that have beenacknowledged from the commencement of shorthand writing as the best for certain letters
,we can
construct a natural shorthand alphabet . Thethree leading bones in the shorthand skeleton arel t, v n
,r,struck upwards . The form or
direction of stroke in t determines all the otherletters of the same class . They must be either
CONSONANT SIGNS 37
/ p, I t, chay, __k, or i) , t, / chay, k .
The first set was adopted in the first edi tion of
Phonography (but chay was curved instead of
straight) and the second and more practical set inthe second and subsequent editions . The positions of the four ri ght lines to represent theexplodent consonants determine the positions of
the curves to represent the continuant consonantsthat are made with the same organs . Thus
,
( labial, written in the same direction as the labial
p) , ith,
3 ( dental letters, written in thesame direction as the dental t) , J ish
, ( a palatalwritten in the di rection of the palatal chay) .
These light letters for light sounds determine theforms of the corresponding heavy sounds
,which
are represented by corresponding heavy letters,
namely6, Id, gay, v
, ( thee, ) z ee, Jz hee .
“N v is settled in this form by shorthand usage
,
and this determines the form of m,because the
two letters frequently follow each other asmu
,m nm . The nasal v rig i s related to n
,
and is written thus . The two liquids l and r areletters of frequent occurrence
,and require the
convenience of strokes that have both an upwardand downward movement
,that they may con
veniently unite with other consonants . Thisdouble direction is provided by giving r the Sparedownward curve r
,in addition to its hi storically
settled form r. L f is represented by a curvein the r direction
,written either up or down .
There remain but three other letters to consider,
namely,the two hybrids or vowel-consonant
letters w, y, and the aspirate k . W and y
receive forms from what may be called the wastematerial of the pl and pr series of double
38 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
consonants and the aspirate takes the two forms
7 o/ which are two unused S igns taken from the
st r series of treble consonants . Thus the shorthand alphabet is complete
,and there is a good
reason why every stroke should represent theletter to which it is assigned . The making of thephonographic alphabet is really another versionof Columbus
’ s egg . Anybody could make an eggstand on end by first giving it a tap on the table ;and a schoolboy could have made the phonographic alphabet ii he had noticed the three lettersI t, v ii
,r,running through the history of
shorthand,and had put all the other letters in
their places by the side of these three,paying
regard to the placing of the straight lines andcurves in the four possible di rections correspondingto the four seats of articulation in the mouth forthe production of consonants
,namely
,the lips
,
teeth,palate
,and throat ; and allowing the
guttural s and nasals both to take the horizontaldi rection .
”
The consonant portion of the alphabet of 1837differs
,as indicated above
,from the “more
practical ” allocation adopted after the systemhad been in actual use . Further
,the inventor
was content with the arrangement 6,cl, g, and
so forth,following the order of the Roman letters
,
but he promi sed an alphabet according to
nature if the first presentation of his system metwith acceptance . This anticipation was happilyfulfilled
,and in subsequent edi tions the consonants
were arranged in their natural order, p, 6 t
,d
ch,and so on. But the three distinctive merits
THE HOOKS 39
of Isaac Pitman ’s treatment of the consonantswere exhibited in his first work
,namely
, ( 1 ) anextension in the number of characters which
( following the analysis of Walker) gave a Sign foreach consonant sound (2) an economy of stenographic material
,by using light and heavy strokes
respectively for the paired sounds ; and, (3) theproduction of an alphabet of simple strokes forsingle consonants
,thus rendering possible a super
structure oi abbreviating devices for indicatingtwo or more consonants by a single inflection
,
which is a di stinguishing merit of the system .
In regard to the last named point,we have in
the first edi tion the introduction of the hook signswhich so greatly aid the writer
,by enabling him
to represent two characters by a hook attached t oa stem . The representation of the frequentrecurrence of l or r with other consonants was
,for
example,provided for in th is way . The large
initial hook standing for tw or due was,however
,
soon discarded,though it has survived in America .
In imitation of some older systems,Stenographic
Sound-Hand was provided with certain arbitrarycharacters bearing no resemblance to alphabeticalsigns
,but these happily disappeared from all
subsequent editions . In a crude fashion— following the lead of older systems— the consonantsigns were allocated to the representation of
common words,but a far better and a more
scientific method of representing words of
frequent occurrence was adopted later on in the
40 SIR"
ISAAC PITMAN
Grammalogues . There is a suggestion relative toa method of contracting frequently occurring wordsWith long outlines
,but the plan was not of practical
utility,and was not a feature of subsequent
editions . The method of phrasing,
” by whichthe signs for several words are written without '
lifting the pen - one of the most successful featuresof the Pitman system— is suggested in a directionon j oining li ttle words together .
” The advantages of halving or doubling the length ofcharacterswas not yet recognized by Isaac Pitman
,who
refers to the principle as obj ectionable .
” 1 Inthis and in many other di rections
,the practical
experience of subsequent years suggested usefulimprovements and additions to the P itmani c
system which were undreamt of by its inventor in1837 . In later years he was di sposed to characteriz e his first essay in shorthand authorship ascrude and imperfect
,and so by comparison with
later editions it undoubtedly is,but sufficient has
been said to show that Stenographic SoundHand contained the frui tful germs from whichthe perfected system sprang .
The new Shorthand system was introduced t othe world in the form of a booklet of crown16mo siz e (3k in . by 5 in ) , consisting of twelvepages of letter-press and two lithographed plates
,
enclosed in a drab cover of thin cardboard,on the
1 Before h e le ft Wot ton,h owever, Isaac Pitman had t ested th e
halving principle and decided to adopt it . H e wrote th e Bible inhi s syst em from th e reading of hi s broth er H enry , and in th isexperim ent employed th e half-length device .
TITLE AND COVE R OF STE NOGRAPH IC SOUND-HAN D
PUBLI SHE D i N 1837
42 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
school , who have learned the system . They arequite delighted to spend two or three days in thissort of half play . Since thi s first essay we havehad a lesson on the subj ect from a stationer .
Before its publication,the new system of short
hand had been extensively used by its inventor .In Isaac Pitman’ s letter book (previously kept inTaylor ’s system) he made the first entry in hi s ownphonographic method on the 7th September, 1837,all subsequent entries being recorded in it . Hiselder brother Jacob (who left London for SouthAustralia in the month in which StenographicSound-Hand was published) , took 100 copiesfrom Bagster
’
s with him to Adelai de,and made
himself proficient in the system . Joseph Pitmanwas presented with a Copy on l6th November
,
“with the author ’ s affectionate respects
,
” andsoon after became a skilful wri ter of the method .
Benn and Henry at Wotton had watched everystep of their elder brother ’ s inventive efforts
,and
had learned Sound-Hand while it was still inthe manuscript . Before the system was sufficiently developed to warrant its publication
,
”
writes Benn Pitman,my brother Isaac and I
prepared a set of cards,containing the alphabet
,
exercises,and reading practice
,from which I
taught a class of more than twenty boys in theschool . I was then only between fourteen andfifteen years of age
,but my brother manifested full
confidence in my acquaintance with the system,
for he sent me to Bristol,then a full day’s j ourney
IMPROVEMENTS 43
from Wo tton-under-Edge,to superintend the
correction of the plates that accompanied the firstedition of Isaac Pitman’s Phonetic Shorthand.
’
Not long after its appearance,Samuel Pitman
,
father of the inventor,who was then in his fiftieth
year,learned the system and
,after a few days ’
practice,wrote a letter in its characters . I saac ’ s
brothers and sisters all acquired the art .
The P itmanic system was introduced to theworld quietly and without advertisement . As faras can be discovered its author engaged in no
special efforts to make it known . He was,indeed
,
far more concerned in effecting improvements inhis work for the contemplated second edi tion . Inassociation with the statement of Benn Pitmanquoted above
,it is curious to note that Isaac
Pitman in its pages Speaks of his first work asth is card which
,he adds
,contains the
principles and is thrown out as a feeler.
”For a
little over eighteen months after the publication ofStenographic Sound-Hand ” he continued to
reside at Wotton,and through his own efforts
the first edi tion of his system was almostexhausted . As has been more than once pointedout
,the success of the method was without doubt
greatly promoted by the fact that it was issued bythe eminent Bible publisher
,whose name was a
guaranty that it was of a meritorious kind,and
not of a catchpenny nature . The actual salesof the first edi tion at Paternoster Row were
,
however,small .
SETTLEMENT IN BATH AND PUBLICATION OF
“PHONOGRAPHY
1839-1840
ON the 30th June,1839
,Isaac Pitman took up
his residence at No . 5 Nelson Place,Bath
,and in
this Western city he made his home for the restof his li fe . Several reasons appear to have influenced him in his settlement at Bath on leavingWotton-under—Edge . He was not insensible tothe beauties which Nature and Art have lavishlybestowed on the Queen of the West
,
”for not
long after he wrote Of the many beautifulcities in thi s fai r country
,Bath is unquestionably
the most beautiful,
” and he proceeded to describeits characteristic features in eloquent terms of
appreciation. He probably also regarded Bathas a suitable place for the establi shment of aprivate school . Yet another
,and without doubt
an important consideration,was the fact that
there had been founded in Bath ten years beforea society of receivers of the doctrines of Swedenborg
,which under the name of the New Church
has had a continuous existence down to the presentday . At this period the Church worshipped in aroom in Chandos Bui ldings
,and Isaac Pitman and
his wife were admitted into membersh ip soonafter they settled in the city . In thi s congregation,
44
NELSON PLACE,BATH 45
as the years passed,the Inventor of Phono
graphy made lifelong friends,some of whom
became his valued assistants in enterprises whichhave yet to be described in these pages . Mr .
James Keene,who was the New Church minister
(unpaid) at that time and for many succeedingyears
,was also the editor of the oldest newspaper
in the city,Keeue’s Bath journal, established in
1742,ofwhich the brothers John and James Keene
were the j oint proprietors .
In one of his early periodicals Isaac Pitmangave an illustrated account of his first Bathresidence at Nelson Place . He described it assituated in the western part of Bath
,and as
,
together with Norfolk Crescent and the riverAvon (which flowed by) , enclosing a triangularlawn bordered with trees . The View from hiswindows looking south over this lawn
,and taking
in verdant fields gradually rising to Combe Down,
is described in appreciative language and pro
nounced very fine .
”But since the time when
this description was penned,the verdant fields
have been largely obscured from View by thegrowth of suburban Bath . At Nelson Place heOpened a school for young gentlemen
,
” and one
of the privileges of the boarders,which he men
tions in the circular he issued,is that of walking
in the lawn in front of the house . The usualsubj ects were taught in his school
,with
,in
addition,the author’s system of writing by
soundf ’
46 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
During the summer of 1839 Isaac Pitmanvisited his friend and publisher
,Mr . Samuel
Bagst er, at the latter’ s beautiful residence at
Old Windsor . One evening during his staywith him they talked about the issue of a secondedition of the shorthand treatise
,the first having
been by this time nearly exhausted . We bothwished
,writes Isaac Pitman
,to give it a shorter
title than the lumbering one by which the firstedition was known Stenographic Sound-Hand .
’
I remarked that a compound of two Greek words,
4mm,sound or voice
,and ypactn, writing, com
bined as Phonography accurately described thenew method of writing
,but the word was not in
existence in Engli sh . So I thought at the time .
That must be the title,
’ said Mr . Bagster, it is anew name for a new thing . Having obtainedthis emphatic approval of his proposed new title ,Isaac Pitman on the 7th of September
,1839
,
issued a crown folio prospectus,which was printed
by the Messrs . Keene,announcing that the second
edi tion with the title Phonography,or Writing
by Sound,being also a New and Improved System
of Short Hand,
” was in preparation . There wasnot the novelty about the word Phonographywh ich Isaac Pitman and Mr . Bagster supposedwhen they discussed the matter at Old Windsor .
In 1701 a certain John Jones,M .D .
,published a
work entitled Practical Phonography,which
was designed to assist persons to read and Spellthe ordinary longhand . But in 1839 Isaac Pitman
DEVELOPMENTS 47
had very little,i f any
,acquaintance with the works
of any other author except Walker in the fieldof phonetic science
,though as regarded the
stenographic art he had a fairly representativecollection of the works of older and contemporaryauthors .
Some interesting glimpses of the developmentof his own system by Isaac Pitman are affordedin the prospectus before alluded to
,in which we
are permitted as it were,to see Phonography in
the making . In 1839,on the 3rd of J anuary
,
and again three months later,we find corre
spondents writing to Isaac Pitman in his own
system,which they had learned from S tenogra
phic Sound-Hand,” and bearing enthusiastic testi
mony to its excellence . To these communicationsthere is a foot-note by the author
,who says that
since the dates of his correspondents’ letters hissystem has been touched up and modified,
” andpractised extensively for the sake of trial almostevery day ( the entire Bible had, as already stated,been transcribed by Isaac Pitman in the charactersof Sound-Hand) . Then follows this significantpassage In the beginning of May about thirtydouble consonants sprung up as of their own
accord,from principles previously acknowledged
as in the system nothing was deranged by this,
but they fell into their places,like the keystone
of an arch,and completed the whole .
” We arefurther told that “the author of Phonography isno mere theorist
,but was a shorthand writer of
48 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
extensive practice before he published . Hepossessed
,he says
,over thi rty of the previously
published systems of shorthand : But they all
fail in the grand principle of giving a mark forevery sound
,and never using it for any other .
He makes announcement in the same prospectusof what
,outside his own school
,was probably the
first public class for the mastery of the system .
He notifies that he teaches a Phonographic,or
Shorthand Class,at the Mechanics’ Institute
,
No . 3 Bath Street,Bath
,every Wednesday
evening,and announces that after school hours
he attends ladies and gentlemen at their own
residences for instruction in his art,while for those
at a distance postal tuition is offered . It is alsoannounced that : The publication of Phonography is delayed for four months
,that it may be
still more fully proved,and receive every amend
ment it is capable of receiving before beingengraven in enduring steel .”
In Isaac Pitman ’s second prospectus the publicat ion of Phonography is announced as aCompanion to the Penny Post .
” It is difficultin the present day to realize the enthusiasm withwhich the great boon of penny postage was greetedwhen Rowland Hill ’ s ideas were fully carried out
,.
and it became possible to send a letter under halfan ounce in weight for one penny . In responseto a Government offer of a prize of £200 for asuggestion for the best method of collectingthe pence for prepaid letters
,Isaac Pitman in
50 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
surpassed his pen and ink efforts in this direction ,as will be seen . His original design for thisconspectus of his system was written with extremeneatness within a ruled Space 9 in . by 1 1 in . inhis letter book and journal
,and thi s design was
produced very early in the year 1839 . The heading is as follows Phonography
,or Writing by
Sound,being a New and Improved System of
Shorthand .
” The Space is divided into fourquarters . In the top left-hand quarter i s thetable of Vowels
,
” Long and “Short,
” andDouble Vowels
,
” in three parallel columns,and
underneath the table of Consonants in the
p, 6 t,cl ch
,order
,thus arranged for the first
time in connection with English shorthand . Inthe bottom left-hand quarter are the DoubleConsonants of the pl, pr, order, etc .
,each char
acter being designed as the logogram for representing several more or less common words . In thetop right-hand quarter is a Joining Table of
Consonants a table illustrative of the vowelplaces
,and the phonographic design which appears
at the top of the Penny Plate .
” The bottomright-hand quart er consists of two columns
,one
containing Psalm I,the Lord’ s Prayer
,and the
Lord’s Invitation,in small shorthand Characters
,
and the other Rules for Writing in very smalllonghand .
Although it is closely written,there is consider
ably less matter in this manuscri pt presentationof the second edition of his system than Isaac
THE PENNY PLATE 51
Pitman a few months later managed to pack into
a space of 615 in. by 8 in . on the Penny Plate .
”
This steel plate was engraved by S . J . Lander,of
High Street,Bristol
,and in order to secure
accuracy Isaac Pitman walked to and fro to
Bristol— a city distant eleven miles from Bath ,and as yet unconnected with it by railway— in
order to watch the engraver at work,a precaution
absolutely necessary in order to ensure accuracy .
Many of the Characters in this closely packed plateare so microscopical as to require a magnifyingglass to read them . The improvements in thesystem are
,however
,fairly obvious to the initiated .
The table of consonants is arranged in the orderindicated above
,which was for the future adopted
in the author ’s works,and initial hooks to the
consonant stems are systematically introduced torepresent the additions of l or r respectively . Thehalving of consonant strokes to indicate the addition of t or d is first introduced. The beautifuldiscovery of the sets of double vowels
, ye, ya,
yah we,ma
,wah
,
” also makes its first appearancein the system . It is stated on the PennyPlate that it was invented and drawn by IsaacPitman
,and it also bears the name of his
London publisher .
This production formed the Second Edition of
the system and was published on the day PennyPostage was introduced
,namely
,the 10th January
,
1840 . A Copy of the plate came into the handsof Mr . Reed
,then a thirteen years old schoolboy
52 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
at Bristol . I found it,he says
,too hard
a nut to crack . The system was presented in so
condensed a form,and with so few explanations
,
that I laid it aside as transcending my powers ofcomprehension .
” The maj ority of people,we
believe,concur in Mr . Reed’s . opinion
,and the
prospect of Phonography achieving its futuretriumphs would have been meagre indeed had thesystem only been presented to the public in whatits author termed a minutely engraved plate .
”
But the cheerful faith of Isaac Pitman ’ s publisherin the new system must be recorded here . Atthi s time Mr . Samuel Bagster expressed hisappreciation of Phonography in the followingverse
Art ists and scribes no more deligh t ,
Their arts imperfect found,
Daguerre now draws by rays of Ligh t ,And Pitman writes by Sound.
26 Dir/ of” Pi efue s 3 Aft i xe s . as
IGIOFCSI‘I Phonuraph '
y R 5“
or
fi/r a plura l -affix odd s .“SUbS CP I prionSXJtenements i " earldom s27 ComAcon are am t/m by a l igh tdot before t he nex t consfar ComplyConsider I h acpom hy .) heavy do t .
or accommodate accom pl i s h ed "
\r
26 for ingpura small do t aft er
th e last cous i n: start ingIr/ np /um /in S A? a large dot as wo kings2 . word reach e s" loo fa ir or
does nol jom we ll lake off th e pm ,
a: constituted jchargeab le30 Choose fl u ri m e / mar o/ wn /md
of brawly or Comprehensi ve _g
61 2. 3 . 4. o
"
. 6: 7. d’. 9
,
k l v
fura// number: m r / wrr
from!) if a// o/he / slop: e’
ar/rr
as mual. J’ee P5 0 /mAccm f. decent l
’
nOble“deny/Llar'ryL resem": preéemN30
/m"/ac
from useor507° ( A ?
35flew/a :fiat /At e ¢f flaunt / e A
FIN .
ed
of"
is
.
to
be
pu
a/ye
P/o/e
.
J
BEGINNING OF THE PROPAGANDA AND THE
PHONOGRAPHIC JOURNAL
1840- 1842
THE introduction of penny postage enabled IsaacPitman to conduct through the post an activepropaganda on behalf of the art he had invented .
He first sought to interest the schoolmasters of
Somerset and Gloucestershire by sending to eacha copy of the Penny Plate
,with the request
that they would either study it themselves or handit to any pupil who was likely to take an interestin the art . There was undoubted novelty in theissue of a system of shorthand which was entirelycomprised on a steel plate ofmoderate dimensions
,
and letters to the inventor which have been preserved show that in the early months of 1840 hisheart was cheered by appreciative communicationsfrom many quarters . Then the statement on theplate that any person may receive lessonsfrom the author by post gratuitously
,
” resultedin numerous inquiries .
1 And when postage stampswere introduced in connection with the pennypost early in May
,1840
,I saac Pitman issued
1 Th e earliest impressions bore th e words , Any person mayrece ive lessons from t h e Author by post at 1 3 . each t o be paidin advance ,
and enclosed in a paid let ter,” but in two or t hree
month s’
t ime th e plat e was alt ered by substi tut ing th e abovewords .
54 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
the following announcement The Authorwill also feel great pleasure in correcting gratuitously, any shorthand exercise or lesson that maybe forwarded to him . After the student haslearned the shorthand letters
,committed t o
memory the words which they represent,and
read through the exercises,he may write a portion
of Scripture,and forward it to the Author
,with a
postage stamp enclosed . The lesson will be re
turned corrected,with observations and references
to the rules for writing .
”
At the end of 1840 Isaac Pitman with timelysagacity published the Third Edi tion of hissystem
,in the form of a demy 8vo text-book
with printed rules and explanations,i llustrated
by phonographic characters engraved on wood .
Similar matter was also issued as a quarto sheetprinted on both sides . For the first time inEnglish stenographic treatises
,the rules for writing
the system were illustrated by shorthand characters printed in the letter-press
,instead of by
plates entirely apart from it,a singularly incon
v enient plan . A series of Exercises in phonographic reading was also published in two formseither bound up with the text-book or issuedseparately .
In the three weeks vacations of his school atChristmas and Midsummer respectively
,Isaac
Pitman travelled and lectured in connection withhis system . The first enterprise of this nature wasarranged for the Christmas holiday of 1840,
56 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
in the form of a letter which he addressed to two
Manchester newspapers . The editors declined to
insert it,and its author ’s comment on this conduct
reveals the thoroughgoing reforming spirit in whichhe had entered on the campaign . Anotherinstance
,
” he writes,is here added to the list
of persecutions which truth has had to endurefrom the prejudice and selfishness of men .
” Asthis is Isaac Pitman’ s first letter to the Press
concerning his system it is important,apart
from its biographical interest . We reproduce itbelow
To the Editor .
Sir,
— At the commencement of the presentyear four lectures were delivered by me in thetown of Manchester on Phonography
,a method
of writing all languages by means of signs thatexpress sounds
,two to the members of the
Mechanics’ Institute,Cooper Street
,and two to
the members of the Christian Institute in theTown Hall
,Grosvenor Square . They were well
received by the audiences,and the exposition
wh ich I gave of this new science called forthrepeated plaudits . At the close of the last lecturegiven in the Town Hall
,Grosvenor Square
,on the
evening of Tuesday,12th J anuary
,Mr . P . B .
Templeton,a shorthand writer and author
,and
formerly reporter for the Manchester Times,made
some remarks attempting to show the inutility andeven the impracticability of Phonography ! Buthe could not persuade the audience to think withhim . During his address on the demerits of
Phonography ( l ) he laid down five points withrespect to the science
A CHALLENGE 57
1 . That no more could be done by the phonographic alphabet in the expression of soundsthan by the common alphabet .
2 . That the system was applicable to no foreignlanguage .
3 . That admitting it to be applicable to foreignlanguages
,it was of no value in the absence
of a knowledge of such languages .
4 . That as a system of shorthand it was utterlyimpracticable .
5 . That,i f at all practicable
,it was less expedi
tious by two-thi rds than half-a-dozen systemsalready published .
Immediately after Mr . Templeton had broughtforward these false charges
,before I had made
any reply,he gave me a challenge to prove the
worth of Phonography publicly,proposing that
its merits should be discussed in any large room inManchester
,advertised in all the Manchester
papers,and that if he failed to establi sh each and
all of the five propositions,he was to bear the whole
expense of the room and the advert ising,and in
addition would either be bound to purchase one
thousand copies of my book,or to pay £20 to the
Manchester Royal Infirmary .
I answered that my time was much betteremployed than in running about the country on
so foolish an errand,that I was so constantly
engaged in my school here in Bath,that I could
not accept the challenge,and that if I were other
wise situated I wouldnot,as I should be performing
a much greater service to society by teachingPhonography than in trying to prove to Mr .
Templeton that it is a real science fit for theexpression of any language and is a system of
shorthand shorter than any other system extant .
58 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
I took down notes of the five charges ( in theimpracticable system of Phonography as they
came from his lips,and when he had done gave an
answer to them to the entire satisfaction of theaudience . My reply was this
1 . That it is true the common alphabet canexpress in a certain bungling way all the soundsthat Phonography can. But it is by the expedientof using two letters to express one simple soundwith respect to both vowels and consonants
,and
that in no less than ten instances— the names ofwhich two letters it must also be remembered havelittle or no connection with the sound they aremade to represent . Thus
,the two letters a uare
put together to signify the simple vowel soundawe . I t is also necessary to put over the vowelsthe marks of quantity
,a horizontal stroke to
signify the long sound and a curve to express theshort sound . In addition to this
,in the common
alphabet the vowels and consonants,whether single
or double,are all placed together in complete
confusion,whereas in Phonography every sound
is placed in its true position,the whole forming the
nature alphabet . Every simple sound is expressedby a simple mark
,and every double and treble
sound derived from it is expressed ' by a markderived from the simple mark by some slightchange of form .
2 . That Phonography was applicable to thewriting of all languages proof was given in thepublished Exercises in Phonography
,
’ whereinthe 100th Psalm was written in French , German ,Italian
,Chinese
,and Hebrew
,every sound being
expressed by the appropriate phonographic Signso perfectly that the professors of those languagesassured me there was no mistake whatever in the
60 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
After giving this answer to Mr . Templeton ’scharges
,and assuring him that I should accept h is
Challenge no further,he still Opposed my system
of writing,and that in so violent and outrageous
a manner that he was hissed down by the audience .
Among other indecent expressions by wh ich theauditors felt disgusted
,he said that Phonography
was an imposture and that I was foisting ’
it upon the public . The people knew too much tobe wi lling to bear this I had been in the townabove a week ; and had given four lectures, soldmany hundred copies of the work
,and di stributed
gratuitously several thousand publications,and
the system was sold in one form for a penny . Inteaching if anything it was evident to all that Iwas not humbugging them and putting money inmy pocket . Mr . Templeton endured their scornas long as he could
,his voice being frequently
drowned in hi sses and the unqualified expressionof their contempt for his remarks
,insomuch that
it was necessary for Mr . Grundy,Secretary to
the Christian Institute,and myself
,to interfere
in order that he might obtain a hearing . Hecould not possibly mistake the feeling of themeeting .
Indeed he felt the withering influence that wasaround him
,and spoke once t o this effect
‘If youwill not hear what I have to say I cannothelp it
,I am merely stating facts and they are for
your benefit .
’ However,he could not persuade
them that He,as an individual
,could not have
the slightest possible reason for bearing me anyill-will . ’ He said he bore me none
,but having
been for some time connected with the Press,in
the capacity of a shorthand writer,he thought he
was sufficiently qualified to pronounce a decided
AN AMUSING INCIDENT 61
opinion on the merits of the system which hadbeen propounded .
’
When he was leaving the room,the audience
insisted upon his recanting his expressions thatPhonography was an imposture and that it wasfoisted upon the public . After a great deal oftalk to no purpose
,wishing to avoid the recanta
tion as the audience was determined to have it,
he at last admitted that he had spoken withoutconsideration or without due consideration .
’
He also acknowledged that he had not readthrough the whole of my little book
,and that he
did not understand it . Still he had had theimpudence to lay down the above five positions .Knowing what kind of
‘ farewell he wouldreceive from the company
,he made up hi s mind
that on leaving he would order the people to dowhat he well knew they were determined to do
,
namely,to laugh at him . As he was leaving he
said,Now
,gentlemen
,laugh ! which they did
in good earnest,and then bought my books more
readi ly on account of the stir .
Now,Mr . Editor
, youwill ask, What is allthis to me or the Manchester public now the affairis over Nothing at all
,and so I thought at
the time,and never intended taking any notice
of it,feeling sure Mr . Templeton would not
,and
that he would have more prudence than to publishhis own Shame . Judge
,then
,sir
,how surprised
I was the other day on receiving an article cutfrom the Manchester Times of January 16th
,and
measuring above a foot in length,entitled Phono
graphic Lecturer ’s Extraordinary Challenge .
’ Inth is document ( furnished by Mr . Templeton
,I
suppose) I am described as having been completelyfoiled . The charges and the challenge are given
62 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
in a style of triumph,Phonography is pronounced
by this knight of the quill to be the veriest massof absurdity that ever was written by mortal onpaper .
’ And it is said that after hearing the awfulcharges brought against me
,I looked considerably
astonished,declined the challenge
,and after some
conversation of no interest,the matter ended .
’
This conversation of no interest consistedof a recantation whi ch Mr . Templeton was com
pelled to make , the loudly expressed reprobationof the public for his course of conduct
,and hi s
humiliating retreat . These things were,of course
,
of no interest to him,but he should in his state
ments respect the rights and feelings of others .
To me and to the audi ence they were of equalinterest with the false charges and the boastedchallenge . I thought the one was the balance ofthe other
,and intended to say nothing about the
matter .
Instead of looking considerably astonishedat Mr . Templeton’ s bravado
,I was mightily
amused at the Quixotic expedi tion in which he hadembarked
,and could not help smiling at it . Indeed
,
it was remarked to me after the affair was overthat whi le he was speaking I looked an answer tohis heated vapouring
,and that if I had not spoken
the audience would have been perfectly satisfiedthat all the hubbub was nothing more than a littleprofessional rivalry and j ealousy .
I call on you, Mr . Editor,to do justice
,not so
much to me and Phonography,as to truth and
honesty . A scandalous misrepresentation hasbeen put forth by the Press, and as an EnglishmanI claim the privilege of being heard in my own
defence .
But why did younot send thi s refutation to
64 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
( twice) , Edinburgh ( three times) , and Glasgow .
He returned to London by steamer,and from
thence proceeded to Bath by the Great WesternRailway
,which had been opened for traffic not
long before . Of this series of lectures Mr . Reedhas recorded some interesting impressions
,which
have a unique interest from the fact that no otheraccount of them exists .
At Edinburgh,
” Mr . Reed says,he could
only sell a few copies of the system . At Newcastlehe received greater encouragement . He had largeand attentive audiences
,and made many converts
,
one of them being the late Alderman T . P . Barkas,
who himself shortly afterwards became an activepropagandist of the new faith for as such it hadnow come to be regarded and a bond of brotherhood was established among its adherents . Thi swas largely due to Isaac Pitman ’s own indom itableenergy
,his enthusiastic
,yet quiet temperament
,
and his profound belief in the cause which hehad ini tiated . At that time his highest hope wasthe popularizing of shorthand . Hisshorthand scheme was propounded not as a mereprofessional instrument in the hands of the re
porter,or an occasional aid to the student
,but as
a method of saving a large proportion of the timeordinarily spent in writing . He boldly assertedthat hi s system was applicable to all
,or almost all
,
the purposes to which longhand is applied,and he
especially advocated its use for all kinds of
correspondence . Enforcing the maxim that ‘
to
PRESS NOTICES 65
save time is to prolong life,
’
he invited all his
countrymen to become phonographers,and waxed
eloquent on the benefits that would inevitablyflow therefrom .
”
One gratifying result of the Vi sit to Edinburghwas that the Brothers William and RobertChambers gave the new invention favourablemention in their popular serial work
,Information
for the People . In No . 62,in which various
methods of communicating ideas were discussed,
Phonography was mentioned with approval,as
it does away altogether with the tedious methodof spelling
,because it has distinct Signs for all the
sounds of the human voice .
” The art had nowbegun to attract the notice of the Press, and attention may here be called to an able review of thesystem from the pen ofMr . Ebenezer Austin ( 18181884) —afterwards a well-known Bristol shorthandwriter and j ournali st— which appeared in the
Bath and Cheltenham Gaz ette,on 27th July
,1841 .
The superior utility of a system with signs forall the distinct sounds of the human voice
,arranged
in their natural order,as compared with one
based on the common roundabout way of spelling
,
” was fully recogniz ed,and the greater eas e
and certainty with wh ich Phonography could beused was clearly pointed out . The reviewer endedwith a prediction which has been abundantlyfulfilled We are
,
” he wrote,sanguine enough
to anticipate the day when Phonography will to agreat extent supersede every mode of abbreviated
5
66 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
writing,and be the system of shorthand in general
use .
”
In the Christmas holidays of December,1841
,
and January,1842
,Isaac Pitman arranged another
lecturing tour,in the course of which he revisited
Manchester in December . At the office of Messrs .
Bradshaw Blacklock he made his first acquaintance with the art of lithography . George Bradshaw
,the head of the firm
,and a member of the
Society of Friends,was an engraver and litho
grapher,and had just before started on a small
scale the railway time table with which hi s namehas since been identified . Keen interest in improved means of producing his shorthand systemled Isaac Pitman to Mr . Bradshaw ’s office . Themethod of producing lithographic matter by meansof transfer paper was explained to him
,and he was
given a sheet . After an hour ’ s trial with thelithographic pen
,he wrote at his lodgings eight
pages of transfer,forming No . 1 of the P hono
graphic Journal, dated January 1842,and the
matter was printed by Messrs . Bradshaw andBlacklock .
The first number of the first shorthand periodicalever published in this country opened with amanifesto by its editor and lithographer settingforth the obj ects for which the new j ournal wasestablished . One article dealt with the reasonsfor giving the title only in the comm on style of
printing,and another article was given dealing
with the older systems of English shorthand . The
“PHONOGRAPHIC JOURNAL 67
last page was devoted to intelligence respectingthe progress of the art ( at this time incorrectlytermed a science ” ) which shows that , in spite
of the opposition already referred to,and the
hostility of the Manchester local press,the students
and practitioners of the art already numbered onethousand . No . 1 of the journal ran to a secondedition
,and from this issue we quote below a
transcription of portions of the first article,as
follows
Till within the last four years nothing newhas practically appeared in the art ofwriting . It ismost remarkable that that art wh ich is the mainspring of all civilization
,has remained stationary
from the very period of its introduction . This is,
however,in accordance with the general law of
order prevailing throughout the universe,that the
best things are of the slowest growth . We at thepresent day communi cate our ideas with no morerapidity than did the Romans
,the Greeks
,and the
Hebrews,except that we have more suitable
material s for writing . By leaving a space at theend of each word and the insertion of stops
,we
have an advantage over them in reading, but inwriting we have none .
The following must suffice to Show how conciseis the pronunciation of our beautiful Englishtongue and how prolix is its orthography . Throughcontains two letters
,a double consonant and a
single vowel,yet it requires seven letters to express
it,t-h-r-o-u-
g—h / Weight consists of two sounds
but needs six letters in the common spelling,
w-e-i-g-h-t / Here again neither of the letters
except the final t is heard in the word .
68 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
S tricken is composed of three letters,a treble
consonant,a single vowel and a double consonant
,
but it requires eight signs to represent it to theeye in the common way of writing
,s-t-r-i-c-k-e-u/
Once more,though is formed of the two sounds
thee and 5,but not less than six letters will express
the word in longhand— t-h-o-u-g—h .
We may here be met with the remark thatShorthand has been known in England 250 years
,
and that this is a great improvement in the art ofwriting . Wh y then has it not come into generalpractice No other answer can be given thanthi s Because it is impracticable according to anyof the systems that ever appeared previously to‘Phonography .
’ We shall often have the Oppor
tuni ty in our pages of showing the reason whyshorthand based upon a
,b,c,cannot become
universal,and that it may become universal when
founded upon the phonetic principle .
It is now only four years and a half since theprinciples of Phonography began to be developedto the mind of the editor of this Journal . In threemonths
,namely in Nov . 1837
,it was given to the
world in a small work entitled StenographicSound-Hand
,
’ made as perfect as other and whatappeared more important engagements wouldallow of. In Jan . 1840
,it was republished with
considerable improvements,suggested during two
years’ use of the science .
A new era has now dawnedupon the sciencethe establishment of this Journal— and we haveno doubt that the thousand phonographers thatare now in existence will be doubled during thepresent year . This will be attributed chiefly tothis publication .
The Journal will appear monthly,and we are
70 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
University,and a dozen attended other Classes .
Before he left Glasgow,the following unsolicited
testimonial was handed to him,signed by two
distinguished pro fessors of the University . Itwas published by its recipient in his journalfor February
,1842
,and was in the following
terms
GLASGOW COLLEGE ,
13th jan.,1842 .
We have examined with care and interest Mr. Pitman'
s
analysis of the sounds of language wh ich is made the basis ofh is system of Phonography ,
and we consider it not onlyingenious but also as founded throughout on correct ph iloso
ph ical principles . His system of Phonography we hav e not
had t im e to exam ine , but as it rests on so good a basis,we can
have no doubt of its possessing great merit .
JAME S THOMSON .
WI LLIAM RAMSAY .
Professor Thomson ’ s two sons were instructedin Phonography at their home . One of thesescholars
,William
,became the world famous
scientist,the late Lord Kelvin the other was the
late Professor James Thomson . Many years afterIsaac Pitman met his old pupil
,Lord Kelvin
,on a
Visit of the latter to Bath,when he expressed
himself as still interested in Phonography,though
he had not kept up his practice of the art .
There were no further lecturing and teachingtours undertaken by the Inventor of Phonographyin the school vacations . The success of the systemresulted in a large demand for instruction books
,
THE “POCKET ED ITION ”71
and these were produced in several styles and ingreatly improved form by Isaac Pitman during
1842 . In this year the popular Pocket Editionwas brought out
,and also the first text-book to
which the title of Manual of Phonography wasgiven . He had in addition to undertake singlehanded the literary wo rk and the then novel task
A Als[Oll’oGPJxl’F
P z z'
cez .
’
DES IGN ON THE COVER OF THE P OCKETEDITION OF PHONOGRAP HY ( 1 84 2 )
of transfer writing of the pages of his monthly
journal, issued in lithographed Shorthand, and theprovision of a large amount of propagandistliterature in the ordinary print . All these product ions were pri nted and bound in Bath
,under
the personal supervision of their author .
Mr . Joseph Pitman in the summer of 1841
entered the field as a travelling lecturer on and
72 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
teacher of his brother ’s system . In a tour in theWest of England
,the city of Worcester was
visited,where the Oldest existing English provincial
newspaper Berrow’
s Worcester journal ( founded in1709) in its issue of 3rd February, 1842, pronouncedthe new system to be undoubtedlyunique
,clever
,
and complete,
” though it was not convinced of thefeasibility of phonetic writing . In 1842 Mr . BennPitman came out as a phonographic lecturer .
Other instructors were at this time beginning toissue circulars
,and the regular teaching of the
system may be said to have definitely begun .
74 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
of active workers in all parts . Early in this year
( 1843) a youthful disciple, destined to become afamous exponent and writer of Phonography, paida visit to Nelson Place . Mr . Reed
,the Visitor in
question,was a boy of sixteen and living at Bristol
when he first saw Isaac Pitman . He was then,
Mr . Reed tells us,a young man
,tall
,slim
,active
,
springy in all his movements,
” and his cheerful,
ready explanation of the work to whi ch he wasdevoting all his time
,from five or Six in the mom
ing till nine or ten at night,made a lasting
impression on young Reed .
Had it been possible,it was no longer necessary
for the Inventor of Phonography to travel andlecture personally on his system
,although at
intervals he attended gatherings of a specialcharacter
,as will be described in due course . A
number of additional lecturers had entered thefield early this year
,while those already engaged
in such work were extremely active throughout1843 . In most of the towns they visited thesubj ect had the Charm of novelty
,and almost
invariably attracted large audiences,among whom
the fervent enthusiasm of the lecturers wassuccessful in enlisting a band of adherents whoafterwards practised and taught the art . Theearly workers in this field ( in addi tion to Josephand Benn Pitman) were George Withers , a nephewofMrs . Pitman T . A . Reed and F . E . Woodward
,
afterwards partners in the well-known Londonshorthand writing firm ; T . P . ( afterwards
THE FIRST SOCIETY 75
Alderman) Barkas, of Newcastle-on-Tyne ; WilliamHepworth Dixon
,afterwards famous as an author
and edi tor ( 1853-69) of the Athenwum T . Walker,
of the Commercial Bank of England,Manchester
W . G . Ward,who afterwards became Mayor of
Nottingham ; and later on James Clarke,after
wards editor and proprietor of the Christian
World ; H . S . Brooke, J . H . Mogford, G . R .
Haywood, C . Sully, J . Hornsby
,and F . Carson .
There were many others in all parts of GreatBri tain who within a few years from this datepublicly lectured on and taught the system
,and
among them were the two younger brothers of theInventor
,Henry and Frederick Pitman .
A suggestion was made by Mr . Reed in February,
1843,which resulted in the establishment of the
first society in connection with the phonographicart . He proposed to the Inventor that he shouldintroduce
,by letter
,some friends whose time is
not fully occupied,to other friends in different
places,thereby establishing a correspondence
between phonographers in di fferent parts of thekingdom . The same thing
,
” Isaac Pitmanobserved
,was proposed tous last year by another
correspondent,who very properly recomm ended
the journal as the repository of the addresses of
such as wished thus to exchange ideas .
” Heexpressed his full concurrence in Mr . Reed
’
s
prOposal, and observed that it would be well to
form a society entitled The Phonographic Corresponding Society ,
” with the names and addresses
76 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
of members published in the journal, thesociety
,
” he added,may be made very useful by
taking part of our own labours,which have really
become too heavy for any one person t o performwell . It is that of correcting the lessons of
learners through the post gratuitously .
” Inresponse to an invitation twenty-seven individualssent their names and addresses . These werepublished in the journal for March, and thusformed the first list ofmembers of the new society .
By the end of 1843 there was a total of 300
members,and from this time onward the society
vastly increased in numbers and in usefulness .
But even in the pursui t of the most usefulbranch of knowledge
,hum an nature seems to be
so constituted that occasional relaxation is absolutely necessary . A pause must be made now andthen in order to discover what progress has beenachieved
,and to gain encouragement for renewed
exertions . I t was for a purpose'
of this kind thatthe phonographic festivals appear to have beeninstituted . The first took place at Manchester on15th March
,1843
,and attracted 100 friends of
Phonography,who partook of tea and indulged in
speech-making . Mr . George Falkner,edi tor of
Bradshaw’
s journal, was unable to preside, butsent a letter in which he said
,I feel it a depriva
tion to be absent from this epoch in the history of
Phonography— this erection of the first milestonein the path which is to conduct to its universalrecognition .
”
78 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
the proceedings . The orators on the occasionincluded Mr . Barkas
,Mr . Joseph Pitman
,Mr . Benn
Pitman,Mr . Reed
,and Isaac Pitman . The
speeches were of a most enthusiastic description,
and appear to have carried conviction to the mindsof the audience . As the platform did not
desire to monopoliz e the whole time of the meeting,
the audience was invited to participate in theoratory
,with the resul t that a gentleman in the
body of the room then stood upon his seat andaddressed the assembly in a very humorous strai n .
He stated that he had come fifteen miles to attendthe festival ; that he had lately commenced thestudy of Phonography
,and was more pleased with
it than with anything else he had ever met with .
He urged its study upon the attention of theyoung
,and forewarned them of the bitter regrets
they would feel hereafter,i f they should now
neglect it .
” When the speeches were over,many
of the youthful part of the company remained toenj oy themselves with music and a festive dance .
”
The thi rd festival was held at Birmingham on
the 18th July,and to the enj oyable accompani
ments of tea and music,but without the dance as
a finale . Again speeches were made ful ly as enthusiast ic as those which had been delivered atthe previous festivals . The tea-party numbered170
,but how many attended the subsequent meet
ing is not recorded . Dr . Melson presided,and
the other orators included Mr . T . W . Hill,the
father of the eminent Post Office reformer, Mr.
SPEECH AT BIRMINGHAM 79
Joseph Pitman , Mr . Benn Pitman,and Isaac
Pitman . The speech of the last named containedsome interesting references to the ori gin of
Phonography .
I t originated,Isaac Pitman observed
,with
myself so far as this,that I knew nothing of an
attempt to write by sound having been made byany one else till three years after I had publishedthe first edition of Phonography
,under the title
of Stenographi c Sound-Hand .
’ I then met withthe work of Mr . George Edmonds
,of thi s town
,
aiming at the same obj ect . I have since seenseveral others and I may refer particularly to asystem of phonetic writing
,constructed by a
gentleman now present,T . W . Hill
,esq .
,honoured
and respected for his age and Virtues,and
particularly so,as being the father of our great
benefactor,Rowland Hill .
Youwill perhaps be led to inquire,How is it
that the authors that have published such systemshave all fai led in their attempt to gain writers
,
while Phonography,in the course of three years
,
has attracted the attention of many thousandpersons
,a Journal being printed in it
,to which
there are already a thousand subscribers,and the
number daily increasing I can account for itonly in this way . The framers of other systemsdid not possess a thorough acquaintance with allthe materials for swift writing they did not knowthe comparative value of every stroke and dot ;neither had they observed the analogy betweenthe four positions in which a fine may be placed
,
and the four seats of articulation,the lips
,teeth
,
palate,and throat they did not give single marks
for the double vowels ye, ya, yah, yau, yo, yoo
80 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
we,wa
,wah
,wau
,wo
,woo nor did they hit upon
the beauti ful expedient of halving the consonantsto signify the addition of t or d. There are someother minor points that might be noticed inconnection with this subj ect
,such as the hooking
on of l and r to all the letters,etc .
”
There were many other gatherings of a similarkind
,but an enumeration of them is unnecessary .
All who took part in these proceedings were verymuch in earnest
,and their enthusiasm no doubt
occasionally betrayed them into some extrava
gances of language . But what great movementever made satisfactory progress without themomentum which enthusiasm engendersThe enthusiasm for Phonography was partici
pated in by its London publisher . On reading inTimothe Bright ’ s dedication of his Characterie
to Queen Eliz abeth that Cicero contrived a shorthand and Seneca improved it
,Samuel Bagster at
this time sent the following verses to the Inventorof Phonography
TO MR . P ITMAN , OF BATH,
On his I nvention of the P honographic Art , and successful
Efiorts in spreading a knowledge of it .
Were Cicero’
s sweet voice now heard,
This art would gather every word,
Nor leave one thought unwritWere Seneca
’
s deep knowledge taugh t ,(A wisdom that a nat ion sough t ) ,
To gather it ,’
t is fit .
82 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
t im e when,like many other improvements, it was most needed ;
and when, in all probability ,it will be seizedupon with the
greatest av idity . I may say for myself that I am extremelyobliged, personally ,
to the Inventor, and to the gentleman
who has come among us and given us these lectures ; and
hope to be much more so , when I become acquaintedwith thesc ience . We are extremely indebted to them for the veryhandsome manner in wh ich they have come forward,
in
offering to teach , gratuitously ,all such as find it difficult to
pay and,unfortunately, there are too many such in these
days . I trust th ere will be no want of those who can pay ,
to remunerate them for this handsome offer wh ich th ey have
made towards th ose who cannot pay . I shall be glad if this
town,which ,
on many occasions, has stood foremost amongthe towns in Lancash ire on some other quest ions, should notbe beh ind in one so important as th is .
In later years Mr . Bright ’ s eldest daughter
( afterwards Mrs . Clark) learned Phonography andbecame her father ’ s amanuensis
,often writing
from hi s dictation .
The testimony of two well-known journaliststo the merits of Phonography demands recordhere . Mr John Harland
,a famous reporter
,and
afterwards one of the proprietors of theM anchester
Guardian— who wrote a system of his own— was somuch impressed with its practical merits
,that he
stated that Phonography contains within itselfthe power of becoming superior to all systemsof shorthand extant . Mr . John King
,proprietor
and editor of the Sufiolk Chronicle, in addi tionto hearty advocacy of the system
,started a
phonographic magazine .
In this year ( 1843) the first practical steps weretaken to realiz e an idea which had originally
PHONOTYPIC JOURNAL 83
occurred to Isaac Pitman in the preceding spring .
Why,he asked himself
,should not the phono
graphic alphabet,so successful for writing
,be
employed in printing the English language ? InAugust
,1842
,he mentioned in his journal a
proposal for a printing alphabet to consist of allthe separate phonograph ic signs for the simple and
compound forms of consonants and vowels in hissystem . As this would need a total of 1 15 distinctcharacters
,leaving upper case
,
”or capital
letters,out of sight altogether
,it was obviously
impracticable for use in the printing office,while
the di sjoined geometric characters when assembledin words would have presented a far from har
monious appearance . But out of thi s idea arosea practicable plan for adding additional signs forunrepresented Simple consonants and vowels tothe Roman alphabet . In 1843 Isaac Pitmanissued his periodical in two sections
,one the
P honographic journal, lithographed in Phonography by its Inventor
,and the other
,the
P honotypic journal, for the advocacy of Spelling Reform . The proposition was enunciatedthat As Phonography becomes the generalmedium of wri tten communication
,phonotyp ic
printing must follow . We shall,therefore
,
” hesaid
,advocate Phonography as a means for the
attainment of the great need— Phonotypic Printing .
” From this time he regarded his system of
shorthand chiefly as an introduction to SpellingReform ; and to the advocacy of a phonetic
84 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
notation he devoted the strenuous efforts of ali fetime and his own means without stint
,While he
had also the moral and pecuniary support of a largenumber of adherents in all parts of the country .
Of these the most di stingui shed was Mr . ( afterwards Dr . ) Alexander John Ellis ( 1814 thenresiding at Dorking
,who having had his attention
called t o Phonography by a notice in the Athenwumof the Birmingham festival
,wrote in the following
terms to I saac Pitman in a letter dated 6th August,
1843
Although I have for some years, and especially during thelast fifteen month s, bestowed considerable at tention on the
phonet ical analysis of languages , it has so happened that
I never heard of Phonography t ill two days ago . I have beendiligently reading the Manual and the last number of thejournal, and am deligh ted to find that our labours do not
clash . Youhave bestowed your principal at tent ion on the
phonographic I on the phonotypic division of the subject .
I t was my ch ief object to produce an alphabet which Shouldbe easy to print ; and I think that I have succeeded at last inform ing an alphabet of the eigh ty
-two primit ive sounds of
the principal European and Oriental languages such as couldbe set up by any country compositor at any country press .
On 12th September,Mr . Ellis again wrote to Isaac
Pitman making certain practical suggestions forincreasing the fund which had been Opened to
provide for the cost of the first phonotypicalphabet . After considerable discussion
,the new
forms for the first phonotypic letters were agreedupon
,and an order was given to Messrs . V . and J .
Figgins,typefounders
,who produced a fount of the
new letters before the close of 1843 .
86 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
shorthand instruction books . His typographicalattainments in connection with Phonotypy werethe necessary complement to his lithographictransfer writing abili ty in association wi th Phonography . But for his skill in these two classes ofwork
,the hi story of Phonography and Phonotypy
might have been widely different .
Isaac Pitman’ s first Annual Address to thePhonographi c
“
Corresponding Society ‘and to subscribers to the phonetic fount
,appeared in the
early days of J anuary,1844, and filled two
pages of phonotypic printing,the first put in type
from the new phonotypic fount ( in small capitalletters only) , provided in part by subscriptionsfrom supporters of the movement
,and in part paid
for by its originator . Many attempts,
” hereminded his supporters
,have been made to
reform the errors of our written language,but
hi therto without success . There wasno desire created in the public mind for aconsistent system of orthography now
,by your
benevolent exertions in spreading abroad thetruths of phonetic writing
,a desire has been
created for phonotypy,a desire that will increase
by that onwhich it feeds .
” The work of reformingEnglish orthography was
,in a word
,set about
under the inspiration of a noble desire to aid the
march of the human intellect .
The Reading and Writing Reform,now fully
inaugurated,was brought before the pubhc at
a time when several great movements which
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’
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’
N IUSLI , LI K AU SUN DI SPERS I H
M I STS AND VBPURz , OR LI E AB DON DI SPBLIM AU S EDz OF DARKNDS .
P E RHA’ P S AER I Z NUOIM MOR FReTWI A ERUR, AAN AU PRDZBNT MUD o v
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TI K RI TI H AND AI IvaLz AAT FLO ABRFBO’
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ov D IV I ’N SKI L, BUTAU RI ZU LTov sue A KONKURBNS
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FACS IM ILE OF F I RST P AGE P RINTE D IN P HONETIC SPE LL ING
88 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
floor, front room ,with its bow window , from which locality
the new phonetic gospel was first promulgated to Americans .
I availed myself of my notoriety with the Press to crowd on
the public the most enthusiast ic accounts of Mr. P itman’
s
great discovery ,and advert ised for pupils .
Mr . Andrews soon had a large band of Americanstudents and disciples . At the start he put himselfin communication with Isaac Pitman
,who
,he
observes,Backed me very nobly
,giving his books
freely or selling them at cost . He must haveinvested many thousand dollars beyond actualreturns in planting this American branch Of themovement . In 1844 Mr . Andrews produced atBoston the first American instruction bookpublished on the Pitmanic system .
In the following year Phonographybecame associated with the Free Trade movement .
There was an Anti-Corn Law Bazaar at CoventGarden Theatre
,London
,on 12th May
,when the
claims of Phonography were brought prominentlybefore the notice of those who attended by asupply of special literature at one of the stalls .
At the end of this year an Anti-Corn Law Demonstrat ion was held at Bath . Isaac Pitman attendeda public meeting in the Guildhall and reported thespeech of Richard Cobden for the Bath journal.There were in the printing Office Of this newspaper several compositors who had been instructedin Phonography by its Inventor
,and he determined
to try an experiment which was at that time
quite unique , and is described in the Bath
COBDEN’
S SPEECH 89
journal of 8th December, 1845, in the fo llowingterms
In connection with the report of the excellent addresses,
delivered at the great demonstrat ion on Thursday of the
opinions of a v ery large majority of the citizens of Bath ,
which will be found in our columns this week ,we would call
the at tent ion of our readers to a fact indicat iv e of Reform in
other mat ters as well as in the Corn Laws . By the kindnessofMr. Isaac Pitman of th is city ,
whose systems ofwrit ing and
printing by sound have made such astonishing progress in all
parts of the kingdom ,we are enabled to give a nearly v erbat im
report of the excellent speech of R . Cobden, E sq . ,wh ich our
compositors have set up from Mr. P itman’
s phonograph ic
notes , there being no necessity for their transcript ion. Withall other systems of shorthand writ ing,
not only was there
never known such a th ing as a reporter passing over to the
compositor his notes of a speech an hour and a quarter indelivery , but he is often unable to decipher them h imself.
All that was necessary in th is case,Mr. Pitman has assured
us, was to give the speech one reading the next morning , and
fill in a few vowels. We are conv inced that we shall in a few
years , by this invaluable system , save all that immense am ountof toil wh ich our present reporters have to undergo in
deciphering and transcribing their notes for the press .
1
For various reasons the anticipations of thewriter of the above notice have not been realized .
The first and most important cause why they havenot is that it is hardly ever possible for the Speech.
of any speaker,even when reported fully
,to be
presented to the public without receiving a certain
At th is t ime a portrait in o ils of Isaac P itman at the age of 32
was painted by Mr. 1 . B . (afterwards Colonel) Keene ( 1823son of the then Editor of the Bath journal, and one of the earliestwriters of Phonography . A steel engraving was produced of th isportrait , an impression from wh ich faces th is page .
90 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
amount of editing from the reporter . Butwith the present general knowledge of Phonography
,much newspaper and book copy might
be written in shorthand,and a great saving of time
and labour effected .
Phonography at this period attracted the attention of two poets
,J ames Montgomery and Bernard
Barton the former manifested his friendship forthe new art
,the latter his hostility to it . Both
expressed their thoughts in poetry,and brief
extracts from their respective utterances willindicate their views . J ames Montgomery
,when
the system was introduced t o his notice by Messrs .
Joseph Pitman and Reed,gave them a practical
dictation test,and satisfied himself as to the
efficiency of the new system . At one of theirmeetings held in the Cutlers’ Hall
,Sheffield
,on
28th February,1844, he recited from the chair a
poem which opened thus
Mind is inv isible , yet when we write ,
That world Of mystery comes forth to sigh t
In vocal speech , the idle air breathes sense ,
And empty sound becomes intelligence .
PHONETIC ART hath both these modes outdone,
By blending sounds and symbols into one .
Take one step more , and science may defineHow spirits discourse without a word or sign
And teach mankind their feelings to impart ,Unseen, unheard,
by pulses of the heart
While souls by sympathy the world embrace ,
And hold communion,free of t ime and place
Or, unembodied,
with survivors keepSweet intercourse ,
both when we wake or sleep ,
92 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
Thi s attack on Phonography provoked severalrejoinders . Isaac Pitman replied in prose
,and
there were four poetic answers,one of which was
composed by Mr Reed . Mr John Dallenger
headed his reply with an apt parody of
BartonPhonography her simple page
Impartially unfolding ,
Proh ibits neither saint nor sage
I ts beauties from beholding .
In the course of his reply he thus retorted on theQuaker poet
I wish Phonographers may soon subdueAll snarling crit ics , and the sat irist crew
When vulgar prejudice shall vote no more
A perfect system as a dreadful boreBut Poets hail, with joyous acclamat ion,
This truly splendid WRITING REFORMA‘
I‘
ION
And future ages shall, in truth ,be brough t
To estimate the system P ITMAN taugh tWrite in its praise ,
and of its beaut ies speak ,
In sterling English— not in Poet
’
s Greek ;For Poets cite the tongues, to show their lore ,
And know as much as parrots— lit tle more .
Several other literary men and many journaliststook an active interest in the new method of
writing,and in some instances learned Phono
graphy . Dr . Robert Chambers,who se first
acquaintance with the art is noticed in Chapter VInot only learned it but wrote an article on it inChambers
’
s journal Of 5th October,1844
,which
proved of great service to the movement . Some
S IR ROWLAND HILL ’S TESTIMONY 93
journalists were favourable and some distinctlyhostile
,and there were about this time challenges
and contests which provoked a great deal of
interest and possibly amusement . The extrava
gance of language of certain champions of
Phonography,who seemed to regard it as noth ing
short of a new dispensation,led the Rev . Edward
Bickersteth ( father of Dr . Bickersteth,sometime
Bishop of Exeter) , in his book entitled“The
Promised Glory of the Church,
”to class Phono
graphy with other things which he denounced asstal king horses behind which the most Sataniclies and the most absurdblasphemies are sent forthagainst the Word of God The rev . gentlemanreceived an assurance that nothing was furtherfrom the thoughts Of its Inventor
,at any rate
,
than to di shonour the D ivine Word,and Mr .
Bickersteth readily withdrew Phonography fromthe black list in the second edition of his book .
The Post Office Reformer,Mr . ( afterwards Sir)
Rowland Hill,whose father had two years before
shown his interest in the movement ( see Chap .
VII ) presided at a phonographic soirée held in theTown Hall
,Brighton
,on 28th February
,1845
,in
connection with the visit of Messrs . Joseph Pitmanand Reed . In lamenting the fact of our cumbroussystem of orthography
,Rowland Hill said
“I therefore attach very great importance toattempts such as these made by the Messrs .
Pitman to improve and reform our wri ting and
printing .
”
94 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
In association with phonographic correspon
dence,manuscript magaz ines written in shorthand
were started in 1840,when the first of the kind
,
called the Family Messenger,
”circulated among
the nine brothers and sisters of the Pitman familythen resident in England . Thi s production wasof very small size
,in order that it might go through
the post in a half ounce letter for a penny postage .
In 1844 the number of these magaz ines in circulation among phonographers was fai rly large
,and
they then received the distinctive name of
Evercirculators .
By the end of 1845 the PhonographicCorresponding Soci ety was receiving large accessions of members
,and Isaac Pitman deemed it
advisable that those who desired membershipin future should
,as a preliminary to enrolment
,
submit a specimen of their Phonography .
96 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
stay . Its originator saw in all these evidences ofappreciation of his work proof that it had become
a national movement,and he was justified in
that assumption . With the practical sagacitywhich was a striking feature of his character
,he
perceived that in order t o provide most successfullyfor what would
,in all probability
,be an ever
growing demand for the books and periodicalsconnected with the phonographic art
,and for the
purpose of carrying on his experiments in phonotypy
,it was essential that he should have a
printing establishment under his own direction .
Accordingly,in December
,1845
,the Inventor
of Phonography set up his first printing press athis residence
,and henceforward his many publica
tions in ordinary letterpress with woodcut shorthand illustrations
,and in phonotypy
,bore the im
print 5 Nelson Place . Writing in 1852 I saac Pitmanobserved that those who had seen some of themillions of books and papers printed at thataddress will learn with astonishment that ( from1845) the whole business of the Writing and Printing Reform
,so far as the production of Engli sh
books was concerned,was
,until March
,1848
,
carried on in two rooms— a long one on the groundfloor
,measuring 34 ft . by 12 ft . for the compositors
and bookbinders,and a small room underground
( adjoining the kitchen, and commonly termed thehousekeeper’ s room) just large enough to take aprinting press . During the winter of
1849-50,eighteen persons were engaged in these
THE LONDON DEPOT 97
two rooms,sixteen in the compositors ’ and binders ’
room,and two in the press room . When it is
considered that all the stock of books and paper,
as well as the men and tools had t o be crowdedinto this place
,it may be said that the Reform was
proj ected,and successfully carried on for seven
years— reckoning from January,1844
,when
phonetic printing first appeared in the journalin a bee-hive .
”
The narrative quoted above is the earliestaccount we have from the pen Of Isaac Pitmanconcerning hi s Institute and staff . From a laterstatement of his we learn that a third room in hishome was afterwards devoted to the business ofthe Reform .
Changes in regard to the London publi shingarrangements occurred almost simultaneouslywith the alterations in production at Bath .
Messrs . Bagster Sons found that the handlingof the phonographic publications interfered withtheir Bible publishing at No . 15 Paternoster Row .
They accordingly in 1845 Opened a shOp at No . 1
Queen ’s Head Passage,adj oining their establish
ment in the Row,and here the phonographic books
and periodicals were published . The name Of
Bagst er was for the future omitted from thephonographic books
,and the new place Of publica
tion was designated the Phonographic andPhonotypic Depot .
” In 1846 Mr . Benn Pitmantook charge of the Depot
,assisted by his
two younger brothers . In the following year7
98 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
Mr . Frederick Pitman,then but ninet een years
Old,superintended the business . About the t ime
that he came of age (October, Mr . FrederickPitman took NO . 20 Paternoster Row,
set up inbusiness on his own account as a publisher, andfrom this time to hi s death was the publisher ofhis . brother Isaac’s phonographic books andperiodicals . Some risk
,
” Mr . Reed says,was
expected to attend the experiment apart from theMessrs . Bagster, with whose house Phonographyhad been identified for nine years
,but the result
amply justified the change . Here,as at Queen’s
Head Passage,Mr . Fred . Pitman was assisted by
his father,Mr . Samuel Pitman
,who
,in his old age
,
had the satisfaction of witnessing the success ofhis sons
,and gi ving them the benefit of his co
operation . Those who visited the depot in thosedays will not forget the shrewd and sagacioussayings and doings Of Pitman pere
,who was
for some years a well-known character in theRow .
”
In 1845 a Phonetic Council,which had been
organiz ed some little time previously,was engaged
in deliberations on‘
various points in relation to thephonotypic alphabet . Isaac Pitman was thePresident of thi s body
,and of the twelve members
Mr . Ellis was incomparably the most distinguishedas a scholar
,a phonetician
,and an author . His
contributions to the journal during this periodwere among the ablest and most convincingarguments on behalf of phonetic spelling that
100 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
This decision was arrived at after experimentsextending over three years . A few slight improvements in the Pitman-Ellis alphabet were introduced within the next eighteen months by IsaacPitman and the Phonetic Council . During thisperiod Mr . Ellis was residing in Germany
,but by
the end Of 1847 he had returned to England,and
came to reside at NO . 4 Lansdown Crescent,Bath
,
with the design of taking a leading part in amovement for bringing the new Spelling before thenation in a fashion not hitherto attempted .
The initial step in th is change was announced ina notice which appeared in the P honotypic journalat the end of 1847 . Isaac Pitman informed thereaders of his retirement from the control Of the
journal he had created,and the contemplated
appearance in 1848 of a new series,with the title
of the P honetic journal, under the editorship of
Mr . Ellis . The announcement closed with theintimation that It gives Mr . Pitman muchpleasure to think that all these experiments havebeen commenced and brought to a satisfactorytermination while the journal was under hismanagement The phonotypy thus referred to
became known in subsequent years as the1847 alphabet .
”
In pursuance of this proj ect Mr . Ellis in November
,1847
,purchased the printing plant used in
the production of the journal, and took over thecomposing staff at Nelson Place . In March
,1848
,
he removed the printing establishment to larger
THE “PHONETIC JOURNAL ”101
premises at Albion Place,in the Upper Bristol
Road,Bath . Mr . Reed states that One of the
conditions of the purchase was that Isaac Pitmanwas to have the joint use of the Office and plant
,
paying 5 per cent on the cost of production forwear and tear He was also to edit the Intelli
Hgence department of the new series of the
journal .In the first number of the P honetic journal for
1848,Mr . Ellis described at length the origin of
the phonetic alphabet,and his narrative includes
a passage of considerable historical andbiographical interest
,as follows :
The alphabet was reduced to a satisfactory work ing state
in January ,1847 . SO many persons hav e taken part in bring
ing the alphabet to its present state of perfect ion that it is
impossible t o name any one as the sole inventor. To Mr. IsaacP itman, ofBath ,
unquest ionably belongs the merit of the idea,
and of the pract ical form in wh ich a Phonet ic system o f
spelling was so cleverly clothed even in the earliest edit ions o f
h is system of Phonography , the success of wh ich alone couldhav e pav ed the way for the introduct ion of Phonet ic P rint ing .
The first form of the Phonet ic P rint ing Alphabet , and the
determinat ion to use a variat ion Of the Roman alphabet , arealso ent irely h is but most of the let ters were inv ented,
and
the theory of their use laid down in conjunct ion with the
Editor Of th is Journal, who had occupied himselfw ith phonet icinvest igat ions and at tempts at form ing a univ ersal alphabe tfor sev eral years before he had heard ofMr. P itman
’
s labourson the same ground, and who has taken an act ive part in all
the experiments and invest igat ions made s ince August , 1843 ,
when accident first made h im acquainted with Phonography .
He eventually became the ch ief proposer Of further experi
ments , and starter of theories on wh ich to found them ,wh ile
Mr. P itman with unparalleled industry ,and perseverance ,
102 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
and pract ical tact , worked them out , and was mainly instru~
mental in bringing their merits to the test of experience .
The improvements in the theory on which the alphabet wasfirst formed,
and its extension to embrace Fore ign Sounds ,both in Phonet ic Print ing , and Phonet ic Short Hand, are also
ent irely the work of Mr. Ellis . During the last two years ofexperiments , much assistance in reducing the print ing alphabetto a practical working form has been derived from the laboursof the Members who compose the Societ ies, called the GeneralPhonet ic and Execut ive Council, and the Phonograph ic
Corresponding Society ,so that the English Phonetic Alphabet ,
bo th in its short hand and its printing forms, must , when
completed— andwe hope that we now lay it before our readers
in a complete form— like most great pract ical invent ions, be
rather regarded as the growth of t ime, than the sole work Of
one or two indiv iduals . And although it may ,with great
justice , be called the joint invent ion of Isaac P itman and
Alexander John Ellis, yet , as great inventions take their name
from those who first started and gave a pract ical form to the
idea,even though the complet ion of their invent ions may
hav e been wholly or part ially the work of others, future
generations must lookup to I saac P itman the inventor ofP honeticShort Hand
,as the Father of English P honetic Spelling.
The italics are Mr . Ellis ’s . He conducted the
journal for just a year , and then discontinued itunder circumstances which will be described inour next chapter .
Apart from phonotypy,Isaac Pitman was
engaged in several not inconsiderable enterprisesduring thi s period . His History of Shorthand
,
”
the most popular and comprehensive surveyof stenographi c invention in ancient and moderntimes
,first appeared serially in the journal
in 1847 Since that date it has been publishedseveral times in book form
,with considerable
THE PHONETIC NEws AND WHAT FOLLOWED
1849- 1850
THE appearance of the first number of the P honetic
N ews on the 6th J anuary,1849
,was the most
notable event in the history of the Spelling Reformmovement of the last century . For the first fivemonths of the year
,and for the greater part of that
time every Saturday morning,there was issued
under the title mentioned above a twelve-pagenewspaper very similar in size and style to theweekly newspapers of that period
,but produced
from phonetic printing type . Mr . Ellis conductedthe paper with conspicuous ability . He did not
make it the organ of either political party,but the
Parliamentary and other great reforms which wereat that time before the country were either adv ocated or favourably noticed . All kinds of news
,
home and foreign,was given in reformed spelling .
Every number had in a prominent place a statement in the ordinary orthography treating of thenecessity and advantages Of a reformed spelling
,
with an explanation of the 1847 phonetic alphabet,
in which the N ews was printed .
The P honetic N ews brought the Spelling Reformvery much under the notice of the country . Mr .
Reed has borne testimony that it drew publicattention to the anomalies of English spelling
,and
104
106 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
Isaac Pitman had been issuing for some years invarious cheap forms
,and in considerable variety .
The P honetic N ews was published at the weeklyprice of 45d. stamped
,each number bearing at
the bottom right-hand corner of its front page thepenny red stamp which was a familiar feature onour newspapers down to the introduction of
half-penny postage . The price was a prohibitiveone for a propagandi st journal
,but it would
appear from various statements in its pagesthat there must have been a large gratuitousdistribution .
A month after the P honetic N ews had begun toappear
,Isaac Pitman di scovered that the di s
continuance of the P honetic journal by Mr . Elli sat the end of 1848
,left the Society practically
without an organ . Though it was true that acertain amount of space was devoted to news of aphonographic and phonetic character in theP honetic N ews
,yet as Mr . Ellis published hi s
newspaper not as the organ of the workers in themovement but rather as a j ournal appealing tothe general public
,it was inevitable that such
matter could only be inserted to a limited extent .Isaac Pitman therefore again set up a printingpress at Nelson Place . In March
,1849
,he
resumed the publication of the P honotypicjournal,which henceforth appeared fortnightly instead Of
monthly,as was previously the case . In his
resuscitated journal publi shed at the beginningof May
,he announced the failure of Mr . Elli s
’
s
THE PHONETIC NEWS ”107
effort to populariz e phonotypy in the followingtermsThe altogether unexpected and regretful
intelligence has just been communicated to us byMr . Ellis that the P honetic N ews does not pay itsexpenses
,and that it will therefore give place to a
smaller publication . Deeply,
” he went on,
as we shall regret the di scontinuance of thephonetic broad sheet
,yet we cannot but acknow
ledge it is better that the N ews should be discontinned
,than that the proprietor should sustain a
heavy loss by it . Only as a business can the
Reform now succeed ; and in order to this,the
continued exertions of the members of the rapidlyincreasing Phonetic Soci ety are indispensable .
”
In this year the Phonographic CorrespondingSociety
,whi ch had taken such a considerable share
in the phonotypic branch of the movement,was
re-named the Phonetic Society . Under thi s newname
,as the years passed
,it gained in importance
and influence . In the announcement from whichwe have quoted
,Isaac Pitman proceeded to refer
to the services which his co-worker had renderedto the Reform . He was not a man who indulgedin idle compliment
,and therefore when he speaks
of the rare generosity Of Mr . Ellis in giving to
the Spelling Reform not alone his scholarlyadvocacy
,invaluable as that was
,but also no
inconsiderable portion of his means,we may feel
assured that he is speaking with his accustomedsincerity . The amount which Mr . Ellis lost over
108 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
his too sanguine enterprise— to quote Mr .
Reed ’s phrase —was between six and seventhousand pounds .
I t is a pleasure to be able to record,however
,
that there is no note of despondency or disappointment in Mr . Ellis ’ s valedictory address to thereaders Of the P honetic N ews
,although his health
had unfortunately suffered by his considerableliterary labours in connection with its production .
He acknowledges the generous way in which thoseinterested in reformed spelling had subscribedtowards the fund for type matrices
,and had in
various ways laboured for the common cause .
I t would be very wrong and very ungrateful inus
,he says
,to o verlook those who have so
nobly,disinterestedly
,and indefatigably worked
for us in the cause of Spelling Reform In thefirst rank of these he places Isaac Pitman
,and he
mentions with special appreciation the services ofthe first lecturer onphonetic spelling purely
,Isaac
Pitman ’s kinsman Mr . George Withers,and in a
similar capacity his brother Mr . Benn Pitman .
Finally he announces the publication of a successorto the P honetic N ews Of a less ambitious character
,
to be entitled the Spelling Reformer . Thisperiodical appeared on the 15th June in all eightnumbers were published
,the last being dated
Friday,18th J anuary
,1850 . In this issue Mr .
Ellis regrets that in obedi ence to the strict injunction Oi hi s physician he is obliged to intermit
the publication . He hopes that a few months’
1 10 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
Ellis issued new publications in the alphabet of hischoice
,until his phonetic type was destroyed in a
fire at the office of his London printers . Heviewed with strong disfavour the later developments of phonotypy at Bath
,and when Isaac
Pitman approached him in 1853 with an appeal forphonotypic unity by his acceptance of hi s latecolleague ’s developments
,he answered briefly
,I
have no inclination to propose any alteration inthe 1847 alphabet .
”To later overtures he made
practically the same answer .Early in the last year ( 1850) of Isaac Pitman
’ slabours at Nelson Place
,he printed and publi shed
the largest volume which had yet appeared inreformed spelling . This was The Holy Bible
,
containing the Old and New Testaments,according
t o the Authori z ed Version . Printed Phonetical ly,
in Paragraphs and Parallelisms .” The productionwas in the form of a handsome demy 8vo volumeOf nearly 750 pages
,with two columns of matter
on each page in mini on type . A vast amount ofwork was entailed in the revision Of the transliteration and in the correction of the pages for the press
,
but,as the Preface indicates
,thi s was with its
producer a labour of love . The actual cost of
printing and binding was no more than £200 . Theedition consisted of one thousand Copies .
1 12 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
The first of May,1851
,is memorable as the day
which witnessed the Opening of the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park . There have been manyexhibitions since that day
,but none have so
greatly aroused public interest as this pioneerenterprise . In his journal published on the dategiven above
,Isaac Pitman answered the question
,
Will the arts of Phonography and Phonotypy befound in the Exhibition ? ” with an emphaticaffirmative . Knowing that space was valuable
,
he had preferred a modest request for one squarefoot of counter space for a glass case
,and for
twelve square feet of hanging space for a chart .
What was asked for was readily granted ; indeed,on a second application
,twenty square feet of
hanging space was obtained . The exhibit tookthe form of a neat piece of cabinet work
,
consisting of a mahogany stand,with “four
tastefully turned and twisted pillars supportinga mping frame
,
” in wh ich,under a plate glass
cover were an open Phonetic Bible and an OpenShorthand New Testament . Other phoneticbooks and a Copy of the “Manual of Phonography
,
” were attached to the stand,and under
neath was a supply of free literature . The exhibitcost £10, and an appeal was made to all interestedin the Spelling and Writing Reform to contributet o a fund to provide a supply of free literature atthe stand while the Exhibition was Open
,at a
cost of £50 . The exhibit was awarded a bronzemedal .
EXETER HALL l 13
During the summer of 1851 people thronged toLondon from all parts of the country
,and the time
was therefore an especially appropriate one for
holding in the metropoli s a meeting of thoseinterested in the Reform . Accordingly on the6th August what was known as the LondonPhonetic Soirée was held in the Minor Hall OfExeter Hall . The chai r was taken by Mr . J amesSimpson
,Of Accrington (President of the Vegeta
rian Society) , and the other speakers includedMessrs . Isaac Pitman
,A . J . Ellis
,Benn Pitman
,
and T . A . Reed . In writing about the meetingIsaac Pitman observed : In that room met
,
for the first time,many friends who
,by means
of correspondence in phonetic shorthand,had
known each other intimately for many years,
in some cases for eight or ten years ! I t wasindeed a meeting for the ov erfiovving Of affection
,
rather than for exhibiting the bright sparklings Ofintellect ” But for all that the speeches weremarked by a vigorous advocacy of the obj ects ofthe Reform . It is significant that the Londondai ly papers devoted a liberal amount of space toreports of the meeting
,while the M orning
Chronicle gave a leader on it,the tone of which
may be gathered from the not very polite designation of the speeches as ex parte spouting .
” Mr .
Reed wrote a letter in reply,which demolished a
good many of the arguments of the leader writer .
I t was to Mr . Reed’s arrangements that the successof the soirée was largely due . He has left it on
8
1 14 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
record that some difficulty was e xperienced inObtaining one of the rooms of Exeter Hall for thepurpose Of the meeting . The movement waslookedupon with suspicion by some of the authorities
,
” and he says that he well remembers thetrouble he had in persuading them that theproposed reform was not of the revolutionarycharacter attributed to it , but simply a means Ofrendering reading and writing a pleasure ratherthan a toil .”
There had been establi shed at Preston in theprevious year
,as the outcome of a visit ofMessrs .
Benn and Henry Pitman,a Phonetic Sunday and
Week Evening School for teaching the unletteredto read by means of phonotypic instruction books
,
and its anniversary was commemorated on 22md
September,1851
,by a tea party . It was an
nounced that many who were totally unable toread and write on entering the school are now wellversed in these indispensable arts .
” Isaac Pitmanattended and gave an eloquent and practicaladdress
,and
,as at the Exeter Hall meeting
,a
resolution was passed acknowledging the laboursof Mr . Elli s and h imself in promoting the SpellingReform .
Early in 1852,Mr . John Cassell
,the founder of
the well-known publishing house,made an an
nouncement in his Popular Educator,
” which wasthen making its first appearance in weeklynumbers
,that the subj ect of Phonography would
be taken up in it in due course . Isaac Pitman ’s
1 16 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
which had been Offered to Mr . John Cassell seventeen years before . The permission was readi lygiven
,and since that time lessons in Pitman’ s
Shorthand have been a leading feature in theEducator and have given many thousands ofyoung people their first introduction to thephonographic art .During the years 1852 and 1853 the recon
struction of the phonetic printing alphabet was thesubj ect Of innumerable experiments and ofvigorouscorrespondence on the part Of advocates of ri val
prOposals . The British Phonetic Council,a body
of fifty phoneticians (of which Mr . Elli s wasPresident ; Isaac Pitman, Editor ; and Mr . C.
Gahagan, jun.
,Secretary) , was very actively
engaged at this period in giving decisions on
various points . The expenditure with the typefounder over these experiments was very considerable— a few large donations
,many subscriptions
,
and a large proportion of the revenue derived fromthe profits on the shorthand books
,appear to have
all gone in the promotion of the branch of theReform which did not pay expenses .
”
Most of the lecturers and travelling teacherswhose names have figured in the earli er pages ofthis biography had now retired from the field .
Their labours had been highly successful from thetime when Mr . Joseph Pitman took up the workrelinquished by the Inventor of Phonography in1842
,down to the retirement of Mr . Benn Pitman
from the lecturing field late in 1852, in order to
THE TRAVELLING LECTURERS 1 17
emigrate to the United States . At that time,
Mr . Benn Pitman says,I was the only remaining
lecturer and teacher who had for nearly ten yearsmade the dissemination of Phonography andPhonetics successful enough to yield a frugalliving .
” Before this time most of the otherlecturers whose names have been mentioned hadfound a more permanent source of livelihood thanthe precarious income which travelling lecturingafforded . The causes that at the outset at
tracted crowded gatherings had to a great extentceased to Operate . Speaking of the early lecturingwork Mr . Reed has Observed
,We had the great
advantage of having something of the nature of anovelty to bring before our hearers . We had notonly a new system Of shorthand to expound
,we
had a new system of spelling to advocate .
”But
with local teachers of short hand and championsof the Spelling Reform springing up in alldirections
,it became less and less possible to break
new ground,and accordingly the early lecturers
sought other callings in life . Mr . Joseph Pitmanentered a position of trust in the firm of Messrs .
Jonas Brook Bros .
,at Meltham
,which he held
for th irty years . Mr . Reed,after filling two or
three provincial appointments as a newspaperreporter
,came to London and founded the well
known firm Of professional shorthand writers nowentitled Messrs . T . A . Reed CO . Mr . HenryPitman combined newspaper reporting with professional shorthand writing and a considerable
1 18 S IR ISAAC PITMAN
amount of teaching work,eventually settling in
Manchester . Here Mr . William Hunt,who had
married Isaac ’s sister Jane,for some years also
engaged in teaching . Mr . Frederick Pitman,as
we have seen,became the London publisher of his
brother ’s books,and in addition developed a large
music publishing business . Mr . Withers becamefor a period private secretary to Sir JamesMatheson (who at one time represented Ashburtonin Parliament) , but later on he settled in Liverpoolas a shorthand teacher . Other lecturers andteachers readi ly found openings on the newspaperpress as reporters
,when the repeal of the Stamp
and Advertisement Duties made a cheap presspossible
,and there was a considerable demand for
reports of public proceedings such as could only befurnished by reporters who were expert shorthandwriters . At this time also phonographic reporterswere beginning to make their way into what hadh itherto been a close preserve Of the writers Of theolder systems— namely the Galleries and Com
m it tee Rooms of the Houses of Parliament . Wefind Isaac Pitman writing that he is acquaintedwith the names of three gentlemen engaged on theM orning P ost, with one on the M orning Chronicle,
and one on the M orning Advertiser,who use
Phonography in the House of Comm ons andwith one employed on The Times
,who reports
Committees of the House,etc .
”
The travelling lecturers had done their work welland thoroughly ; there was hardly an important
120 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
produced in a short time,and Often amid inter
ruptions . Moreover,he had not been trained to
the work— had never written anything merely forpractice
,but lithographed the first number of the
P honetic journal, in 1842,after an hour’s trial
with the lithographic pen,and never afterwards
wrote anything but for the purpose of its beingprinted .
”
From year to year the Phonetic Society showedconsiderable growths in membership
,its obj ects
being at thi s time defined as For the generalintroduction of Phonetic Spelling
,both in Writing
and Printing,in order to render the arts of Reading
and Writing accessible to the whole Population .
The only Official Of the Society since its establishment had been its Secretary
,Isaac Pitman
,who
continued,in fact
,its working head throughout .
But in 1854 he invited Mr . George Dawson to
become its President,and that gentleman took
Office . The membership was at this time aboutand a re-classificat ion of members being
proj ected it occurred to Isaac Pitman to Offer thePresidency of the Society to Mr . Elli s notwith
standing the differences Of opinion existingbetween them in reference to the 1847 alphabet .
The following correspondence took place,which
speaks for itself
I saac P itman to Mr . E llis .
I believe I speak the sentiments of every phonographer when I say that your acceptance of theOffice of President of the Phonetic Society would
THE PHONETIC SOCIETY 12 1
be hailed with delight by every one of the thousands of spelling reformers in this country and inAmerica . For the interest of the phoneticcause in America espec ially would I urge the pro
priety of your accepting the Office of president ofa Society which I have from its commencement
,
eleven years ago ,served in the capacity of
secretary . There,where party feeling on most
subj ects runs high,they suppose that youand I
are at variance as men because we have differentopinions on phonetics . It is in your power toremove this impression
,which is as hurtful to the
interests of morality as to the phonetic reform .
Mr. E llis to I saac P itman.
I have read over your ar ticle on the proposednew organization of the Phonetic Society
,and also
your letter to me asking me to be President . I tis quite impossible for me to accept the office ;indeed
,I am not even
‘
aware that it is vacant,
having recently seen the name of Mr . GeorgeDawson printed as that of the President of thePhonetic Society . You must excuse me fromentering upon my other reasons for declining toallow my name to be placed at the head of yourSociety
,to which in my own Opinion no other
name but your own could be prefixed,as it is
emphatically a Society of your own creation andupholding . I will only say that I do not declinefrom any party feeling on the subj ect of alphabets
,
any dislike to the soonest possible advent of somephonetic spelling
,any di sapproval of Phonography
in its present state,or any personal feeling against
yourself .
NO change was made in the Presidency of the
122 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
Phonetic Society,and Mr . Dawson continued to
fill that position .
In 1855 Isaac Pitman removed his privateresidence from Nelson Place to No . 2 LansdownTerrace
,Bath
,situated at a much higher level
than the home he had vacated,and on the steep
road ascending from the city to the famous heightsof Lansdown . He was also at the same timeobliged at considerable inconvenience to removethe Phonetic Institute from Albion Place . Thebuilding he occupied had been acquired for theWestern Dispensary
,and he had at short notice to
THE TH I RD PHONETIC INSTITUTE , PA RSONAGE LANE , BATHTh e entrance through dark passages andup narrow flights of stairs.
124 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
occupied as the third Phonetic Institute was indelightful contrast to i ts surroundings . From itsneatness and order it was a model office
,and here
for the next eighteen years Isaac Pitman did someof the best work of his life in the populari zation ofhis system Of shorthand
,and in the development
of phonotypic printing .
During 1855 there occurred what Isaac Pitmandesignated as the Websterian di scussion on theright of the Secretary of the Phonetic Society todisseminate his religious opinions .
” It had beena regular custom of the Inventor of Phonographyto furnish allwho desired phonographic or phoneticpublications with a modicum of New Churchliterature in addition
,and the journal was also
made the vehicle for a similar propaganda . Whenattention was directed to the matter by Mr .
William Webster,of Dundee
,a number of pro
minent phonographers and phoneticians belongingto different communions gave expression to
emphatic Opinions to the effect that they did notdesire the Reading and Writing Reform associatedwith the propagation of any particular religioustenets . Among those who expressed this viewwere two Cambridge undergraduates who later onassumed leading parts in the phonographic and
phonetic movement . One of these was Mr . C . H .
E . Wyche,who became a clergyman in the Church
of England,but met with an untimely death in
South Africa,being drowned while crossing a
river . The other was Mr . F . J . Candy (wrangler in
A COMPROMISE 125
1854) who took up a professorship Of Mathematicsat Bombay
,and was throughout his long li fe an
ardent phonographer and spelling reformer . IsaacPitman had strong views as to the duty incumbenton him to scatter the seeds of truth
,but finally
hit on a compromise to which no reasonableObj ection could be taken . Whi le not yielding hisfreedom of action as an individual
,he agreed that
in his Official capacity as Secretary of the PhoneticSociety he would no longer seek to propagate hi sparticular religious views .
THE TE NTH AND ELEVENTH ED ITIONS OF
PHONOGRAPHY
1857- 1862
BETWEEN the publication of the Second Edi tion ofPhonography
,in 1840, and the last issue of the
Ninth Edi tion in 1855,the art had become the
most widely and generally used system Of Englishshorthand ever invented . Apart from theliterature produced by Isaac Pitman and sent outfrom the Phonetic Institute
,there was a con
siderable output of periodical and other product ions lithographed in the characters Of thesystem and issued by various phonographers .
The P itmanic text-books,published in different
forms,had attained large sales . The Manual of
Phonography was in its one hundred and fortieththousand
,and the popular introductory text-book
— the precursor of the Phonographic Teacher— was in its two hundred and thirtieth thousand .
While the system had been untouched in its mainfeatures
,the period had been one of experiment
,
which had resul ted in simplifications and usefuladditions . For example
,the half length principle
had been reduced to order,and the double length
principle introduced and applied to curved con
sonants . The representation of the aspirate hadbeen improved
,and consonant forms
,which were
126
128 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
the changes were being introduced,but for a long
time after the appearance of the much criticiz edTenth Edi tion towards the end of 1857 . But henever allowed such considerations to hinder thedevelopment of Phonography .
The improvement proposed in the system wasthe following altered order of the vowel scale
OLD VOWEL SCALE . NEw VOWEL SCALE .
1 ah’
i l a’
to 2 eh ' - 2 e“
3 ee'
3 i’
Thi s change involved a corresponding alterationin the way and yay series, while the positions ofsome half-dozen grammalogues Were affected .
And the alteration,Of course
,revolutionized the
vowel notation and the Observance of position .
The Ninth Edition writer had to partly changehis habits of writing in order to adopt the TenthEdition . A considerable number Of phono
graphers in this country and the bulk of Americanphonographers of that generation never used thenew scale . But the improvements were twicesubmitted to the vote Of the Phonetic Society withfavourable results . In 1857 a total of 214 votedfor the new scale against 45 who were opposed toit and in 1858
,after a vigorous hostile campaign
,
the votes were For 191 against 58 neutral 38 .
These majori ties,consisting largely of teachers
who were specially interested in the future
PHO NETIC SOCI ETY CARD O F MEMBE RSH I P ,
130 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
sanctioned by common usage is also the mostphilosophical . How can i t then be expected thati f we now adopt the ah
,eh
,ee scale
,we shall ever
be called on to discard it ? The opposite scale,as
long as it is employed,may produce division among
phonographers,may increase the difficulties of the
learner in acquiring a notion Of,or a liking for
Phonography,but can never afford a permanent
basis for a system to be as widely employed amongmankind as Phonography aims at being .
” TheTenth Edition of Phonography
,in addi tion to
having the new vowel scale,introduced the large
hook for -shon,the small hook which had
previously done duty for this termination beingassigned t o f and v .
In spite of the support by a maj ority of thePhonetic Society of the new vowel scale
,the
opposition to it was both strenuous and vigorouslyexpressed . Mr . Reed was the protagonist of theOpposition in England . Mr . Elli s took no activepart in the controversy
,but (unlike Mr . Reed)
adhered t o the Ninth Edition throughout his life .
Isaac Pitman replied at length to Mr . Reed’sobj ections
,and pointed out with considerable
force that the new and natural vowel scale formeda complement to the natural arrangement of theconsonants
,which had been adopted in the Second
Edi tion Of Phonography . Many examples ofvocaliz ed words were used as illustrations during thediscussion
,and the form for ability V I was again
and again cited as an example Of the advantage
ISAAC P ITMAN1859 (age 46)
132 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
President,
to unite phonographers upon the oldand tried vowel scale .
”
In America the discussion on the new vowelscale created a great amount Of interest andexcitement in phonetic circles . Mr . Benn Pitmanaddressed his brother in vigorous terms on thesubj ect though
,as regarded the improvement itself
,
he expressed the Opini on that it would yield aslight advantage in point Of speed
,
” and he alsosomewhat grudgingly admitted that the proposed alteration of the vowel scale is a nearerapproach to a philosophic alphabet
,
”but for
perhaps five or seven years he would continue topublish his brother’s Ninth Edi tion without aparticle of alteration . As a matter of fact thewaiting policy was never departed from by theyounger brother of the Inventor of Phonography .
The Battle of the Styles ” continued inEngland for some years . Teachers who insistedon having Ninth Edition books
,were supplied
with them,but the stock was not inexhaustible
,
and in time only the current Tenth Edition wasprocurable . Those who obj ected t o the transitionfrom the Ninth t o the Tenth Edition did not
foresee that"
ere long other and almost as fundamental improvements would be introduced fortheir acceptance . There were still some changesto be made ere Phonography was brought to thestandard Of perfection designed by its Inventor .
In the summer of 1861 further proposals weresubmitted to the judgment of phonographers
,on
ELEVENTH EDITION 133
which Isaac Pitman and Mr . Cayley had been for
some time experimenting . After an interval for
discussion,the Eleventh Edition Of Phonography
was published in 1862,in which the improvements
introduced included alternative consonantal signsfor w
, y, and h the prefix in to the consonantalform of h and large initial hooks to curves for
indicating the addition of l— an effective andharmonious employment of hitherto unusedphonographic material .The reasons given for the introduction of large
hooks into the system did not,however
,commend
themselves to Mr . Reed’s judgment,and he
accordingly carried into effect the resolutionalready quoted . He declared himself a TenthEdi tion writer
,and as there were many teachers
and writers who shared his obj ection to the bighooks
,a further schism in the ranks of phono
graphic workers was created,which was not closed
for many years . We see no sufli cient reason,
Mr . Reed wrote,
for changing to the EleventhEdition
,with the prospect before us of having ere
long to change to the Twelfth and Th irteenth ,
and so on ad infinitum . Mr . Reed ’ s criticismled the Inventor of Phonography to discontinuethe designation of new issues of his text-books asEditions ” after the Twelfth . Isaac Pitman did
not favour attempts to perpetuate and propagateTenth Edi tion Phonography
,and intimated that
he considered it somewhat selfish on the partof teachers and writers not to recommend the
134 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
Eleventh Edition . The phrase was hardly anagreeable one
,and Mr . Reed naturally rejoined
that those who differed from the Inventor of
Phonography,while they believed his motives to
be thoroughly di sinterested,desired him to think
the same of theirs .
I t became apparent,however
,that the phono
graphic community was not altogether preparedfor the changes which the Eleventh Edi tion introduced
,but those who were favourable to the Tenth
Edition.
found it no easy matter to teach it .
Appeal s were made to Isaac Pitman to continueto supply at least one of the instruction books inthe Tenth Edition
,but these requests were not
acceded to . Yet in several quarters instructionin the Tenth Edition was persevered in
,and
teachers and professional writers found in theP honographic Reporter, a monthly magazine li thographed in the Reporting Style by Mr . Reed
,an
able champion of the Phonography of their choice .
The Eleventh Edition had the effect of bringinginto existence a body styled the PhonographicAlliance
,which was concerned in keeping the
standard of Phonography unchanged for a definiteperiod of time
,and free from spasmodic dis
turbances . Happily th is strenuous controversyover the two Editions had no effect on the cordialpersonal relations of English phonographers withthe Inventor of Phonography and with each other .
There was an Art Treasures Exh ibition at Manchester in the summer Of 1857
,and among the
AT MANCHESTER 135
various gatherings to which it gave rise was ameeting for the promotion of the Reading andWriting Reform
,attended by Isaac Pitman . This
was held in the same hall at the Mechanics’
Institute in which he had first spoken to a Manchester audience sixteen years before
,and his
address is noteworthy because at the opening hereverently ascribed to the di recting hand of
Providence the invention of the art of Phonography
,reminding his hearers of the most
certain words Of Shakspere
There ’s a divinity that shapes our ends,Rough-hew them how we will .
These lines,it will be remembered
,for many years
figured in the Introduction to the Manual ofPhonography
,readers being exhorted that this
truth should ever inspire men with energy andperseverance to do something
,however small
,to
recti fy error and replace evil by good .
”
At th is time Isaac Pitman sustained a domesticbereavement in the death Of his wife
,whi ch
occurred on the 19th August,1857
,after an illness
extending over three years .
THE READ ING,WRITING
,AND RECKONING
REFORM ”
1857 l862
To the Spelling Reform,or Phonotypy
,and the
Writing Reform,or Phonography
,Isaac Pitman
added a third— the Reckoning Reform— at thisperi od . When very near the close of his li fe
,he
was much gratified to find Herbert Spencer advocating a duodecimal method of reckoning similarto that which he had proposed so long before
,and
he then wrote I formulated a ReckoningReform on the basis of Twelve forty years ago
used i t for three or four years,advocated
it in my P honetic journal, kept my accounts init
,and paged the journal in it . The phonetic
alphabet was then on the anvil,and as I could not
do justice to both reforms,I let the Reckoning
Reform slide . A goodly portion of the brain of theEnglish nation has now taken it up, and I hopewe shall hear no more of changing our money
,
weights,and measures
,which are mostly on a
twelve basis but instead of the intolerable confusion Of altering the value and the name of everycoin
,weight
,and measure
,we shall simply change
our mode ofwriting them,and introduce a few new
1 36
138 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
Example What is the cost of 363 (three-six-ten, or three
gross ,six dozen
,and ten) yards of clo th at 25 . 4d. per yard
Answer : Eigh t Bancos, three Marks, eleven sh illings, and
four pence .
The Spelling Reform question at this timeassumed an important place among the movements which were attracting a large measure of
attention . Some influential public men hadbecome interested in the Reform
,and gave
it personal and pecuniary assistance . Fromthis period may be said to date the patronageand generous support of the Spelling Reformby Sir Walter Calverley Trevelyan ( 1797the sixth Baronet
,of Nettlecombe Court
,
Taunton,and Wallington
,Newcastle-on-Tyne
,and
Of his friendship with Isaac Pitman . The SpellingReform propaganda was from first to last a seriousfinancial drain on the resources of its originator .
The subscriptions of the members of the PhoneticSociety probably only defrayed the cost of freeliterature
,and the expenses of costly experiments
in the production Of phonetic type were met byspecial subscriptions and by the profits on thesales of the shorthand books . But these sources
PRIZE ESSAYS 139
of income were insufficient,and Isaac Pitman
found it necessary to procure loans from friendsof the Reform
,to whom interest at the rate of 5
per cent per annum was paid for the use Of themoney . The highest amount which the loansreached in the aggregate was Sir Walterafforded substantial aid in this way ; the lastof his loans was repaid by Isaac Pitman in 1877 .
Apart from his help in the shape of loans,Sir
Walter gave considerable sums to the movement .
In 1858 the hon . Baronet accepted the Presidencyof the Phonetic Society
,which he filled until the
time of his death .
In the year 1857 attention was specially calledto the Spelling Reform movement by a generousoffer on the part of Sir Walter C . Trevelyan
,of two
prizes of £ 100 and £40 respectively , for the twobest and approved essays on a reform in the spellingof the English language
,by the introduction of a
phonetic instead of the present unphoneticsystem .
” The essays were to include,
An
historical account Of the origin and growth Of thepresent imperfect system of spelling an analysisOf the system Of articulate sounds and an exposition of those occurri ng in our language ; with anotice Of the various modes in which it has beenattempted to express these sounds graphically
,
and a suggestion for doing so,in which care should
be taken that no letter should express more thanone sound
,that no sound should be expressed by
more than one letter,and that as few new types as
140 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
possible should be admitted . The competitionwas to be Open to Great Bri tain and Ireland
,
British North America,and the United States .
The adjudicators were Mr . A . J . Ellis,Dr . R . G .
Latham,Professor Max-Miiller
,Isaac Pitman
,
and Sir Walter C . Trevelyan . Eighteen essayswere received from various parts of England andAmerica
,but not one of them
,Mr . Reed states
,
was adjudicated as meriting a prize,all the condi
tions of the offer not having been fulfilled . Severalof the essays
,however
,were said to show much
talent,and Sir Walter Trevelyan
,as the Offerer
of the prizes,gave to the writer of one of the
essays (Professor S . S . Haldeman,Of Columbia
,
Pennsylvania,US A . ) the sum of £50, and a
further sum of £50 on the author undertakingto revise
,complete
,and publish the essay . The
Professor published his essay in a quarto volumeOf 148 pages . Sir Walter also gave £ 10 to thewriters Of four other essays
,namely
,the Rev .
F . G . Fleay,vice-president of Culham Training
College,Abingdon ; Mr . James Kerr
,M .A .
,the
Rev . R . Wells Whitford,and the Rev . Neil
Livingston .
In association with the competition describedabove Isaac Pitman received a letter from ProfessorMax-Muller ( 1823 which led to a life- longfriendship with the famous occupant of the Chairof Comparative Philology at Oxford University .
Professor Max-Miiller’s communication to IsaacPitman was as follows
142 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
Nations have before now changed their numerical figures
,their letters
,their chronology
,their
weights and measures ; and though Mr . Pitmanmay not live to see the results Of his perseveringand disinterested exertions
,it requires no prophetic
power to perceive that what at present is poohpoohed by the many will make its way in the end
,
unless met by arguments stronger than thosehitherto levelled at the P honetic N ews .
At th is period,in addition to the works in the
ordinary phonetic printing issued from thePhonetic Institute
,Isaac Pitman printed for the
British and Foreign Bible Society a number of
works in Mikmak ( a language spoken by a tribeof Indians in New Brunswick
,Nova Scotia) .
These included the Book of Genesis,the Book of
Psalms,St . Luke ’ s Gospel
,and the Acts Of the
THN Dmskwes poktumki r’
sk N ikskBm ki sidogupwssok Bk mskumigou.
2 Hk mskumigouweskedek Bk sigweek, Bk bo
gnnitpék ckup wolkognm igegu. Hk N ikSksm
mtgidjsk’midj
’l et li madjssilib
’nnui skitpsktui gn.
3 Elk N iksksm esp : Wosadetg ; t okur wosa
dagup.
4 Elk N iksksm nemidognp wosadék uikultultununu. flk Niksksm wedji tepki ss-degup wosadek bogunitpék ikturk .
5 Hk N iksksm teluriidugup wosadék nsgwek,Bk bo
gnnitpék telui i idi igup depkik . Tokur wels
guip Bk eskitpuig tup umskwesewé nsgwek .
FACS IMILE or GENES IS i. I -5, P R INTED IN MIKHAK.
AMERICAN PHONETICIANS 143
Apostles . The three other Gospels were printedby the missionary
,the Rev . S . T . Rand . The
plan of teaching Indians to read by the phoneticalphabet was a decided success .
A few words may be added here as to the
progress of the Spelling Reform in America . Mr .
Andrews,in addition to his phonographic books
,
published a phonotypic reader Some yearslater a more vigorous impulse was given to themovement in the United States by the phoneticbooks and periodicals published by Mr . EliasLongley
,of Cincinnati . In later years
,and down
to the present day,American phoneticians have
devoted considerable attention to Spelling Reform .
On 2 l st April,1861
,Isaac Pitman married his
second wife,Miss Isabella Masters
,of Bath
,and
the honeymoon was spent on the Continent .
A QUARTER OF A CE NTURY OF PHONOGRAPHYPRE SENTATION TO THE INVE NTOR
1862
IN 1862 P itmanic shorthand had been before theworld for twenty-fiv e years
,and at this point we
may with advantage review its position . Therewas one noticeable feature about Phonographywhich distinguished it from all other shorthandsystems that had preceded it . A large and variedphonographic periodical press had appeared inGreat Britain devoted to the art Australia hadalso its periodicals ; and there were , of course
,
many published in the United States . Such anumber of j ournals could only flourish if the artwere very extensively cultivated
,and the informa
tion given in this chapter demonstrates that th iswas unquestionably the case . Mr . Reed is Of
Opinion that at this time the great majority Of
newspaper reporters throughout the country employed Phonography in their daily avocations .
”
A proportion Of the Older hands,who had learnt
shorthand before Phonography was invented,
were non-phonographers,but the new method
had done such good work that it could no longerbe denounced as impracticable .
When the Inventor of Phonography visitedManchester in 1841 , his system was criticiz ed in
144
146 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
commercial and legal Offices, and Mr . Reed recordsthat about this time advertisements began toappear in the newspapers for assistants who couldrender this kind of service .
” A new employment,
that Of shorthand clerk,was created by Phono
graphy,and Isaac Pitman did much to promote
it through his journal. Even in the most con
servat iv e sphere of professional shorthand writing,
that of note-taking in the London law courts,
where son succeeded father,and the same short
hand had been practised for generations,fresh
practitioners writing the new system found theirway
,and the excellent work they did led to the
softening of Old prejudi ces against Phonography .
In America there was no daily newspaper whichdid not employ phonographic reporters
,and the
system had been subj ected to a severe test inscientific reporting by Dr . Stone
,who took notes
of lectures by Agassiz,the distinguished professor
of natural history at Harvard,on comparative
embryology,with an exactitude which was most
remarkable .
In th e early part of 1859 a movement was seton foot in London for recognizing by a substantialtoken Of appreciation Isaac Pitman’ s unweariedand disinterested labours for close upon a quarterof a century in the promotion of the Reading andWriting Reform . Although the output of phonographic and phonotypic books was very great, thephonotypic branch Of the movement was a heavy
drain on the resources Of its originator and
PROPOSED TESTIMONIAL 147
principal promoter,and he had found it necessary
,
as we have seen,to borrow considerably to carry
on the work . I t was thought that a pecuniarygift would be acceptable
,and accordingly a com
mit tee was formed,the Rev . C . H . E . Wyche being
appointed chairman . Assurances of support werereceived from different parts of the country
,and it
was decided to consult the proposed recipient .
Mr . Wyche therefore wrote the following letter
1 1 YORK PLACE ,KENN INGTON , LONDON , S .
,
12 Aug. ,1859 .
DEAR S IR,
I have been requested to communicate with youon a
subj ect more agreeable than the lit tle mat ters Of businesswhich usually call for a let ter to you.
I t seems that Phonographers in various parts of the countryhave come to the conclusion that the present is a fit t ime for
test ifying their appreciation of the beaut iful Art forwhich theyare indebted to you, as well as the est imat ion in wh ich theyhold your personal character and your unwearied labours inthe Phonet ic cause . They desire accordingly to begin raisinga subscription for a Testimonial, and they wish to knowwhether youwould accept such a recognition, prov ided, of
course , it were offered in a form of wh ich youcould approv e .
I f I remember righ tly ,Phonographers of America did, some
years ago , subscri be for such a purpose , but yourefused to lettheir Test imonial take the form Of a personal gift , and
requested them to retain the money so raised as the nucleusof a Phonet ic fund for the promotion Of the Reform in the
United S tates .
I t occurred to my mind at that t ime that it would hav ebeen bet ter had youaccepted the Offering ,
and devoted it
yourself to th is good purpose . I canno t help thinking thatsomething Of the kind migh t v ery properly be done now .
I t would be a proof that Phonographers , although divided on
148 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
some points , yet agree in the h igh value which they set upontheir Art , and in grateful feelings towards its Inventor and
it,would be a pract ical proof to the American phoneticians
that many of the statements put forth in that country withrespect to yourself are without any real foundat ion.
I t has been suggested that a Commit tee of London Phonographers should be formed to carry out th is good intent ion,
and I have been asked to act as its Chairman,but before
proceeding in the mat ter I wish to know your Opinion of it ,
whether such a Test imonial would be accepted by you and,
if so,as a secondary mat ter, in what form it would be most
acceptable .
I remain,very truly yours ,
CYRIL H . E . WYCHE .
To Mr. Isaac Pitman, Bath .
Isaac Pitman ’s reply to this communicationshowed a grateful appreciation of the kindlyproposal Of his friends
,and he described the letter
as one of those rarely occurring events in lifein which we recognize the Angel of the DivineProvidence as soon as he is at our side . Hemade it clear
,however
,that he should devote the
proposed testimonial to the cause to which hehad devoted his life . He proposed that the fundshould be used for building a Phonetic Institutea home suitable for the work in association withPhonography and Phonotypy
,and in which the
printing establishment of the Reform could behoused . He considered that a suitable buildingcould be erected for I am not ableto build it myself
,
” he said,because to say
nothing of twenty-two years of personal labour,
I have given more than twice this sum to the
150 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
met together to do him honour . He chose,
however,a different method
,and had improved
his system and made it known as widely as possibleby publishing it at a price barely remunerative .
Their testimonial was presented to him as Inventorof Phonography
,but they did not forget hi s
labours,in association with Mr . Ellis
,in the
invention of a system of phonetic spelling .
Resolutions in favour of the Writing andPrinting Reform were unanimously passed .
The reception given to I saac Pitman,when he
rose to acknowledge the presentation,was most
enthusiastic,and evoked from him a sincere
expression of gratitude . His admirers were,how
ever,hardly prepared for the remarkable di s
claimer to which he saw fit to give expression,that
he invented nothing and discovered nothing,
”
that during a thoughtful walk in the neighbourhood oi Paddington
,he had come to the conclusion
that Phonography was a usufruct a fruitof use — and so forth . While it was
,of course
,
true that phonetic notation was no new thing,
and that the art of shorthand had been in voguemore or less since the days of Cicero
,it was equally
true that Isaac Pitman invented the system of
Phonography with which his name is associated .
The disclaimer was,indeed
,not consistent with
his assertion— and very just assertion— from timeto time of the usual author ’ s rights in the phonographic treatises he had written . Th is selfabnegation
,though not an unusual trait of Isaac
FINANCING PHONOTYPY 151
Pitman ’s character,and manifested on occasions
like the present,was
,to say the least
,liable
to be misunderstood . I t is probable,however
,
that he desired to express a sentiment similarto that which inspired hi s Manchester speechof 1857 .
The question as to what use he should make Of
the £350 presented to him led its recipient todi scuss quite frankly his financial position inrelation to Phonography and the Spelling Reform .
I feel,he said
,that I have no right to receive
such a sum of money as £350 and appropriate itto my own purposes . Mr . Ellis was the only manbesides himself who had spent a large sum of
money on the Reform . But unlike Mr . Ellis,he
had not a fortune at his command,and hence
could only spend money as it came in from thesale of shorthand and other books . He thenmentioned the amount of capital he had borrowed
and explained how the money had gonein the improvement of the phonetic printingalphabet The alphabet which Mr . Ellis andmyself had employed until 1851 was so defectivethat type- founders and printers would not look atit as a possible alphabet for representing theEnglish language in books . Mr . Besley
,the
eminent type-founder,remonstrated somewhat
sharply with me for thinking to overturn goodlooking printing by bad . Your page
,
’ said he,i s
covered with li ttle hooks,and tails
,and triangles .
’
I spared no labour and no expense in removing thi s
152 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
obstacle to the general introduction of phonetic
printing .
He had given his means so entirely to themovement that i f he had not already spent on thephonetic alphabet the sum with which he waspresented he should devote it t o the Reform insome other way . What he eventually did withthe money will be related later on. In the courseof his long and interesting speech Isaac Pitmangave statistics Of the sale of phonographic booksduring the past year
,from which it appeared that
there had been a total sale of publications,
although the demand had been low in consequenceof the anticipated appearance Of a new andimproved edi tion of Phonography . Cheered bythe progress made he “added
,
“I return to Bathwith a determination not to work so many hoursas I have for twenty years
,but to work with the
same application of mind as of old. My hours oflabour from the beginning of the Reform to abouta year ago, were from six in the morning till tenin the evening
,taking out three hours for meals
and exercise . I have now made a change,and
knock off at half-past six . I intend to continueto labour at this good work twelve and a half hoursper day
,and
,with your kind co-operation
,
I th ink that will be sufficient to keep the Reformin motion
,and realize
,in the end
,all that we
desire .
”
In association with Isaac Pitman ’s allusion tohis labours given above
,Mr . Reed ’ s Observations
154 S IR ISAAC PITMAN
o ther v isitor had called upon Mr. P itman just before ten
o’
clock that nigh t , he would have found h im still at his desk ,
as absorbed as ever in the mysteries of the phonet ic art .
This is, I believe ,a fair specimen of Mr. P itman
’
s general
labours,under wh ich any ordinary mortal would certainly
succumb . Andwhenwe see that all these labours are devotedto a cause from wh ich he himself derives lit tle or no personal
benefit beyond a bare living, we shall all the more admire the
disinterestedness wh ich is so conspicuous a characterist ic of
the man.
A CHARACTER SKETCH— ADDRE S S To THE BRITISHAS SOCIATION ON
“BRIEF WRITING
1862 1864
THERE appeared in September,1862
,in Weldon
’
s
Register, a popular periodical of that time,a
character sketch of Isaac Pitman,written by Mr .
William White, ( author Of a voluminous li fe of
Swedenborg) , who was associated with NewChurch publishing work
,and whose name for
some years figured on the title page of the phonographic text-books as publisher
,in addition to
Mr . Frederick Pitman . Mr . White had a veryintimate knowledge of the Inventor of Phonography
,and insight into his character . His
graphic description of Isaac Pitman at work,when
read along with the reminiscences quoted at theend Of the last chapter
,furnish a vivid picture
both Of the man and of his methods,which did
not alter materially during the rest of hi s workinglife . Mr . White began by Observing that the nameof Isaac Pitman would not be found in Men Of
the Time — an omission that was made good inlater years— and went on to observe that IsaacPitman had effected a great work in his generation
,
but it had not become the talk of the newspapers
,and consequently many well-informed
i ss
156 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
men were ignorant Of him and his schemes . Thisassertion needs qualification
,but at any rate i t
afforded Mr . White the pretext for giving thereaders Of the Register a lucid h istorical accountof the Reform ( introductory to his personal Sketchof its Inventor) , which furnished the basis Of
several articles on the same subj ect published inlater years .
I f,
” wrote Mr . White,we were asked to name
the most diligent and hard-working man we know,
it would be Isaac Pitman . It is a treat to visithis printing Office in Bath . Printing Offices areusually very dirty and untidy places ; but Mr .
Pitman’ s Office,save for its furni ture
,might be a
lady’ s drawing-room . Everything is in what,for
some unknown reason,is called apple~pie order .
In a large room sits Mr . Pitman himself,writing
an article,reading a proof
,or answering a letter .
His correspondence is immense letters and papersflow in upon him from every part of the world .
He attends to all himself . Those who write tohim in ordinary handwriting he answers in longhand phonetic spelling
,but the mass of his corre
spondence is in Phonography ; and the speedand ease with which he writes enables him to getthrough an amount of work which would elseseem fabulous . We wish we could reproduce oneof Mr . Pitman’s phonographic letters on this page .
Written on a scrap of ruled paper,half the Siz e
of an ordinary page of note-paper,would be seen
a series of lines,circles
,and dots
,sharp and delicate
as if traced by a fai ry,and containing as much
matter as an ordinary letter of four pages . Amost courteous correspondent
,he commences in
158 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
last to leave it at night . He delights in walkingexercise
,and scampers over miles Of country with
the same ease that his pen goes over paper . LikeWesley
,he is very abstemious : wine
,beer
,or
spirits of any kind never pass his lips : nor fish,
flesh,nor fowl . For years he has been a strict
vegetarian and,but for a cold now and then
,he
has enjoyed perfect health . As if his shorthandand phonetic printing were not enough to taskall his powers
,he preaches twice each Sunday in
a little chapel,at Twerton
,a village a short way
from Bath . Like Wesley,he has no love for
money save for its uses in promoting his ends .
His personal wants are few and simple,and every
penny beyond what is required for them is devotedto the phonetic propaganda . Like Wesley he hasa governing and despotic temper . In all thingshe takes his own way . He hears the advice of adisciple in the blandest and most candid spirit .
The disciple thinks,surely never was there a man
more pliable than this . But i f he Observes carefully
,he will discover he has made no progress .
Somehow,he will find that Pitman has not changed
his mind,and has rej ected his disciple’s advice
,
but yet so kindly that the rej ection gives no pain ,but almost pleasure . His alterations in Phonotypy and Phonography haveusually been proposedin the face of strong Opposition but he has alwayscarri ed them . Consciously or unconsciously hemakes up his mind as to what ought to be done ,and though he undergoes much palaver with allthe appearance of being affected by it
,he ends in
executing his programme to the final letter .
Alternately he is accused of fickleness and obsti
nacy : Of fickleness,because when he sees
,or
fancies he sees, a possible improvement , he will
BRITISH ASSOCIATION 159
pull down any amount of building to make roomfor it and of obstinacy
,because what he thinks
right he does,whatever be the outcry .
In some comments on the above extract Isaac
Pitman mentioned that his ministrations to a NewChurch congregation in the village Of Twertonhad been discontinued
,and that he was tempo
rarily taking the services at the New Church ,Henry Street
,Bath
,the mini ster
,Mr . James
Keene,being indisposed As to the application
to himself of the term despot,he remarked
,
I feel sure that Mr . White used the word in noharsh sense
,as implying the love of rule for its
own sake,but simply the love Of order
,use
,and
beautyThe annual meeting of the British Association
for the Advancement °
o i Science was held atNewcastle-on-Tyne in 1863
,under the presidency
of Sir Willi am ( afterwards Lord Armstrong) who ,among other topics
,referred in his address t o the
waste of time and labour attendant on the use of
the common longhand,and threw out suggestions
in the following terms :
The facility now given to the transmission of intelligence
and the interchange of though t is one of the most remarkablefeatures of the present age . Cheap and rapid postage to all
parts of the world paper and printing reduced to the lowest
possible cost electric telegraphs between nat ion and nat ion,
town and town,and now even (thanks to the beaut iful inven~
t ions of ProfessorWh eatstone) between house and house ,
— all
contribute to aid that commerce of ideas by wh ich wealth and
knowledge are augmented. But while so much facili ty is
160 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
given to mental communicat ion by new measures and new
inventions , the fundamental art of expressing though t bywrit ten symbols remains as imperfect now as it has been forcenturies past . I t seems strange that wh ile we actuallypossess a system of shorthand by wh ich words can be recorded
as rapidly as they can be spoken,we Should persist in writ ing
a Slow andlaborious longhand. I t is intelligible that grown-uppersons who have acquired the present convent ional art of
writing should be reluctant to incur the labour Of mastering
a bet ter system but there can be no reason why the rising
generat ion Should not be instructed in a method of writ ing
more in accordance with the act ivity of mind wh ich now
prevails . Ev en without going so far as to adopt for ordinaryuse a complete system of stenography ,
which it is not easy to
acquire , we migh t greatly abridge the t ime and labour of
writ ing by the recognit ion of a few simple signs to express the
syllableswhich are ofmost frequent occurrence in our language .
Our words are in a great measure made up of such syllables ascom , con
,tion,
ing,able, ain
, ent,est, ance, etc . These we
are now obliged to write out over and ov er again,as if t ime
and labour expended in what may be t ermed v isual speech
were of no importance . Neither has our writ ten character
the advantage of dist inctness to recommend it .
An utterance so notable on the importance of
shorthand,and a recognition so generous of the
merits of Phonography,was greatly appreciated
by all phonographic practitioners,and not least
by their leader . It suggested to Isaac Pitmanthe idea of offering a paper on the subj ect for theforthcoming meeting of the British Association inhis own city . His Offer was accepted
,and a paper
with the title Brief Writing was prepared to beread before the Section Of Economics and Statisticson 20th September , 1864 . But
,as is not infre
quently the case,there were more papers down
162 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
keeping up two habits of writing the same word .
On some occasions it is necessary,or at least
advisable,to write every word fully
,and if the
hand were accustomed in its ordinary style toabbreviate some words
,it would hesitate when
called upon to write the same words in anothermanner . NO one can write fluently
,either in
longhand or Shorthand,whose hand th inks
,so to
Speak,how it shall form the words . It must form
them without thinking,and leave all thinking to
the brain . In the quotation which I have justread from Sir Wm . Armstrong
,consisting of 346
words,and containing letters
,there would
be but 47 letters saved by the adoption of theabbreviations therein recommended ; that is , forthe loss of power through occasional hesitation inthe act of writing
,there would be a gain of 3 per
cent . I f we were to adopt,in addi tion
,all the
abbreviations which reporters use in transcribingtheir notes for the press
,writing a slanting stroke
for the,
for and,o for of, wh for which, t for
that,etc .
,the saving would be 8 per cent addi
t ional . This saving of 1 1 per cent is of considerable importance to men who spend many hourseach day in writing
,but it is not sufficient to
commend the system for general“
adoption . Longhand is still too long
,and we must recur to the
alphabet as the proper subj ect of abbreviation .
”
Referring to Sir William ’ s suggestion that someof the longhand letters should be more c learlydi stingui shed from others
,Mr . Pitman said His
Obj ection lies against the n,u classes of letters .
Of the first kind we have m,n,r,1) and of the
second i,a
,u,w
,and portions of other letters .
The use of in preference to a,increases the
legibility of a rapid style of penmanship . The evil
BAD WRITING 163
complained Of lies in the alphabet— in thenumerous strokes we have to scribble
,to get down
one word . Men accustomed to di spatch in otherthings cannot endure a tedious style Of writing ;they hurry through their work
,and spoil it
,
forgetting that whatever is written has to be read .
Writing-masters di stinguish the curves that formthe n
,uclasses of letters
,as over-curves (n) and
under-curves (u) . Swi ft writers generally makeonly under-curves
,because this is an easier action
of the hand than the over-curve,thus mingling all
these letters Of both classes in anundistinguishablemass of under-curves ; but surely everyone whohas time for longhand writing
,Should consider
himself,in justice t o the reader
,bound to distin
guish n from u,m from ui
,ui
,in
,etc . and be
especially careful to dot the letters i and j. Thewant Of these distinctive points is one of the mostserious impediments in the reading of bad manuscript . I find that I can decipher writing madeup Of under-curves if the dots or j ots be placedover i and 7
'
but writing that consists Of undercurves only
,where these dots are omitted
,i s hope
lessly illegible . As a bad servant is said to bethe greatest plague of li fe domestic
,so bad
writing may be called the greatest plague Of literaryand commercial li fe . Not infrequently I receiveletters
,the Signatures ofwhich I amutterly unable
t o decipher . In such cases I cut out the name,
gum it on my reply, and hand over the puz z le tothe post-Office . The letter finds its way by virtueof the other portions of the address . Shorthandsignatures are very rarely illegible . Phoneticshorthand is much more legible than longhand
,
supposing both styles to be written with equalrapidity
,but whether the penman or our cumbrous
164 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
alphabet is to be blamed for making a mess of suchwords as minimum
,ammunition
,there is no pro
position before us for changing the forms of anyof these letters ; and whoever may propose newforms must make his script letters harmonize withthe roman and italic printing letters ; for italictype is simply script letters disconnected
,and
roman type,except in the two letters a
,g,
’ ismerely italic made upright .
In the year 1864 the Royal Society of Artsheld its first annual examination in shorthand .
Mr . Frederick Pitman was the first examiner,
and the following notification appeared in theSociety ’s syllabus : Candidates beginning thestudy of shorthand are recommended to adoptPhonography .
The first adaptation of Isaac Pitman ’s systemof Phonography to any foreign language made it sappearance in 1864
,when Sefior Guillermo Parody
published his adaptation of the art to the Spanishlanguage under the patronage Of the ArgentineGovernment
,which established a hall for the
teaching of Spanish Phonography in the NationalCollege
,and promoted the use of the art in
reporting the proceedings of Congress,in which it
has been successfully practised ever since .
A slight carriage accident on l6th March,1864
,
for a time incapacitated Isaac Pitman,and the
shorthand supplement to his journal was suspended for some weeks . Th is was the year ofthe Shakspere Tercentenary Celebrations
,and the
PHONOGRAPH IC AUTHORSHIP — TE STIMONY I N THE
J USTICIARY COURT AT EDINBURGH— ADDRE SS ATMANCHE STER
1865-1872
THE period of seven years between the dates givenabove was with Isaac Pitman one of prolific workin phonographic authorship and transfer writing
,
which resulted in many valuable and interestingadditions to the literature of the system
,and of
improvements in existing works . Opposition tothe changes introduced in the Tenth and EleventhEditions no longer seriously hindered the progressOf Phonography
,and the antagonism to the im
prov ements did not now affect its fortunes to anyappreciable extent . There had been considerablechanges in the text-books since Mr . Reed tookhis hi storic stand on the Tenth Edi tion
,and it
was not easy to teach either the Ninth or TenthEditions of Phonography by modifications of theirrules . TO assist in the continued teaching of theTenth Edition
,Mr . Reed brought out a little
book of exercises in 1871,of which Isaac Pitman
expressed strong di sapproval . The work hadlittle
,i f any
,effect in checking the teaching of
Phonography by the new books,but it had the
unfortunate result of estranging for a time the166
PHONOGRAPHIC CHANGES 167
two friends,though happily in later years the
friendship was re-established as firmly as ever .
With regard to the improvements introducedinto the system from time to time
,Isaac Pitman
never had the intention or desire— as he certainlyhad not the power— to coerce any writ er Of hissystem to adopt the alterations . For example
,
in September,1871
,he wrote thus A change
in the manner Of writing Phonography is no Slightmatter to a reporter . We do not wonder thenthat Mr . Reed does not alter his manner Of writingsome few words that differ in his style and oursand that reporters engaged on the Press generallyhave not adopted the few improvements that havefrom time to time been made in the system . To
do so would imply a kind of indi scretion .
”But
apart from those who used the system professionally
,it was Isaac Pitman ’ s desire that future
learners of Phonography should have the benefitof such improvements in it as its more extensiveuse showed to be practicable or desirable . Thegrowth of the literature of the system
,however
,
caused some reluctance on the part of his brother,
Mr . Frederick Pitman,to adopt the new forms
for kw and skw,which were introduced in 1869 .
I t was not,in fact
,till two years later that he
used these improvements in the magazines con
trolled by himself . But fortunately for thesystem and its practitioners
,from the period at
which we have arrived,and onward
,no further
organic changes were made . To the Spelling
168 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
Reform movement the same remarks apply generally . There was experiment and consultationwith the Phonetic Society
,and this resulted in the
introduction of a limited number Of improvedphonotypic forms which rendered the phoneticprinting alphabet far more useful
,acceptable
,and
presentable than it had ever been before .
At thi s time Isaac Pitman was engaged on theproduction of two phonographic works of referencewhich involved a vast amount Of labour andapplication . The first of these was a new edition
( the third) of the Phonographic Dictionary,
”
a lithographed work consisting of 336 crown 8vopages
,containing shorthand outlines for all the
principal words in the English language,together
with the longhand spelling of each . A companionwork was also taken in hand which materiallyassisted in the reading Of doubtful unvocalizedshorthand outlines . This laborious undertakingis described by Mr . Reed as follows
About this date ( 1867) we find Isaac Pitmanbringing out a new shorthand book
,the prepara
tion of which involved an immense amount of
labour . It is,in its way
,a marvel of industry
,
and requi red almost as much patience as thecollation of the marginal references in Bagster
’
s
Bible . Some twelve years previously IsaacjP itman had carefully written out all the wordsin the S horthand Dictionary ’
not exceedingin outline three consonant strokes ( and In Phonography very few ordinary words requi re more) ,and had them cut up and sorted according to the
170 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
to the literary industries of the country,and the
widespread popularity of the art was demonstratedby the great number of periodicals and bookswh ich made their appearance from th is date on
ward . Isaac Pitman ’s own work was,however
,
never excelled by any Of those who engaged inthi s method of production . As supplements tohis journal he issued from week to week portionsOf standard literature in lithographed shorthand
,
so that in time subscribers became possessed of
complete volumes executed by the Inventor Of
Phonography in the highest style of phonographicpenmanship
,which were
,with many thousands
of writers of the system,treasured possessions .
There were produced in thi s way by Isaac Pitmanthe Holy Bible the Book of Common Prayer
Macaulay’ s Biographies ( 1868) also hisEssays Gulliver ’ s Travels ParadiseLost and a large number Of other works
,
among which were some written by an assistant
(Mr . J . R . Lloyd) , who was at that time engagedat the Phonetic Institute . Of other workers inthe same field the most prolific was Mr . J amesButterworth
,of South Shields
,who set up his own
lithographic press,and for many years produced
a vast number of books,and also monthly periodi
cals . All the transfers were written by Mr .
Butterworth,and some of the periodicals were
edited by him,while Mr . Frederick Pitman was
the edi tor of others,the most popular of these
being the Shorthand M agaz ine, founded by Mr .
Macaulay’
s B iog raph ies.
w !
in
M .
C
- .
V \ .
Cx
7'
7'
x"
fi l b ‘
VU
7PY7AT
"
“gi n
“A c
M -
tY/ \ V 3 .
74]
FACS IMI LE OF I SAAC P ITMAN ’
S L ITHOGRAPHE D SHORTHANDFROM THE 1870 E D ITION OF MACAULAY ’
S B IOGRAPH I ES
1" r n c R im.
“sw
i
p
e
K
172 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
to take an annual holiday . I t was in associationwith one of these that he inserted a personalexplanation in the journal, which is of some biographical note
,as throwing light On his methods Of
work at this period . Someone had written anarticle entitled
,Obj ections to Phonotypy
,
” andhe took a proof with him on his summer holidayof a month at the seaside . To a notice accountingfor its non-publication
,he added a further explana
tion of the reason which led him to publish in theshorthand portion of the journal during 1867a reproduction of a work once high ly popularamong Evangelical Christians The Dairyman ’ sDaughter .
” The issue had created some surprise,
Mr . Reed records,because hitherto religious works
reproduced in this way hadusually been associatedwith the Swedenborgian views of the Inventor ofPhonography .
When the time came for thi s holiday,Isaac
Pitman says,We had been unable to get a single
day ahead with our lithographic labours for thejournal. We therefore took our lithographingtools with us
,sat down at Sandown
,in the Isle
ofWight,and in a month did seven of the journal
transfers . This gave us an Opportuni ty of takinga fortnight ’s holiday
,and yet have one transfer
ahead for the first week after our return to Bath .
During this fortnight ’ s travelling about the island,
and enj oying its lovely scenery,there was no
di sposition to entertain arguments for or againstPhonotypy . This little bit of personal hi storybrings us to The Dairyman’s Daughter .
’
THE DAIRYMAN ’S DAUGHTER 173
Six of the seven transfers spoken of were thelast six of the Phonographic Vocabulary .
’ I t wasnecessary to do one more transfer before leavingSandown
,to secure the punctual appearance of
the journal . The question to be decided was,
What shall we take for the subj ect The Vicarof Wakefield ’ we considered too long for thatbrief emergency . Had we been at home the‘ Reporter ’ s Assistant
,
’
now being issued,would
have been commenced ; but to do it away fromthe Phonetic Institute was impossible . Beingin the very centre of the interesting spot wherethe scene of Leigh Richmond’ s narrative is laid
,
Sandown being only two miles from Brading,
his residence,two miles from Ashey Down
,his
‘ lovely mount of Observation,
’ and four milesfrom Arreton
,whi ch contains the grave Of Eliza
beth Wallbridge ; and knowing how sincerelya vast multitude cherished the kind of religioussentiment ( considered as distinct from life anddoctrine) which is embalmed in this book , wethough it would be a gratification to such of themas read the P honetic journal to have the book inshorthand . Wh ile admiring the author’ s piety
,
and his tact in the composition of the work,we
inwardly protested,as we wrote
,against many
of the sentiments . We had a strong desirein transcribing the book
,t o write a Supple
mentary Note to it but time,which
stays not in its course,hurried us on in our
ordinary sphere Of duty . We trust this apologywill be accepted by those who have reasonableobj ections to Leigh Richmond ’ s book ; and asfor our Evangelical readers
,they will thank
us for giving them this favourite book inshorthand .
”
174 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
At this period public attention was called to aphonetic system entitled Visible Speech
,the
invention of Alexander Melville Bell ( 1819the author Of a shorthand system known asSteno-Phonography
,
” which was noticed byIsaac Pitman in no unfriendly spirit when it firstappeared in 1852
,but which— although it had
the advantage of appearing in the early editionsof Cassell ’ s Popular Educator under circumstances already described— did not secure anyconsiderable number Of practitioners . In 1866
Mr . Bell read a paper on Visible Speech beforethe Society of Arts . NO explanation
,
” Mr . Reedsays
,was given Of the symbols employed by
Mr . Bell,who contented himself with explaining
the theory on which his alphabet was foundednamely
,the use of signs which pictorially repre
sented the arrangement of the vocal organs requiredto produce the various sounds of the language .
By this method it was stated that all possibleshades of elementary sounds could be accuratelyrepresented . Isaac Pitman was naturally interestedin Mr . Bell’ s invention
,and reprinted his paper
in the P honetic journal. He also Offered to con
tribute to the cost of casting types to i llustratethe new system
,and invited Mr . Bell to make use
of the journal as a means Of illustrating andpromulgating his scheme . The Offer was not
accepted . Mr . Bell desired a Government subsidybefore revealing the secret . This, however, wasnot forthcoming ; and the author of the system
176 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
we took wife and family [his two sons, Alfred, 15:1862
,and Ernest
,b . 1864] for the purpose of spend
ing some time in Scotland after the trial . Our
appearance in the witness box was the first experience of this kind during a life of fifty-fiv e years,and we certainly felt
,on being sworn
,the religious
solemnity that should always accompany theadministration of an oath for furthering the endsof justice .
” Aft er two long wearisome days of
waiting we were called,soon after the proceedings
commenced on the third day,to enter the court .
The sight was exceedingly impressive,and he
proceeds to give a general description of theinterior Of the Justiciary Court
,and of the
solemn administration of the oath by the LordJustice-Clerk .
The testimony Isaac Pitman was called to giverelated to the authorship of two letters inPhonography
,which purported to be written by
New York and Boston merchants respectively tothe accused as to his financial status . These theProcurator-Fiscal sought to prove through theevidence of Isaac Pitman
,and Of a member of the
S cotsman staff (Mr . Thomas Paul) to be forgerieswritten by the accused . I saac Pitman’ s testimonyis worthy of reproduction here
,because it is the
first occasion on which a phonographic expertgave evidence as such in a court of justice . Hewas
,he deposed
,by profession a shorthand
author,and had been known as such for thirty
one years . Through correspondence he had known
EXPERT EVIDENCE 177
the accused for twenty years . He had receivedmany letters from him
,all in Shorthand
,except
the direction There was no necessity for longhand
,
” he continued,
“the other being plainer .
Handwriting could be more easily and certainlyidentified in shorthand than in longhand . Inlonghand you have one shape for each letterexcept r and s
,but in our system of shorthand we
have five or six letters,each with two or three
,
sometimes four shapes . This variety Of shapesfor these few letters gives such a choice of whatwe call consonantal outlines for words that almostevery writer has a style of his own
,which can be
known by his choice Of outlines . I am able todistinguish shorthand writing with more certaintythan longhand . From numerous communica
tions from the individual who was undergoing histrial
,he had thoroughly familiariz ed himself with
his shorthand and he affirmed positively that theNew York and Boston letters were in thehandwriting of the accused
,and similar to the
entries in a diary found in his possession .
There was a long cross-examination on shorthanddetails
,conducted by the accused
,because his
counsel were not acquainted with Phonography .
The curious fact was elicited that the New York ”
letter was written in the new style Of Phonography,
while the Boston letter was written in the Old
( or Ninth Edition) . The point the accused soughtto establish apparently was that the last namedletter was written by one who had acquired what
[0—1 4 3 84)
178 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
was called the Graham system . I am aware,
Isaac Pitman said,
“that a Mr . Graham hasadopted my system of Phonography in Americaand called it his own. Would it not beextremely difli cult
,he was asked
,for the same
hand to trace these letters in the di fferent styleswithout occasionally mistaking the styles PNot at all
,
” was the reply . As a matter of factvowels were very spari ngly used in the two letters
,
and there was no writing in position . IsaacPitman’ s Opinions were strongly supported bythe independent evidence of Mr . Paul
,and no
witnesses were called by the defence to refutetheir testimony .
The trial,which evoked unusual interest in
Scotland,resulted in a conviction and sentence .
Great sympathy was felt for the innocent wifeand child of the convicted man . I saac Pitmanactively interested himself on their behalf
,and
co llected through an appeal in his journal a sumof money for their immediate necessities
,and in
later years took a kindly interest in their welfare .
Before he returned t o Bath,the Inventor of
Phonography visited Manchester,and one of the
most successful phonographic meetings ever heldtook place in the Manchester Town Hall on the14th July
,1868 . The weather was intensely hot
,
but the attendance was very large,and Isaac
Pitman,who was accompanied by Mrs . Pitman
,
was accorded a most enthusiastic reception .
Professor Greenbank was in the chair,and a
FRANCIS BARHAM 179
remarkable feature of the preliminary proceedingswas the reading by Mr . Henry Pitman— who hadorganized the meeting— of letters from manynotable men expressing their appreciation of
Phonography and the Spelling Reform,including
one from the Rev . Dr . Parker ( afterwards Pastorof the City Temple) , who wrote in shorthand thathe had practised Phonography for twenty years
,
and could honestly recommend its study to allwho wish to acquire a simple
,philosophic
,and
perfect system of shorthand . The principalresolution in favour of Phonography and theSpelling Reform was moved by Dr . Pankhurst
,
a well-known barrister,and embodied a cordial
Manchester greeting to Isaac Pitman,and a
recommendation to parents and teachers t o placethe time-sav ing art within the reach of every boyand girl under their authority . Isaac Pitman ’ saddress was of an interesting autobiographicalcharacter
,and much of what he then said has been
quoted or otherwise embodied in the pages of thisLife . An able address was also delivered by Mr .
Edward Jones,head master Of the Hibernian
Schools,Liverpool
,and a prominent spelling
reformer . He was related to Isaac Pitman,whose
sister Melissa was Mr . Jones ’ s first wife .
For about seventeen years there resided inBath a gentleman of good birth and educationnamed Francis Foster Barham ( 1808 arelative of the author of the Ingoldsby Legends .
He had lived in London till his thirty-seventh
180 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
year,and had attempted to establish himself as a
solicitor there,but apparently with indifferent
success,due chiefly to his strong propensity for
literary pursui ts and theological studies . Onleaving London he settled in Clifton
,and when
forty-six and in failing health,he removed to
Bath,where he spent the remainder Of his days .
During his residence in Bath a g reat friendsh ipsprung up between Mr . Barham and Isaac Pitman .
Mr . Barham was a most labori ous and voluminouswriter on theological and ecclesiastical subj ects
,
but he is now remembered forhis efforts to establisha new
,and as he conceived
,more spiritual phase
Of religion,under the title Of Alism (or Godliness)
in association with which he published prOpa
gandist literature, and styled himself AlistFrancis Barham that he might thus con
stantly be reminded of the nearness of God.
”
During his declining years Mr . Barham produceda Rhymed Harmony of the Gospels
,
” and whenhe died Isaac Pitman became his lit erary executor .
The Barham library was bequeathed to localinstitutions
,and was in due course distributed .
The literary remains of the deceased consisted ofa hundredweight of closely written manuscriptin the form of prose
,verse
,and dramatic composi
tions . Isaac Pitman conceived it to be his dutyto his friend ’ s memory that he should rescuesome portion of th is great mass of literary matterfrom Oblivion . He devoted eight months to itsthorough examination
,and selected from it such
182 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
was discontinued with the P honetic journal of
28th September,1872 . Probably through pres
sure Oi other duties Isaac Pitman ’s hand at th istime seemed t o have lost something of its cunni ng .
He therefore decided to suspend the task Of
completing this edition Of the Shorthand Bibletill a more convenient Opportunity . For reasonswhich will be related in due course
,he was un
fortunately never able to resume his labours inthe production Of the exquisite lithographedshorthand literature which had become justlyfamous .
Towards the close of the sixties Isaac Pitmanwaged a vigorous war against a custom which wasfor many years his be
‘
te noire,namely
,the paid
postal teaching of Phonography . The only kindof postal tuition which the Inventor of
"
Phonography would tolerate was that of a gratuitousdescription
,but someone had the temerity to
point out that the early edi tions of the PennyPlate ” contained this legend : Any personsmay receive lessons from the Author by post at l s .
each,to be paid in advance .
” Isaac Pitman ’sreply was that soon after this announcement wasprinted he crossed it out and substituted gratuitously . For a long time
,under thi s self-denying
ordinance,he laboured at the correction of all
phonographic exercises sent to him,till the work
was delegated to the Phonetic Society . But itnever seemed to strike him that the phonographicteacher was doing nothing immoral in asking people
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I‘
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I‘
3.
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has ( I Moron/ h r' a 7m aux/cm o
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P H ON E TI C SH OR TH A N D
and is ( I Term/ NT "
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CE RTIFICATE I S S UE D TO MEMBE RS O F THE PHO NETICSOCIETY FROM ABOUT 1371 ) TO 1879
XVII
SHORTHAND PRINTED FROM MOVABLE TYPETHE FOURTH INSTITUTE
1873- 1875
FROM an early time in the history of his shorthandsystem Isaac Pitman had directed his attentionto the possibility of printing shorthand frommovable metal characters . Originally the phonographic alphabet and the characters required forthe rules and illustrations had been produced forthe instruction books Of the system in the form of
woodcuts,but in 1847 it was found possible to
use metal type for this purpose,which was in
every respect preferable . A shorthand fount wascast by Messrs . V . and J . Figgins
,the London
type-founders,in which separate shorthand types
were produced for the consonants and vowels,of
which the following are specimens
For an outline containing several consonants thecharacter was engraved separately on a metalblank .
” A great many experiments were madeby Isaac Pitman ’s staff at the Phonetic Institutewith a view to the employment of metal types bywhich shorthand outlines could be bui lt up,
butit was found impracticable to adopt this method
,
184
ENGRAVED SHORTHAND 185
except in the case of simple words with uprightor horizontal straight consonant forms
,such as
:
eat I toe
where two types,for a consonant and vowel
respectively,could be placed together to represent
a word . This method had,as we have indicated
,
been in use for a quarter of a century,and no
development was now found possible on theselines . But i t was
,as it had always been
, pract i
cable to engrave each outline ona separate blankof metal of a suitable width
,and this method was
introduced in 1873 for the production of shorthand reading matter . A story or a speech wastaken
,and the words or phrases it contained were
engraved in shorthand on separate blanks of
metal . The characters were set up by the com
positor like ordinary type,and punctuated with
the marks used in letterpress type of the samesize (pica) . When the page had been stereotyped ,the shorthand type was available for resetting .
A number of wooden trays divided into com
partments by stri ps of wood were Obtainedsimilar to the cases with boxes used by theordinary compositor in the printing Office . Inthese “cases the outlines are distributed in asimilar style to the letterpress type
,but with two
important di stinctions . The boxes — whi chare all of similar size— are labelled
,dictionary
fashion,so that the shorthand outline for any
particular word or phrase can be readily found ;
186 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
and a shorthand type instead of being droppedinto its box
,
” as in letterpress,is carefully placed
in its particular compartment with the faceupward
,so that a word can be readi ly found among
twenty or more cuts in the same box,which
are allied to it in the common spelling . In settingup every fresh story or speech in shorthand, wordsare encountered for which no type is found in thecases .
” The forms for these words are engraved,
and in due course added to the existing stock .
This method of producing shorthand readingmatter from movable metal type characters
,
which Isaac Pitman at this time initiated,is
absolutely unique .
6 /
“f a r m e r/ ae
Key .-\Vho , that is much in the habit Of writing, has no t often wished
for some means of expressing by two or three dashes of the pen, that
which , as things are , it requires such an expenditure of time and labourto commit to paper? Our pre sent mode of communication mus t be feltto be cumbersome in the last degree ; unw orthy of these days of inven
tion ; w e require some means of bring ing the operations of the m indand of the hand into c loser correspondence — E nglish Remem.
SPECIMEN or P ITMAN ’S SHORTHAND (REPORTING STYLE )PRINTED FROM METAL TYP E CHARACTERS
188 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
its originator . Legends about Isaac Pitman’
suntiring habits of work and simple life were freelycirculated
,and it was thought that he was devoting
himself to the promotion of Spelling Reform witha perseverance and an expenditure of his privatemeans that was considered Quixotic . But thesewere unsubstantial grounds for the apocryphalstory about his mental state . One of those who
saw fit to di sseminate this rumour rather extensiv ely
— although he did not originate it— was theRev . William James Ball
,B .A .
,of Harrogate
,
a member of a well-known Irish family,and a
retired missionary of the Church MissionarySociety . Between 1869 and 1871 Isaac Pitmanand Mr . Ball were in frequent correspondence .
In hi s retirement Mr . Ball had taken up the studyand teaching of Phonography with much ardour
,
and had developed some proposals of a comprehensiv e nature for what he considered to beimprovements in the system
,which he had dis
cussed at great length with its Inventor . Thishad gone on for some years
,until at last Mr . Ball
thought the time had arrived for the publicationfrom the Phonetic Institute of a treatise to beentitled
,Ball ’s Standard Phonography . He
appears to have been,to use his own words
,
greatly pained when he found that IsaacPitman had no intention of doing anyth ing of thekind
,and he accused the latter of having broken
faith with him,and was especially aggrieved to
find his (Mr . Ball’s) postal teaching very strongly
WILLIAM J . BALL 189
denounced . This seemed so extraordinary t o
the ex-missionary that he wrote , some of mycorrespondents have come to the conclusion thatMr . Pitman cannot be in his right mind .
”
In his phonographic work Mr . Ball succeeded insecuring the approval and support Of a considerablenumber of friends and pupils in all parts Of theUnited Kingdom
,and on the 12th February
,
1873,he was presented at Dr . Heigham
’
s Harrogate College with a purse of gold and a handsometimepiece as testimony to his valuable servicesrendered to the cause of Phonography in promot ing one style for all
,and one style for ever .
”
A great deal was made of a letter of Isaac Pitman’s
to Mr . Ball in 1869,in which
,in the freedom of
friendly correspondence,he observed that Mr .
Ball ’ s style of Phonography came to him with anew freshness that he delighted in it like a personwho learned the system for the first time ; andthat Mr . Ball had fixed the outlines of thosewords wh ich have been wandering about for yearson the face of the phonographic earth without ahome
,
” and so forth . When invited to subscribeto the testimonial
,Isaac Pitman vigorously declined
to recognise Mr . Ball ’ s “improvements,
and on
being reminded that his correspondence had placedhim entirely in Mr . Ball ’ s power
,promptly replied
that he would himself publish the whole correspondence in lithographed shorthand . But ashe was soon afterwards engaged in a proj ect to
be described later in th is chapter,the subj ect
190 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
ceased to be a burning one in a few months afterthe presentation
,and this intention was never
carried out .
Could Isaac Pitman have foreseen the use to
which his unstudied letters to Mr . Ball would havebeen put , he would probably not have expressedhimself in such indiscreet terms about his correspondent
’
s efforts . In the advertisement columnsof the journal the Harrogate phonographer
’ sproposal s were discussed with considerable warmthby various correspondents . Mr . Ball desired to
introduce some absolute rules for writing initialand final l and r
,and advocated position writing
to an extent which Isaac Pitman and the maj orityOfpractical phonographers consideredunnecessary .
The previously unused outline (upward r
and m) some ofus have adopted,
” Isaac Pitmanwrote
,through Mr . Ball ’s phonographic percep
tion,
”but the writing of that gentleman ’ s own
name with b and downward l Ball (as compared with V in the text books) exhibited aphonograph ic “principle which with some others
,
Isaac Pitman affirmed he had tried and foundwanting .
” Such hard and fast rules,had
they been adopted,might have proved seriously
detrimental to the practical usefulness of
Phonography .
The large top room in Parsonage Lane, Bathreached by a dreary staircase Of fifty steps
,
which had been occupied for eighteen years as
the Phonetic Institute,was at that time one Of
192 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
Following this came an account of the shortcomings of the existing Institute
,with the observa
tion that the Phonetic Reform has now outgrownthe means of produc ing books which this wretchedplace affords . Only hand presses could be usedthere
,and machinery and steam power were now
necessary to produce the books demanded by thepublic There was the journal, which since itsreduction in price had shown a healthy tendencyto rapidly increase its circulation
,whi le of the
phonographic instruction books and books printedentirely in shorthand
,some were now
sold every year,and the sale was constantly rising
,
t o say nothing of the Spelling Reform and itsdemands on the limited capacities of the Institute .
It was Isaac Pitman ’s original idea to build anInstitute
,and for this purpose a site was selected
on the Manvers Estate,and the appeal for funds
included a ground plan Of this and an invitationto any architect who sympathized with the“Writing and Spelling Reform to help itforward by supplying a suitable design of theproposed Institute . Embodied in the appealwas a passage of autobiographical interest
,the
statements contained in which have been often
quoted .
I should not mention,Isaac Pitman wrote
,
the following facts in my personal history in anyother connection than the present they seem to
be appropriate here . From the year 1837,when
Phonography was invented,to the year 1843
,
THE INCOME-TAX 193
when I gave up my private day school in order tolive for and by the Writing and Spelling Reform
,
I occupied all my spare time before and afterschool hours
,in extending Phonography through
the post,and by travelling and lecturing during
the holidays . In this period I gained noth ingby my system Of shorthand
,but spent all the pro
ceeds of my books in extending their circulation .
From 1843 to 1861,I laboured at the cause from
six o’
clock in the morning till ten at night,and
literally never took a day ’ s holiday,or felt that I
wanted one ; and I worked on till 1864 withoutthe assistance of a clerk or foreman . During thisperiod my income from the -sale of phonetic books
,
after paying the heavy expenses connected withthe perfecting and extension of Phonetic Printing
,
’
did not exceed £80 per annum for the first tenyears
, £100 for the next five years,and £ 150 for
the next three years . During the first of theseperiods I was twice assessed for the income-tax .
I appealed,and proved that my income was under
£ 100 . The commissioners appeared surprised thatI should carry on an extensive business for thebenefit of posterity . From 1861 to the presenttime my income from Phonography has beensufficient for the expenses of my increased family
,
but not more . I f phonographers think that thi slabour
,extending over the best part of a life
,has
been productive of pleasure and profit to them ,
and to the world at large,they have now an
opportunity of placing me in a position t o carry onthe work of the Reading
,Writing
,and Spelling
Reform more effectually . That which is done
promptly is generally done well . Let us allabour in the eye of the motto— The Future isgreater than the Past .
1 3
194 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
Fourteen years before this an attempt had beenmade to raise a thousand pounds to bui ld aPhonetic Institute
,and in three years £350 was
raised and presented to I saac Pitman,as already
recorded The pro j ect was regarded as a testimonial to him
,and he consequently took no
part in its promotion . By steering clear of theideal of a personal testimonial
,and by the united
efforts of all working for the Reform,Isaac Pitman
expressed the confident belief that this attemptto build a Phonetic Institute would not provea failure . Such was the personal influence of theInventor of Phonography
,and so persuasive and
untiring were hi s efforts in a movement Of thisdescription
,that he was a host in himself he had
,
moreover,at the Institute the needful equipment
for bringing the appealunder the notice of everyonein the country who was likely to prove a helper .
The response to this appeal was immediate andcheering . The amount collected in 1862 headedthe first subscription list
,and was followed by a
contribution of £ 100 from Sir Walter C . Trevelyan,
and smaller amounts from over seventy othercontributors . From week to week additionalsubscriptions
,accompanied by encouraging letters
,
flowed in,and the Rev . W . J . Ball wrote from
Harrogate expressing his high approval of theproj ect and his intention to do what he couldto promote it— a magnanimous utterance afterthe recent cont roversy . Among those who tookan interest in the proj ect was Mr . H . J . Palmer
,
196 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
From the pressure Of other duties this work wasnever again resumed .
For a time the question of a site for the proposedInstitute was a source of considerable anxietyto I saac Pitman
,as negotiations in different
quarters proved ineffectual . Fourteen monthshad passed since the fund was opened
,when a
ray Of light and hOpe dawned on him from anunexpected quarter . An announcement was madethat Earl Manvers proposed to dispose of hisextensive property at Bath
,and on 28th and 29t h
May,1874
,there took place one of the largest sales
of property ever held in that city . The houseswere situated between the Abbey Church and theGreat Western Rai lway Station
,and the sale
realized a total of something like Theproperty included a number of large buildingswhich formed part Of the Abbey Churchyard
,
occupied chiefly by important business concerns,
and Isaac Pitman purchased a block containingtwo large houses known as Nos . 6 and 7 KingstonBuildings
,at the low price of £600 . He was thus
provided with a structure in a suitable position,
which could be converted into a Phonetic Institutewithout the heavy cost Of building a new Institute
,
which could not have been erected of the sizerequired under an outlay of
Writing directly after the purchase of the houses,
Isaac Pitman said that,By expending about £500
upon them,they may be made into a commodious
and beautiful Institute,or printing Office
,in the
THE FOURTH PHONETIC I N STITUTE ,KINGSTO N BI
'
I LD I NGS,
ABBE Y CHURCHYARD ,BATH
198 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
from the top room in Parsonage Lane to the newpremises in the Abbey Churchyard
,though the dis
tance was not great,was a laborious undertaking
,
and the interference with Isaac Pitman ’ s usualorderly routine Of answering innumerable correspondents who wrote to him about the manyenterprises in which they were mutually interestedwas considerable ; there is a touch of pathos inhis appeals to his many friends for their patiencewith him under these distracting conditions .
We have been compelled,
” he wrote,
to leavemany letters unanswered
,and they must remain
so until we get fairly at work in the new Institute .
”
But when,with his staff of eighteen workers
,he
was in occupation for the first time of the buildingwhich the generosity Of the phonographic worldenabled him to call his own
,all was not
,alas
,
plain sailing . His printing machinery propelledby steam power led to protests from neighbourson each side
,and promised developments were
delayed by this cause,as will be gathered from the
following communication addressed to phono
graphers by Isaac Pitman on the 8th May,
1875 :
The friends of Phonetic Spelling who see thisjournal have sympathiz ed with us in our trialsfor the past six months with respect to the labourwe have undergone
,the great expense we have
incurred,and the annoyances to which we have
been subj ected,in our attempt to introduce into
the Phonetic Institute a steam-engine,
and printing
TROUBLES WITH MACHINERY 199
machine . These troubles have arisen from two
sources,first the difficulty of getting our machine
to work at all,through our having been deceived
in the purchase of an engine and boiler that ev entually proved not worth the cost of erection and
,
secondly,after we had had a new boiler and engine
made,the machine was pronounced a nuisance
to our neighbours . We removed it to another partof the building to paci fy the neighbour on one side
,
and then found that its sound could just be heardby the neighbour on the other side
,who is much
more exacting in his demands . We shallnow have to print a journal of eight pages at ahand-press
,as formerly
,till something shall turn
up, either here or in some other premises , wherebywe can employ steam power
,and it will not be
voted a legal nuisance . We regret to have tosay that it is utterly impossible for us to print
Copies of thi s journal, containing sixteenpages
,at a hand-press in the time in which it
must be produced . I f the circulation shouldsuffer in consequence
,we must bide our time till
we have the means Of issuing sixteen pages . Butone
,or at the utmost two
,columns will be given
to advertisements,and these will be inserted
Times fashion,without display .
’
During these troubles,Mr . William Lewis
,
proprietor Of the Bath Herald hospitably placedhis machines at Isaac Pitman 5 service
,and thus
enabled him to print the journal with comparat ively little inconvenience till matters were putright at the Institute .
There was considerable discussion during 1875relative to the re-organization of the Phonetic
200 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
Society,which was initiated by a pamphlet written
by Mr . J . C . Moor,a North of England phono
grapher,who suggested a constitution which
in his Opinion could assume a national character .
Many phonographers j oined in the di scussion ,including the Hon . Ion Keith-Fal coner ( second sonOf the ninth Earl of Kintore) , at that time anundergraduate at Trinity College
,Cambridge
,who
took an important part in shorthand affairs in lateryears . He now advocated that The PhoneticSociety should consist only Of those who areperfectly able and competent to assist others inlearning the art .
” Mr . Timothy M . Healy,destined
to become a famous Irish M .P .
,took a keen interest
in Phonography and the Spelling Reform,and also
in the re-organization of the Society . During thisyear he visited Isaac Pitman at Bath
,and for the
man and for hi s li fe work has ever since mani festeda cordial appreciation . The change in the const itution Of the Phonetic Society effected as the resultof a prolonged di scussion was slight
,but useful
so far as it went . The number of classes of
members was reduced from four to two,the
learners ’ class and the class for those whoapproved of but did not write Phonography beingabolished . For the future the classes for memberswere as under
Class 1 . Members who write Phonetic Shorthand
,and engage to correct the Exercises of
Students through the post gratuitously .
”
THE PHONETIC SOCIETY 20 1
Class 2 . Members who write Phonetic Shorthand
,but are prevented by their other engage
ments from correcting exercises through thepost .
”
Each candidate had to submit a specimen of
Phonography attested as his own unaided work,
and the card of membership issued to those whowere admitted now testified that they werequalified as teachers of Phonography .
XVI I I
MAX -MULLER AND THE SPELLING REFORMA PROPOSED ROYAL COMMISS ION
1876-1879
THE year 1876 was with Isaac Pitman a time ofmany activities and interests
,and vigorous effort
in various directions . His special work for Phonography consisted in the production of a newedition ( the fourth) of the Phonetic ShorthandDictionary
,
” which was now for the first timeproduced with the phonographic charactersengraved in metal . Each character had at itsside the longhand spelling of the word
,with the
pronunciation in phonotypy in parenthesis,accom
panied by the meaning in ordinary longhand .
The three earlier editions were lithographed,and
this useful work had been for considerable periodsout of print phonographers therefore wel
comed the new form,which admitted of further
impressions being made from the type as required .
Isaac Pitman had contemplated the publicationof a small dictionary by the engraved methodseven years before
,in connection with which an
attempt was made to produce certain outlinesin accordance with the Rev . W . J . Ball ’s ideasfor writing final 7 and initial and final I. But itwas found that awkward outlines were the result
,
and as a consequence the enterprise was given up .
202
204 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
of hearing from Isaac Pitman a statement of itscondition and prospects . The chair was taken byDr . Samuel Crompton
,an old Spelling Reformer
,
and the author of a work entitled MedicalReporting
,or Case-taking
,
” published in 1847,
which enjoyed the di stinction of being the secondwork printed in phonotypy . The principal resolution was proposed by Mr . John Eglington Bailey
,
a well-known phonographer and an ablewriter on shorthand hi story
,and was seconded by
Mr . J . A . Parker,who had been shorthand writer
to the Supreme Court of Judicature of Indi a .
Mr . Parker had recollections of the early days ofhte Reform
,and of Isaac Pitman ’ s work in Bath .
He testified from what he had seen of his effort s,
from earliest dawn of light to the time when thestars were shining ” in the perfection of thephonetic printing alphabet and the disseminationof Phonography . This work he found was beingcarried on with the same unconquerable application at that time as when he first becameacquainted with the Inventor of Phonographytwenty-two years before .
Isaac Pitman in his speech in reply mentionedincidentally the obj ects for wh ich he had visitedManchester
,namely
,in support of the anti-tobacco
movement and vegetarianism respectively . Whenthe friends of Spelling Reform heard of his con
templated visit , they thought the occasion afavourable one for hearing from his lips an accountof the Reform and its present prospects . One
FORTNIGHTLY REVIEW 205
characteristic passage of his speech deserv esquotation . Someone had talked
,he said
,of
obstacles and difficulties “I really have not
seen or felt any . I have done nothing from thebeginning but simply pursued my course of workfor a right
,true
,and good idea . I have paid no
attention to Opponents,except
,occasionally, to
meet their obj ections as well as I could . I havenot felt any opposing powers at work against me
,
except the dead weight of a long-establishedcustom
,but have gone on promulgating the truths
and the uses of phonetic shorthand in the firstinstance ; and after seven years of this kind of
labour phonetic pri nting was commenced .
”
At the date of this meeting propagandist workhad assumed great dimensions
,and the total
output of printed matter from the new PhoneticInstitute was hal f a ton per week . For theproduction and wide circulation of Spelling Reformtracts
,Mr . John Coltman
,of Newcastle-on-Tyne
,
at th is time gave a sum of
I t was a source of extreme gratification to I saacPitman when the F ortnightly Review appeared forApril
,1876
,with an article by Professor Max
Miiller on the Spelling Reform . This remarkable paper
,
” he rightly ant icipat ed,'
would makea sensation in the literary world
,which is wont to
look upon the Spelling Reform as the mostQuixotic of all the professed reforms of the day .
In his attack on the old spelling,with its absurdi
ties and its evil effects,and in his defence of true
206 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
or phonetic spelling,Max-Muller goes to work like
a Teuton .
” This is absolutely true ; and theutterance of the great phi lologist remains the moststriking statement of the case for Spelling Reformwhich has appeared in the English language .
Max-Muller wrote : What I like in Mr . Pitman ’ssystem of spelling is exactly what I know hasbeen found fault with by others
,namely
,that
he does not attempt to refine t oo much,and
to express in writing those endless shades of
pronunciation,which may be of the greatest
interest to the student of acoustics,or of phonetics
,
as applied to the study of living dialects,but which
,
for practical as well as for scientific philologicalpurposes
,must be entirely ignored . Writing was
never intended to photograph spoken languagesit was meant to indicate
,not t o paint
,sounds . I f
Voltaire says,L
’
écriture c’est la peinture de la
voix,
’ he is right but when he goes on to say,
plus elle est ressemblante,meilleur elle est
,
’ I amnot certain that
,as in a picture of a landscape
,so
in a picture of the voice,pre-Raphaelite minute
ness may not destroy the very obj ect of the picture .
Language deals in broad colours,and writing ought
to follow the example of language, whi ch , thoughit allows an endless variety of pronunciation
,
restricts itself for its own purpose,for the purpose
of expressing thought in all its modifications,to a
very limited number of typical vowels and con
sonants . Out of the large number of sounds,for
instance,wh ich have been catalogued from the
various English dialects,those only can be recog
ni z ed as constituent elements of the languagewhich in
,and by
,their difference from each other
convey a difference ofmeaning . Of such pregnant
208 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
THE PHON ETIC ALPHABE T .
The p l anetic letters in til e first column are p ronounced
like tl e i talic letters in the words that follow. T/ze las t
column contains tlze names of t/ie letters .
CON SONANTS . Liquids.
E xp lodents . L
R ar
b . .bee Coalescents .
d
g
w leek .
g .league . .gay
Continuants .
mmue
c
e
wm
i th a
thee
ess
z ee
J3 vision z liee
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
s-Q<
M
VJ
Di rurnouos ci, ou, ai, oi .
as heard in by, now, new, ag/ (yes) , boy .
With the above alphabet Max-Muller declared that English could be written rationally
w wet way
yay
Asp irate.
aitch
VOVVELS .
Lingual.
at
alms ah
ell,feru e t
ale, air ch
1 ill it
i eel, fear ee
Lal z’
al.
on,or ot
all aw
up, our ut
oh
FUNCTION OF ORTHOGRAPHY 209
and read easily . The passage from MaxMiiller
’
s article on pp . 206-7 is reproducedbelow in phonotypy in accordance with {thealphabet .
t ot ci leik in Mr Pitman’
z s is tcm ov spelig iz ck
z aktli whot ci né haz bin found fo lt wid bei Uderz, nemli,dat hi ds z not atempt tn refein tnmug, and tuekspres
in reitindo z endles jedz ov pronsnsiejon, Wh ig me bi ov
de gretest interest tude stiudent ov akoust iks , or 0 17
fonet iks, as apleid tn de s tsdi ov livirj deialekt s, bs t
Wh ig, for prakt ikal az wel az for seient ifik filolojikal
ps rposez , mast bi enteirli ignord. Re it ig woz never
intended tn fo tograf'
Spoken laggwejez it woz ment tu
indiket, not tupent, soundz . I f Voltaire sez , L’ecri
ture c’est la peinture de la voix
,
” hi iz reit ; bzst when
h i go z on tn 58,
“plus elle est ressemblante, meilleur
elle est,
”ci am not serten dat , az in a pikt iur ov a land
skep . so in a pikt iur ov de vois, pri-Rsfeleit miniutnesme not destroi de veri objekt ov de pikt iur. Laggwejoils in broad ks lorz , and reitirj o t tn folo
'
de ekz ampel ov
laggwej, whig do it alouz an endles vareiet i ov promin
siefon,restrikts itself for its on ps rpos, for de ps rpos ov
ekspresir) clo t in 0 1 its moditiksj'
onz , tn a veri lim ited
nsmber ov t ipikal vouelz and konsonant s . Ont ov de
larjnamber ov soundz , for instans, Whig hav bin kata~logd from dc veris s I gglij deialekt s, do z onli kan birekogneiz d az konstit iuent elements c v de laggwejWhigin
, and bei, der diferens from ig sder konvé a diferens ov
minio. Ov as-g pregnant and 3o t-konveig vouelz , Igglij
’
poz ésez no mor dan twelv . Whotever de rne inor fedzov vouel soundz in I gglijde ialekts m s bi, dc dunot enrig de laggwej, az sag, (lat iz , dz: du, not enchel de spikertn konvé mar m iniut jedz cv do t dan de twelv t ipikalsigge] vouelz .
1 4
2 10 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
Max-Muller’ s paper was re-printed by IsaacPitman with some additional matter incorporatedby its author
,including an account of Mr . Jones’ s
proj ect for improving the existing orthographywithout the addition of new letters to the alphabet .
His only doubt about this scheme,Max-Muller
said,was whether a small measure of reform
would be carried more easily than a completereform . He also directed attention to Dr . J . WMartin ’s narrative of the successful experimentsin teaching reading by phonetic books carried outunder the doctor’ s supervision in the InfantNational School of Portlaw
,co . Waterford . Mr .
Elli s’ s system,referred to by Max-Muller
,was a
method of using the letters of the commonalphabet
,which the inventor thus described :
My Glossic was invented for the purpose of
writing all our dialects in one alphabet .
” I t wasnot primarily an educational instrument .
Within a few months of the publication of MaxMiiller
’
s article,the Spelling Reform question was
brought before the country in a fashion wh ichafforded Isaac Pitman reasonable grounds foranticipating that at last his unwearied labourswere to be rewarded ; that at least an inquirywould be made by the Government of the dayinto the practicability of improving Englishorthography . But unfortunately there are threegreat obstacles to reform . One of these is the factthat there is no official body whose function it is
to make those improvements in the Engli sh
2 12 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
Board Schools in regard to the teaching of readingand spelling
,and attention was directed to the
subj ect at various meetings of the Board . Aproposal was made for a memorial to the Government requesting the appointment of a RoyalCommission
,and a circular was sent to the School
Boards throughout the country requesting theiropinion as to the propriety of such a step . Themajority of the 277 Boards appealed to wereagainst the prOposal, but 100 were in its favoura remarkable evidence of the extent to which theSpelling Reform had gained adherents among theeducationists of the country . Notwithstandingthe adverse replies of the maj ority of the countrySchool Boards
,the London School Board
,on the
14th March,1877
,passed a resolution
,proposed
by Dr . Gladstone,for the nomination of a Select
Committee to draw up a memorial for the appointment of a Royal Commission . The Committeemet in due course
,and drew up a memorial , which
was adopted at a meeting of the School Board on
the 25th of July . In this memorial it was recommended that the Government should be moved toissue a Royal Commission for considering the bestmethod of reforming and simpli fying English spelling . It was urged that the results of primaryeducation in England and Wales were far frombeing satisfactory
,and that several of Her
Maj esty ’ s Inspectors had attributed this poorsuccess in a great measure to the difficulties causedby our present unsystematic spelling . Manyeminent scholars
,many of the leading philologists
of England and America,and the National Union
of Elementary Teachers,had all affirmed the
necessity of some change . This memorialwas signed by J . H . Gladstone
,Chairman of
SPELLING REFORM CONFERENCE 2 13
the Committee,Joseph Angus
,and John
Rodgers .
In the same year,1877
,an important Confer
ence was held at the Rooms of the Society of Art s,
London,on the 29th May
,on the subj ect of Spelling
Reform,the Rev . A . H . Sayce
,Professor of
Philology,Oxford
,presiding The primary obj ect
of the Conference was to support the request ofthe London School Board for the appointment ofa Royal Commission to inquire into the subj ect ofEnglish Spelling . I t was stated by Mr . EdwardJones
,the hon . secretary
,that the idea of such a
Commission had been mooted ten years previouslyby Mr . Russell Martineau
,at a meeting of the
Phi lological Society,and had been supported by
the Rev . J . Rice Byrne,M .A .
,one of Her
Maj esty ’ s Inspectors of Schools,and that from
that time the idea had gained general acceptancewith the Society of Arts and other educationalinstitutions . Among the letters read at theConference was one from the Right Hon. RobertLowe
,which appeared t o be a reply t o a question
put by Max-Miiller I s there no statesman inEngland sufficiently proof against ridicule to callthe attention of Parliament t o what is a growingnational misfortune ‘ I am not afraid of
ridicule,
’ said Mr . Lowe,and I have a strong
opinion on the spelling question . There are,
I am informed,39 [40] sounds in the English
language . There are 24 letters . I th ink thateach letter should represent one sound
,that 15
[16] new letters should be added, so that there bea letter for every sound
,and that every one
should write as he speaks .
’ 1 The Bishop of
1 Th ere appeared in Punch of 9th June ,1877 ,
under t h e
214 S IR ISAAC PITMAN
Exeter also wrote expressing sympathy withthe movement
,but suggesting that there should
be a minimum of change with no new characters,
and only the introduction of a few diacri ticalmarks .
”
One of the earliest speakers at the Conferencewas Isaac Pitman
,who began his remarks by
observing : Nothing that can occur this daycan possibly afford me more gratification than theletter of Mr . Lowe
,which our Hon. Secretary has
just read . I feared there was not a man amongthe 650 members of the House of Commons thatwould lead us on to victory but Mr . Lowe is theman ; and without meaning any disrespect toBishop Temple
,I must say that Mr . Lowe ’ s letter
,
when weighed against the letter of the Bishop of
Exeter,makes the latter kick the beam instantly .
You will observe that there are two distinctOpinions expressed in those letters . The Bishopof Exeter says : Introduce no new letters
,but use
diacritic marks we should want fifteen markedletters . I will venture to say that the Bishop hasnever written a single page with the diacriticmarks which he thinks might do . Mr . Lowe
,on
the other hand,takes the common-sense view of
the question,and says that as there are fifteen
quotat ion from Mr. Lowe’
s let ter given above,a poet ic protest
against reform ed spelling wh ich concluded th usTh ey (th e Muses) must leave old England ,
wit h regret ,I f Lowe lays hands upon h er alph abet ;And far from th e Adelph i make th eir dwelling ,
I f P itman set s h is spell upon h er spelling .
”
216 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
London,on the 5th February that year
,papers
on the subj ect were read by Mr . E . Jones and Mr .
W . Storr . These proceedings were reported atconsiderable length in the newspapers of the day
,
and many leaders and magazine articles were devoted to the subj ect . Many of the leading newspapers spoke favourably of the movement
,and
even The Times went so far as to recommend thatchildren should be
,at any rate
,taught t o read
and write in the first three standards on the easyphonetic plan .
’
“It was not until early in the following year,
1878,that the Spelling Reform question in con
nect ion with Board School teaching was broughtbefore the Government . On the 18th of January
,
the Lord President of the Council ( the Duke of
Richmond and Gordon) and Viscount Sandonreceived a deputation at the Privy Council fromthe London and many other School Boards
,
and another from the Society of Arts . The deputat ions consisted of about a hundred gentlemenfrom di fferent parts of the country
,and represent
ing various educational bodi es . Mr . Pitman,his
brother Frederick,Mr . Ellis
,Sir Charles Reed
,
Dr . Gladstone,Mr . Rathbone
,M.P . ( representing
the School Board) , and Mr . Richard,M.P . (who
expressed the bewilderment of the Welsh peopleon the subj ect of English spelling) were among thecompany present . The various speakers werelistened to with great attention
,and the Lord
President promised,in the stereotyped form
,but
with great courtesy,that he would lay before the
Cabinet the views that had been communicatedt o him . Nothing further came of the matter .
No Royal Commission was appointed ; but thesubj ect had been thoroughly ventilated
,and a
SPELLING REFORM ASSOCIATION 2 17
great deal done to clear the ground for futureaction in the same direction .
The presentation of the memorial to the LordPresident was soon followed ( in 1879) by theformation of the Spelling Reform Association inLondon
,under auspices which seemed to promise
a successful resul t . Mr . Pitman,of course
,j oined
its ranks,and occasionally assisted in its delibera
tions . Among the other well-known men who
allied themselves with the Society were LordTennyson
,Professor Max-Milller
,Professor Sayce
,
Dr . J . H . Gladstone,Mr . A . J . Elli s
,Charles
Darwin,Dr . R . G . Latham
,Professor Skeat
,Mr .
Westlake, Q.C.
,Dr . Charles Mackay
,Professor
Candy,M .A .
,Rev . John Rodgers
,Dr . Hunter
,etc .
I t is not necessary to write the history of theSpelling Reform Association in connection withthe biography of Isaac Pitman but it cannot bepassed over . I ts career
,which promised to be a
brilliant one,was short and unsatisfactory .
During the first year or two of its existence it wasthe means of drawing a good deal of attention tothe question of a reformed orthography . I tpublished a number of pamphlets and leaflets
,and
held a few public meetings at which addresseswere delivered by men of great di stinction . Butits efforts were a good deal frittered away inacademic discussions on the minutiae of Phonetics
,
instead of being directed to more practical work .
As in the case of most reforms,great differences of
Opinion existed as to the precise manner in wh ichphonetic spelling should be carried out andnotwithstanding the appointment of endless subcommittees with the View of reconci ling thesedifferences
,no definite line of action was taken ;
and,after a few years of fitful and spasmodic
218 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
effort,the Association collapsed . Though several
attempts were made to galvanize it into renewedactivity they were wholly unsuccessful .”
The appearance of a letter in The Times overthe signature of E iz ak Pitman
,dated from the
Fonet ik Instit iut,Bath
,
” and spelled fonetikali as was
,he explained
,his custom
,led to some
facetious observations in Punch of 15th February,
1879,which remarked of the letter that
I t ismainly a commendation ofVegetarianism andTeetotalism
,which h e
,being now sikst i-feiv yeerz of aij,
”has
pract ised for the last forty years . He test ifies thatTheez fort i yearz have been spent in kont ineus laibor in
konekshonwith the invenshon and propagashon ov mei sistem
ov fonet ik shorthand and fonet ik spelling, korrespondens, andthe editoarial deut iz ov mei weekli jurnal.
”
His weekli jurnal is of course the Fonetik Nuz , st ill alive
and kicking,as the P eople say
— kicking against etymology and
commonsense . I ts longev ity seems evenmore wonderful thanits editor
’
s surv ival of h is fort i yeerz regimen to the aijof siksti-feiv . H is circulation has beenmaintained on that
regimen,but what can have supported that of h is paper
Spelling Bees have for some t ime dropped out of vogue, orelse a Fonet ik Spelling Bee migh t answer Mr. P ITMAN ’
S
purpose of propagating his peculiar orthography . He wouldnot , of course , be deterred from that expedient by any remarkwh ich migh t possibly be made that he hada Spelling Bee in hisbonnet .
Punch seemed oblivious of the many thingswhich had happened in association with phonetic
spelling since Mr . Ellis ’s periodical appeared for thelast t ime thirty years before and that the widelycirculated P honetic journal should have so entirely
220 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
Through the death of Sir Walter C . Trevelyanin 1879
,at the advanced age of eighty-two
,Isaac
Pitman lost a friend who had with singulardisinterestedness given valued support at a timewhen the Reform movement most needed it
,and
who had been for twenty years the President ofthe Phonetic Society . Professor Max-Muller wasinvited to fill the position rendered vacant bythe death of Sir Walter
,and readily consented
to do so . At this time a slight change was madein the constitution of the Society
,and the state
ment that members were qualified to teach wasremoved from the certificate of membership .
Isaac Pitman paid a visit to Oxford as the guestof Professor Max-Muller in 1876
,and was keenly
interested in all that his host showed him of theancient University .
The four hundredth anniversary of the introduction of printing into England by WilliamCaxton was marked by an exhibition at SouthKensington in the summer of 1877
,to which Isaac
Pitman Obtained permission to send phonotypicli terature for distribut ion
,and as this included an
illustrated life of Caxton in reformed spelling,
there was a considerable demand for the novelty .
In this year also he received a visit at Bath fromProfessor J . D . Everitt
,ofQueen ’ s College
,Belfast
,
who had invented a system of shorthand in theearly fifties
,first circulated privately and in 1877
published in the ordinary way .
At this time Isaac Pitman made a change in his
MANY SCHEME S OF SPELLING REFORM AND THRE ERULE S PUBLIC APPE ARANCE S— ACTION IN THE
H IGH COURT— AMEN CORNER
1880- 1886
IN the early eighties the spelling reformer wasvery much abroad . Nearly every reformer who
addressed the public had his own particular schemefor supplanting the existing spelling
,and was
firmly convinced of its superiority to all others .
There were fifty orthographic schemes under theconsideration of the English Spelling ReformAssociation
,and in 1880 Isaac Pitman published
specimens of twenty-seven of these which he wasable to exhibit with his available type . Nothingcould have shown more clearly that while thereformers were attacking a common foe
,each was
armed with a different weapon . Th is idea wascleverly expressed in a poetical parody ( annotated)which attracted a good deal of attention at thistime
,and was read with amusement by all
interestedinSpelling Reform . I t ran as follows
GRAPHOPHONOMACHIA
THE BATTLE OF THE S IGNS AND SOUNDS
In deep recesses of a sunless vale
Hides a huge monster, miscall’
d Orthograph,
(But Malefido is h is righ tful nam e)Horrid, inform , unsigh ted. Many a peer,
222
GRAPHOPHONOMACH IA 223
Who sits, where Archibald 1 is King , supreme ,
At that round table nigh the Strand, i’
th’
CourtWh ere all h is Knigh ts assemble ,
oft has urgedAgainst the giant
’
s force a mad career
And come back worsted home . For m igh ty spells ,
Coin’
d in the gloom of wizard gramarye ,
Guard the abysmal cavern where he bides .
Weapons twiform’
d,and things that change their shape ,
While gazers stand aghast with wonderment ,
Are hurl’d against the rash invading foes,
Who seek to pierce the dark Cimmerian mist ,
Wh ere Malefido hides him : and behindBriarean Custom stretches polyp arms
To hurl the enemy back . Yet none the less
The crippled monster bleeds at many a wound.
First patriarchal Isaac 2 smote him hard
With missiles forged in shapes unknown to men,
Like the weird talismans in Egypt found,
Graven uncouth,or those mysterious signs
On Babel’s arrow—headed cylinders .
But ere brave Isaac pierced the giant’
s cave
To thrust him to the heart , a digraph-shower
As th ick as Vallombrosa’
s autumn leavesHurl’d him back breathless . Then his puissant peer,Strong Alexander 3 seized, the two-fork
’
d forms ,
Gather’
d them , shaped them , polish’
d them anew ,
And with h is own darts smote the giant down .
Againuprising ,Malefido urged
Myriads of Mutes to beat the invader backWith soundless death . So Alexander fail ’d.
Next a Welsh Knigh t4 dev ised a magic charm ,
To lead the Mutes by many a dev ious path ,
1 Arch ibald H . Sayce ,P resident of th e Spelling Re form
Associat ion .
3 Isaac P i tman, originator of th e Spelling Re form .
3 Alexander J . E llis , contriver of a Glossic , D igraph system .
E . Jones ,advocate of the use of e as modifier to indicate
long vowels.
224 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
So that they err’
d unwi t ting how they went ,
And smote their parent . He invoked his gods :They sent h im aid the witch Perplexi tyAssail
’
d the Welshman in the rear : who call’
d
His countrym en to help h im . One 1 like-named,
One of strange weapons, passing small, but keen,
That drive men crazy with their eerie looksAlong with him a lit tle sharp
-tooth’
t thing2
That skipt now here , now there but always bit ,Whether he skipt on th is side or on that
So these two plagued the monster, robb’
d his sleep ,
And made him frenzied with incessant pricks :But fail ’d i’ th ’
main achievement . Next cam e one
Of homey’
d nam e,3 with quilted doublet arm ’
d,
Who had good aim ,but weapons all too weak .
SO these all fail’
d : they did their best devoirAnd yet they fail
’
d. But last came one transform’
d
With spells of gramarye like the monster’
s own
A form of wonder like to half a man,
4
(But none could tell which half) , now head,now tail,
Now either-sided, always hal f a man,
Dress’
d in queer armour dot ted o’
er with ohs
He waited not to skirmish at the mouth ,
But rush ’
d into the cave , dived in the mist ,And with new weird enchantments maz ed the fiend.
But whether he will in the quest succeed,
Or whether he will hobble limping home,
None knoweth but , deep hidden in the mist ,
1 W . R. E vans , deviser of t ear-shaped and t adpole-shaped
modifiers for th e same purpose E van and John are etym ologi callyidentical .
1 F . G . Flea, or Fleay , proposer of a part ial imm ediate re formas introductory to a perfect syst em .
1 H . Sweet , author of a sch eme wh i ch requ ires doubled lett ersfor long vowels .
A . J . E llis in a new character, as a Dirnidian reformer .
In th is spelling Rome appears as“Roam ,
”but th e Romans
as Rohmunz h ence th e allusion to ohs .
226 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
not involve the addition of new types to the existing Romani c alphabet
,but could be used by
cutting down one letter (p) to form a characterto represent the vowel sound it. His rej oinder tothe Spectator was as follows
On reading this akiuz ashon peepel wil be ledtuinkweir intuthe nat iur OV the burglari,
’ andthe feloni with hwich we ar charid and hwenthey feind that we ar simpli svpleiing the defish
ensiz ov our alfabet,and puting things tureits
in the use ov leterz,az meni ov them az luv truth
and ut ilit i more than their own eaz e,wil aid us
in the wvrk .
”
There was promulgated about thi s time in theUnited States by the American Spelling ReformAssociation and the American Phi lologi cal Societya set of Five Rules for the improvement Of
English spelling without the addition of new signs .
These rules were approved and adopted in severalinfluential quarters
,and ran as follows
RULE 1 .— Omit a from the digraph ea when pronounced as
e short , as in hed, helth,etc .
RULE 2 .
— Omi t silent c after a short vowel, as in hav, giv,
liv, definit, forbad, etc .
RULE 3 .
— Write for ph in such words as alfabet, fantom,
cam/or, filosofi, telegraf, etc .
RU LE 4 .
— When a word ends with a double let ter, omit thelast
,as in shal
,wil
,clif, etc .
RULE 5.— Change ed final into t when it has the sound of t
,
as in lasht, imprest, fixt, etc .
THE FIVE RULES ”227
In a letter addressed to the English SpellingReform Association dated 22nd May
,1882
,Isaac
Pitman remarked : The Five Rules ’
of ourAmerican friends do not give a satisfactory styleof spelling for three reasons . 1 . They do not
affect more than th irty-four words in a column of
The Times Parliamentary debates,or one word in
seventy . 2 . The rule to omit final e after a shortvowel cannot be applied in the case of the letter 0
,
as in love,come for the omission of the final 6
would turn these words into loo,kom . 3 . The
fourth rule is too general . I f all, /all, lose the
second 1,the words will be mispronounced as al
( alley) , fal ( fallow) , and so with eleven words ofthis kind He recommended in preference abolder and easier style of spelling
,namely
,the use
of the Old alphabet phonetical ly as far as it canbe thus applied
,and explained the method by
which he considered certain consonants and ushould be dealt withThe Five Rules in the hands of Isaac Pitman
were experimented with and revised till in theend a set of di rections was evolved in which littleor no resemblance to the original rules couldbe traced . At one time he enlarged theseinstructions to Six Rules and later on
,towards
the close of his li fe,he reduced them to Three
Rules,
” as under
THE THREE RULES OF THE SPELLING REFORM
RULE 1 .— Reject 0
, q , x as redundant ; use th e o ther
consonants for the sounds usually associated with them ;
228 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
and supply the deficiency of twelve other let ters by these
digraphs
ch ,
’
th , th , sh ,z h
,ng. aa
,ai
, cc ; an, 0a, 0 0 .
cheap, thin,then, wish , vision, sing. palm, pale, peel ; pal] , po le, pool.
Write ay for the second vowel, and aw for the fourth ,at the
end of a word as pay,law.
RULE 2 .
—A, e, o, u,
ending a syllable (except at the end of
aword as, sofa) , represent a long vowel as in ia-vour, fe-ver,
RULE 3 .
—A, e, i , o, u,
in close syllables (and a at the end of
a word) , represent the sh ort sounds in pat, pet, pit, pot, put .
Use it foruwhen it is pronounced as in but .
Write the Diphthongs thus : ei , by ; on, now ; in, new
(yuinit ial ) di , Kaiser oi , coy .
NOTE — In the First Stage concede to custom I instead of
ci for the first personal pronoun n for ng when followed byk or g, as bank (bangk) , anger (ang-ger) father, piano-foarté ,
pianist (for faather, piaano-forté , piaanist ) . Wh en the let tersofadigraph represent separate values insert a between themas short hand (not shor thand) , bei ng (not by
' ing) . Proper
names and their adject ives, addresses, and the t itles of books,should not be altered at present .
After the introduction Of the First Stage,
the bulk of Isaac Pitman ’s Spelling Reformpublications were printed in this style
,and no
longer in full Phonotypy . The enlarged alphabet,
which had been the obj ect of experiments con
ducted at vast expense for forty years,and in
which a library of literature had been printednow fell almost into disuse
,in favour of a more
practicable scheme of reformed spelling through
230 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
reform .
” 1 But in our own time there are signsthat phonetic science is becoming more generallycultivated among those interested in educationthan was the case when Dr . Murray spoke over aquarter of a century ago . I saac Pitman’s disinterested efforts t o introduce a better alphabet thanthe present have not therefore been wholly futilethey have
,at any rate
,prepared the way for
practical improvements in English spelling in thefuture .
Several addresses were delivered at this time,
which were reported at considerable length in the
1 The following lett er on Spelling Reform was addressed byMr. Gladstone to Mr. E . Jones fourteen years before
HAWARDEN CASTLE ,CHESTER,
27th june, 1874.
Sir,
— There is much that migh t be done with advantage in
the reform of spelling as to the English language but themain th ing is, that whatever may be proposed should be pro
posed with the weigh t of great authority to back it . The bestplan, ifproposedwithout such backing , will inmy opinion onlytend to promote confusion. I should advise those who are
interested— andvery justly interested in this quest ion— to busythemselves not so much with considering what should be doneas with considering in what way Opinion can be brough t tobear on the mat ter
,and some organ framed to inquire what
shouldbe proposed. I t is not inmy power to Offer to give anyt ime under present circumstances to the undertaking wh ichI recommend
,and in which I should gladly have foundmyself
able to join.
I remain, your very faithful servant ,W. E . GLADSTONE .
E . JONE S , E SQ.
A VISIT TO BRISTOL 23 1
newspapers . Isaac Pitman visited Bristol on 8thNovember
,1880
,and addressed a large gathering
at the Young Men ’ s Christian Association,in St .
James’s Square,on Phonography and the Spel
ling Reform .
”Mr . Mark Whitwell
,Chairman of
the School Board,a member of the City Council
,
and from his exertions for the welfare of the youngknown as The Ch ildren ’ s Friend
,presided .
Mr . Whitwell was an Old phonographer . He hadtaken up another system in 1841 , but abandonedit for Phonography in 1843
,and had since made
much use of the art,which he recommended to
all young men . Mr . Whi twell had not longbefore been instrumental in introducing Phonography in the curriculum of Queen Elizabeth’ sHospital for Boys
,a famous Bristol educational
foundation .
The appearance in The Times in the early daysof 188 1 of a letter from Mr . James Griffin
,himself
a publisher,complaining of the high price (3 1 5 . 6d. )
at which Lord Beaconsfield’
s new novel Endymion was published
,and suggesting that it could
have been issued at the popular price of half-acrown
,and have thus secured a sale of half a
million,elicited the following observations from
Isaac Pitman : The principle contended for byMr . Griffin has been followed in the phonographicand phonotypic publications from the commencement
,and the result is that the sal e of the short
hand books in England is above a year,
that the price is sufficiently remunerative to the
232 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
author,and that eight hundredweight of phonetic
ally printed books in shorthand and phonotypyare sent from the Phonetic Institute every weekin the year .
” A year later the output of phonographic and phonotypic literature had risen to
hal f a ton weekly . In 1882 Isaac Pitman publishedan adaptation of his system to the Frenchlanguage
,of which Mr . Reed was the author .
The Inventor of Phonography visited Rome in1883
,and while there gave considerable help to
Signor Giuseppe Francini in hi s translation andadaptation of the P itmanic system t o Italian .
About the end Of 188 1 a new association wasstarted in Londonunder the name of the ShorthandSociety
,for the study and discussion of the art of
stenography in all its phases . The first President,
Mr . Cornelius Walford ( 1827 by professionan actuary
,was of li terary and antiquarian tastes
,
the author of A Statistical Review of theLiterature of Shorthand
,
” and a phonographer .
The Shorthand Society consisted of writers of
various systems,and its transactions included
many valuable papers,which were published for
some years in the P honetic journal . Before thisSociety Isaac Pitman on 28th June
,1884
,delivered
an address on The Science of Short hand . Thequestion had
,he said
,been raised whether there
was a science of shorthand,and this query he
answered with an emphatic affirmative . Therewere truths
,laws
,and facts connected with short
hand,about which knowledge could be gained .
234 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
the alphabet of nature,his system owes its
great popularity . For some years Isaac Pitmanwas one of the Vice-Presidents of the Shorthand
Society .
There were several International Exhibitionsheld at South Kensington in successive years atthis time and at one of these
,the International
Health Exhibition of 1884,there was an Educa
t ional Section which was placed in the Galleryof the Albert Hall . Although the space whichwas allotted was inadequate for the displayhe desired to make
,Isaac Pitman exhibited his
principal shorthand works,and arranged for an
attendant and a supply of free literature on
shorthand and spelling reform . The displayproved of considerable interest to the manythousands who visited the Exhibition
,and there
was a good demand for literature . Just beforethe Exhibition closed
,Isaac Pitman received
official notification that his Phonography hadreceived the only award made for Shorthand . Theletter of the Joint Secretaries was in the followingtermsWe are instructed to inform youthat the Jury
Commission,acting on the reports of the Inter
national Juries,appointed by H .R .H . the Prince
of Wales,have awarded you a Silver Medal in
ClassFor the third time in his li fe Isaac Pi tmanvisited Edinburgh
,where he delivered an address
at the Opening of the twelfth session of the Scottish
A SCOTTISH WELCOME 235
Phonographic Association on lst October,1884 .
He had first visited the city in 1841 when hisshorthand method was in its infancy . The younginventor was then unknown to fame
,and his
system was comparatively untried . But veryearly in the history of Phonography Scotland hadbecome convinced of the value of the art and of
its practical utility,and as a resul t it had been for
many years extensively taught and practised inthe North
,in some respects perhaps more success
fully than in England,and the Scottish Phono
graphic Association,established in 1874
,had
grown to a large,influential
,and flourishing
society for the propagation of the art . From thissociety Isaac Pitman received an enthusiasticwelcome
,the place of meeting was thronged
,and
great numbers were unable to Obtain admission .
The Lord Provost,Sir George Harrison
,presided
,
and was influent ially supported . His Lordsh ipwas much impressed by the enthusiasm displayed .
I t showed,he said
,that Scotchmen and Scotch
women retained the love of knowledge wh ich hadcharacteri zed them for centuries
,and he was
gratified to find them taking advantage of theopportunity to honour Isaac Pitman for what hehad done to increase the sum of humanknowledge .
The contrast between his first and his th irdv isit to Edinburgh had pro foundly impressedIsaac Pitman . When he visited the city as ayoung man forty-three years before
,and the first
236 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
seeds of the phonetic reform were deposited,his
publications were few and insignificant ;“Now
,
”
he continued,I dispose of a million phonetic
books and P honetic journals every year, and abouthalf a million of phonetic tracts . To him thiswas a source of devout thankfulness t o theSource of all good . I t is hardly necessary
,
”
he went on,that I should say to this meeting of
phonographers that I regard the phonetic educat ional movement in the light of a holy crusadeagainst ignorance . In this age of railways andtramways
,and exhibitions
,and the Suez canal
,
and the Mersey and Severn tunnels,and a doz en
more good things proj ected,it cannot be that
people will go on writing with the stammeringpen of longhand
,when they may write with the
fluent phonographic pen,with all the rapidi ty of
speech,and with more than the ease of speech .
”
As to spelling : All the efforts of teachers andcommittees of School Boards are baflled by ourbarbarous and inconsistent spelling
,which no
fellow can master,except some of the teachers
,
and some writers for the Press,editors
,proo f
readers,and compositors . Only a portion of the
writers for the Press are what are called goodspellers . There is a chorus of lamentation fromthe Inspectors that the reading taught in theBoard Schools is non-intelligent . The Inspectorssay that the children read in a senseless manner .They pronounce the words
,but in such a way that
a listener cannot understand what is read . The
238 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
fact that counsel were unacquainted with Phonography
,but the case for the defendant was
conducted wi th marked skill throughout .The principal witness was the plaintiff in the
case,and his appearance in the witness-box excited
much interest . A number of shorthand writerswho had used the Pitman system professionallyfor years
,but had never seen its inventor
,took
the Opportunity of attending the Court,while a
good many other phonographers who were interested in the art in various ways followed theproceedings with much interest . A blackboardwas placed in position between the witness-boxand the Bench
,and by its aid the Inventor of
Phonography illustrated his evidence,and as
his work was followed with close interest byBench
,Bar
,and a considerable gathering of
practical phonographers,the appearance of the
Court was strongly reminiscent of a large Shorthandclass . The point which it was sought to establishon behalf of the plaintiff was that defendant ’ swork
,entitled Contracted Outlines
,had rules
which were identical in their effect with thosecontained in the books of which the plaintiff wasthe author . Isaac Pitman’ s evidence was givenwith great clearness
,andunder a long and searching
cross-examination he was perfectly calm andcollected
,emerging from the ordeal with his case
strengthened rather than otherwise . Severalexpert wi tnesses had been retained for the plaintiff
,
of whom three were called,namely
,the Hon. Ion
JUDGMENT FOR PLAINTIFF 239
Keith-Falconer,who had about this time written
the article on Shorthand for the Ninth Edi tionof the Encyclop edia Britannica ,
” and Mr . Reedand Mr . Thomas Hill
,both well-known as pro
fessional shorthand writers in the High Court andelsewhere . The defendant claimed that his ruleswere his original work
,that they taught advanced
and new principles,and were not copied from the
books of the plaintiff .In the course of a lengthy judgment Mr . Justice
Mathew decided that the evidence led to theirresistible conclusion that the defendant hadbeen copying the plaintiff ’s book and the onlyreason why he can say he has not done it is thathe has illustrated the plaintiff’ s system by differentwords from those that the plaintiff has used .
”
His lordship concluded
The defendant felt h is way very carefully in commencinghis publication. He published first a small pamphlet , wh ich
was printed [chromographed] , and against that the plaint iff
protested,but he though t it a small mat ter, and he probably
hesitated (either from h is own good sense, or from the excellent
adv ice h e may have had) about commencing aChancery suit inreference to that . The defendant , emboldened perhaps bythe plaint iff
’
s neglect , at a certain interval afterwards printed
[li thographed] what h e had prev iously put forward in a
different form, and then again the plaint iff protested. In
the year 1880, when this publicat ion was brough t to h is
knowledge , he protested against it and pointed out once more
that it was an infringement of h is copyrigh t , but he took noproceedings . Again the defendant made a further experiment ,
that expanded work No . 2 ,and th e work the subject of th e
present proceedings . He expanded the Contracted Outlines from 600 to and then once more the plaint iff
240 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
protested. He did allow unquestionably nearly a year to
go by , and then,when the defendant had sent h im a copy
of his book request ing that he would insert an advertisement
of it in the journal, of which the plaint iff was the publisher,the plaintiff determ ined to bring the mat ter t o an end
,and
a correspondence commenced,wh ich certainly in the first
instance exhibitedproper feeling on the part of the defendantand the plaint iff would be justified in expect ing from that
correspondence that the mat ter migh t be amicably settled.
The correspondence went on for a considerable t ime ,unt il it
was clear that the defendant would not adm it what the
plaintiff considered his righ ts in the mat ter, and then these
proceedings were commenced. Now it certainly throws a
flood of ligh t upon the plaint iff’
s conduct in the mat ter, as
we have been informed, in the course of the proceedings, thatthe defendant is defending thi s action in forma pauperis .
I t is perfectly evident that a plaint iff would hesitate a longt ime before hewouldat tack amanwho couldnot pay dam ages .
Subsequently he was driven to take the course he has taken.
Now it is said,Youough t to give the plaintiff damages ;
youough t not to give himan injunct ion. That would bedenying him all remedy ,
for the defendant is a man who
cannot pay damages . What is proposed is, that the defendantshould be suffered to go on to publish th is work ,
wh ich I hold
to be an infringement of th e plaintiff’
s Copyrigh t , the plaint iff
being at liberty to sue him from t ime to t ime for damages ,
wh ich he would never recover. If ev er there was a case in
which the powers of the Court ough t to be exercised, as askedby the plaint iff, it seems to me that this is that case . I there
fore grant the injunct ion asked for by the plaint iff. I direct
the copies of h is book now in the defendant’
s possession either
to be givenup to the plaint iff, or such an arrangement to be
come to between the part ies as would preclude the possibilityof the work being further published. I further give a formal
direct ion that the plaint iff shall have h is costs at any t ime
should the defendant be in a posit ion to pay h im .
Though I saac Pitman’ s name was so well-knownto writers of his system of shorthand through his
242 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
consisted chiefly of phonographers who had comeout of curiosity to see him
,or of the outside public
who desired to be instructed— he called for a showof hands from those who were acquainted withPhonography
,and di scovered
,perhaps t o his
surprise,that the large maj ori ty of his hearers
were already his disciples . Th is,as he remarked
,
enabled him the better and the sooner t o get intouch with them
,and rendered needless any such
minute explanation of the system as he mightotherwise have given . He rather dwelt on theprinciples underlying the construction of his
alphabet ; and ( the traditions of Exeter Hal lnotwithstanding) he could not refrain from throwing in a small modicum of Swedenborgian philosophy and applying it to hi s subj ect . The masculine and feminine element
,said by the Swedish
seer to pervade all things in nature,he appli ed
to the consonants and vowels respectively andin the pairing of the consonants themselves
,as
shown in the arrangement of the phonographicsymbols
,he found another illustration of the same
all-pervading dualism . The reading reformwas also advocated with the lecturer’ s accustomedearnestness and energy and some striking illustrat ions were given of the inadequacy of thecommon Spelling to convey the sounds of thewords represented .
A considerable impulse was given to the formation of Shorthand Writers’ Associations throughout the country by the issue in 1885 for the first
ISAAC PITMAN SONS 243
time of Shorthand Speed Certificates from thePhonetic Institute . These testimonies to practicalskill were issued from Bath in co-Operation withexamining committees appointed by the localassociations
,and the granting of certificates
had a most beneficial effect on the promotion of
useful efficiency in shorthand writing throughoutthe country .
I saac Pitman’ s two sons,Mr . Alfred Pitman and
Mr . Ernest Pitman,who were educated at Bath
College,had for some time assisted their father
in his work at the Phonetic Institute . In hisNew Year ’ s address to the Phonetic Society in1886
,the Inventor of Phonography made the brief
but interesting announcement that The presentoccasion seems an appropriate one for informingphonographers and the public that I have nowassociated with me in the phonetic business mytwo sons
,and that the title of the firm will in future
be Isaac Pitman Sons .
’ An auspicious eventmarked the opening of the career of the new firmIsaac Pitman ’ s Phonographic Teacher
,
” the mostpopular shorthand book published in the Englishlanguage
,this year reached its First Million .
On 2 15t November,1886
,Mr . Frederick Pitman
,
the youngest brother of the Inventor of Phonography
,and his London publisher at No . 20 Pater
noster Row,died at the early age of fifty
-eight .
His services to the winged art were considerable,
not only as teacher but as author of books dealingwith the practical uses of shorthand
,and as editor
244 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
of various lithographed phonographic periodicals,
which for many years enjoyed a wide popularity .
I t was decided that the firm of Isaac PitmanSons should for the future have their own Londonpublishing house
,and the end of the year saw them
in occupation of their present premises,No . 1
Amen Corner,London
,E .C.
246 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
of people not interested in orthograph ic reform,
as among the most important of modern timesaving inventions in association with the art of
writing .
Very early in the preceding year the attentionof phonographers was directed to the advisabilityof celebrating the Jubilee of Phonography . Afterthe matter had been discussed in phonographiccircles
,it was brought before the Council of the
Shorthand Society by Mr . Reed,on the 3rdMarch
,
1886,when the following resolution was passed :
That this Council having heard from Mr . T . A .
Reed a statement as to the proposed Jubilee of
Phonography,in 1887
,and a public recognition
of Mr . Pitman’s labours,desire to express their
entire sympathy with the obj ect,and request
Mr . Reed to represent them on any committeethat may be formed with a view to its promotion .
”
The Shorthand Society,it will be remembered
,
was a body containing those writing varioussystems of shorthand
,and one of its most dis
t inguished members, John Westby-Gibson, LL .D .
,
an indefatigable investigator in shorthand historyand bibliography
,had di scovered that the date
of the Jubilee practical ly co incided with thethree hundredth anniversary of the beginningof modern Shorthand in England by TimothyBright
,in the reign of Queen Elizabeth . He
therefore proposed that the celebration of 1887
should assume a double character,namely
,the
Jubilee of Phonography and the Tercentenary
THE PHONOGRAPHIC JUBILEE 247
of Bright ’s system . The prOposal met withapproval
,and at the same meeting of the Council
of the Shorthand Society at which the aboveresolution was passed
,it was further agreed on
the proposition of Dr . Westby-Gibson,seconded
by Mr . Reed,That it is desirable that advantage
should be taken of the Phonographic Jubilee of
1887 to hold in London an international gatheringof shorthand writers of all systems
,in celebration
of the Tercentenary of the origination of modernShorthand by Dr . Timothy Bright
,The
actual date of Bright ’s first published book was
1588,but as he was using the system in 1586
,
the celebration was made to fall in 1887 in orderto coincide with the Phonographic Jubilee . Theseproj ects were brought under the notice of IsaacPitman by Mr . Reed
,and the correspondence
included the following characteristic letter fromthe Inventor of Phonography :
Bath , 30 March , 86.
Isaac Pitman to Thomas Al len Reed .
Youhave removed the only obj ection I feltt o the vigorous prosecution of the Jubilee of
Phonography,and its advocacy in the P honetic
journal, by suggesting that whatever sum beraised as a thank-offering should be utilized forthe extension of Phonography . This has myhearty approval .I am happy to say I need no addition to the
income I derive from the copyright of Phono
graphy . But I think a better appropriation of
248 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
the funds will be found than the institution of
prizes for the best and swiftest writers . Thiswould seem to involve the holding of the championship gold medal for the year . Th ink what labourand anxiety would attend the examination of
several hundreds or thousands of specimens of
wri ting,and after a decision had been come to
nobody would be a pin the better,not even the
winners .
I f it is al
defect in my mental constitution tobe without emulation [or j ealousy], one of theworks of the flesh (Gal . V . I suppose I mustbear it with all contentment
,but I confess that I
never,as a boy or a man
,felt a wish to rival or
outstrip another,but only to excel my former
selfBut we need not now consider this part of the
Jubilee . I shall be glad to assist in any way Ican
,with the journal at my back . Farewell .
”
Soon after Isaac Pitman wrote the letter quotedabove
,public announcement was made of the
obj ects of the proposed celebration . The GeneralCommittee which had undertaken its promotionincluded many personages of distinction
,as well
as the leading representatives of the stenographicprofession in this country
,on the Continent
,and
in America,with Mr . Reed as Chairman and
Treasurer,and Dr . Westby-Gibson as Hon.
S ecretary . The gathering was designated TheInternational Shorthand Congress
,London
,
and it was the first of this series of meetings .
There were two sections of the Congress : ( 1 )
DELICATE NEGOTIATIONS 249
The Phonographic Jubilee . (2) The Tercentenary of Modern Shorthand
,in the shape of a con
ference to discuss the history and developmentof shorthand ; its principles and modes of application ; and its position , interests , and prospects .
I t became apparent at an early date that therewas a wide divergence of opinion as to the respec
tive claims of the two branches of the proposedCommemoration
,and there seemed at one time
a probability that thi s conflict of views mightresult in a split among the supporters of themovement . The wise tactfulness of Mr . Reed
,
however,happily prevented this
,and a method of
working was agreed upon which gave satisfactionto all parties
,and resulted in the entire success of
the Congress . This welcome result was achievedby the appointment of two executive committees .
One of these was the Phonographic ExecutiveCommittee
,with Mr . Reed as Chai rman and the
other was the Tercentenary Executive Committee,
with Mr . W . H . Gurney-Salter as Chai rman . Thefirst of these committees consisted
,with one
exception,of phonographers only . The second
was presided over by the head of the Gurneysystem
,and consisted of well-known writers of
vari ous methods of shorthand,including several
phonographers . To the last named committeewas entrusted the arrangements connected withthat portion of the programme which dealt withmatters of general interest to shorthand writersp f all systems
,and to a great extent the general
250 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
arrangements . A satisfactory agreement wascome to as to the allocation of any surplus fundsafter the payment of expenses
,and the Jubilee
Committee decided that their share should bedevoted to some method of perpetuating IsaacPitman ’s name and services— hi s wishes to beconsulted in the matter .
The Congress was held in the Geological Museum,
J ermyn Street,London
,lent for the purpose by
the Lords of the Council . The proceedingsextended from Monday
,26th September
,to
Saturday,l st October . Five days were devoted
to various functions of the Congress and to
the discussion of subj ects of general interestto all shorthand writers
,whi le Wednesday
,
28th September,was specially set apart for the
phonographic celebration .
Great distinction was given to the opening of
the Congress by the inaugural speech deliveredby the Earl of Rosebery
,K .G .
,who had accepted
the office of President . His Lordship humorously observed that nobody had ever suspectedhim of knowing anything about shorthand . Hehad read that between the system of Willi s in1602
,and Pitman in 1837
,there were 201 systems
,
while Since that date there had been 281 more,
and he felt that it was almost a relief to feel thatone was absolutely ignorant of all of these systems .
In the course of an interesting comparison between the reporting at the commencement of theeighteenth century and in the nineteenth century
252 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
the course of their conversation Lord Roseberyremarked on the distinct way in which the veteranshorthand author spoke
,observing that it was
in pleasing contrast to the mumbling utterancesonly too common . I have frequently to com
plain,
” Lord Rosebery said,
of people bringingout their words in such a slovenly and obscuremanner
,or so rapidly
,that it is quite an effort
t o understand what they say .
” In reply IsaacPitman was able to say I have
,from my youth
up ,studied to speak di stinctly .
” His Lordshipfurther remarked that he observed that his visitormost carefully articulated every syllable of thewords he uttered
,and to this Isaac Pitman
replied,
Yes,my lord
,that is the result of my
phonetic system .
”
During the week the Congress discussed Parliamentary Reporting
,the History and Literature
of Shorthand,Legal and Official Shorthand Report
ing,Shorthand in Education
,and the Principles
and Structures of Systems . The proceedingswere reported at considerable length in the dailynewspapers from The Times downwards
,and
those who had not hitherto paid any special heedto the art of shorthand and the work of reporting
,
were led in many instances to take a keen practicalinterest in the P itmanic system
,which was brought
so prominently to the front by its practitionersduring the Congress . A valuable feature of theCongress was an international exhibition of short
hand books and manuscripts, held at St . J ames’ s
SHORTHAND EXHIBITION 253
Hall Restaurant,Piccadilly
,London
,W.
,which
was collected and arranged on behalf of the Exhibit ion Committee by Messrs . E . Pocknell
,F . H .
Valpy ,and H . Richter . No such collection of
books representative of shorthand literature of
Great Britain and the principal Continentalnations had ever been exhibited before or since
,
and the Chronological Collections of Englishsystems exhibited the progress of English shorthand authorship from 1588 to the year of theCongress . From his library at the PhoneticInstitute
,Bath
,Isaac Pitman lent a large number
of rare works of early shorthand authors,as well
as many extremely interesting exhibits illustrativeof the development of Phonography . A valuablecatalogue of much bibliographical interest wasissued by the Exhibition Committee
,which
included an account of the British Museumexhibition held at this time in the King ’s Library
,
contributed by Dr . Westby-Gibson .
The phonographic celebration of Wednesday,
28th September,is not likely to be forgotten so
long as any interest is felt in Isaac Pitman and hissystem of brief writing . The central figure in theday ’ s proceedings contributed two papers atdifferent times in the day and delivered a speechin the evening
,all three utterances being charac
teriz ed by the straightforward,cheery optimism
,
good sense,and modesty in speaking of his own
ach ievements,which marked Isaac Pitman’ s
public utterances . Dr . J . H . Gladstone presided
254 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
at the morning conference . There had been somecurrent misconceptions
,and so he was careful to
explain that they were not celebrating the Jubileeof shorthand and phonetic writing
,but the
Jubilee of the first publication by Isaac Pitmanof his particular system
,a phonetic system
applied to shorthand,wh ich he termed Phono
graphy . He devised a thorough English alphabet
,capable of being applied t o all the sounds of
the English tongue,and in that way was able to
start the very rational and simple style of shorthand which SO many of us practise .
” Anotheradvantage which had not been insisted upon so
much was that the alphabet of Isaac Pitmanaffords the best means we possess of writing downthe pronunciation of any new word ” Dr . Gladstone Spoke from experience ; he had at that timeused Phonography for more than forty years .
Isaac Pitman ’ s contribution to this gatheringwas a paper entitled The Spelling Reform andHow to Get It
,
” which elicited a brisk di scussion .
At the afternoon sitting he read a paper entitledThe Genesis of Phonography
,from which we
have quoted somewhat fully in a precedingchapter (pageOf the evening gathering in the Theatre
,which
was the most interesting event of the day,Mr .
Reed (who took a leading part in it) has left apleasant and vivid description
,which is substan
t ially reproduced here, with some added facts,and with an additional passage from Mr . Reed
’
s
256 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
Mr . Reed went on to observe,
may have:
existed among phonographers on small matters
of detai l,there is but one Opinion among those
who,like myself
,have had the advantage of know
ing Isaac Pitman personally,as to his intense
desire to leave behind him the Very best stenographic instrument that his wit could devise .
I have known him,while a book has been in the
process of printing,cancel the printed pages at
a considerable pecuniary loss, and begin afresh inorder that he might incorporate in the work somesuggestion that he had received for its improvement .
” After this illustration of Isaac Pitman’ spainstaking care as an author— a by no meansinfrequent occurrence at the Phonetic InstituteMr . Reed called attention to his services t o the
community , and concluded thus I have now
to discharge what is perhaps the pleasantest dutythat has ever devolvedupon me
,that of asking you
to accept for your family from the phonographers
of Great Britain and Ireland this marble bust . Itwill be to them a constant reminder of the regardand affection entertained towards you by those
who have known best how to appreciate yourlabours and it will
,at the same time
,be an ac
ceptable legacy to posterity . Not that it is needed
to secure youa place in the recollection of your
countrymen . Your work,far better than even
Mr . Brock ’ s faithful chisel , will keep al ive yourmemory in the future but all the more will those
who fill our places in the coming years be grateful
P ITMAN,1887 74)
F rom a. .ll arble Bust by Thomas l im e/f ,l l 1
258 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
I have quoted thi s portion of the Divine Wordfor the purpose of saying that
,consciously
,this
passage has been my guide from my youth up .
To-night instead of feeling that I am a kind of
Roman citizen,and that youhave placed a civic
crown upon my brow,I rather feel in the condi tion
of a criminal arraigned before thi s Court on thecharge of having sought great th ings for myself .I fancy to myself somehow that our venerablechairman (Mr . Reed) is the judge . I f he were butbewigged
,which would well become him
,he would
be an admirable judge— a very Portia . And myfriends upon the front row seem to me to be thejury— the grand jury and the seat s behind filledwith the public
,are the audience : and now I
stand before you in some sense as a criminalarraigned before the world for having sought greatthings formyself and I must frommy heart declaremyself Not guilty .
’ I f you, in your clemency,
come to the same conclusion,I shall go from this
meeting a happy man . And then to turn to thisbust
,a doubt is suggested to my mind somehow
,
and I cannot get rid of it . I have some hesitationin deciding wh ich is the man and which is theimage . I must real ly appeal to Mr . Brock . (Mr .
Brock answered with a smile . ) I th ink this
(pointing to the bust) must be the man, such ashe ought to be for purity and beauty
,and this
( pointing to himself) the imperfect image . Ionly wonder how my friend Mr . Brock could havemade such an image from such a subj ect .” Then
,
PHONOGRAPHIC FINALITY 259
passing from himself to his subj ect , he narrated,as an illustration of what can be accomplishedby writing
,and the astonishment it creates among
those unaccustomed to it,the familiar story of the
missionary Williams and the “speaking chip,
”
which did excellent service as an introductoryparagraph in the addresses of the young phonographic lecturers in the early days of the crusade .
My obj ect in li fe,
” he added,has been to make
the presentation of thought as simple of execution,
and as visible to the eye,as possible . Fifty years
are a long time in the li fe of a man,and I have
prosecuted my labours for that length of time,
and though I cannot say that we have got inPhonography the best shorthand outline for everyword
,I do maintain that we are not very far from
it . I think that the only thing that remains tobe done is
,to select any words that are not facile
and beautiful in form,easy of execution by the
reporter ’ s hand,consider them
,and put them in
the best possible form,and then we shall
‘
hav e
completed our work .
” Having alluded to themany indications of the daily increase in thepopularity of Phonography
,Mr . Pitman glanced
at the question of the Spelling Reform,and then
again assumed the rOle of a prisoner arraigned atthe bar of justice and awaiting the verdict . Mr .
Reed thus finding himself suddenly invested withjudicial functions
,submitted the case to the
audience as the only jury capable of deciding it .
A hearty burst of cheers and laughter followed,
260 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
which the Chairman interpreted to mean a verdictof Not guilty
,
” adding,according to the custom
ary formula,that the self-arraigned prisoner
left the court without a stainupon his character .
”
This little interlude ended,Mr . Pitman said :
Well,my friends
,I accept these beautiful gi fts
,
including the bust,with the deepest and most
affectionate gratitude of wh ich my nature iscapable . They shall be a stimulus to me to workon in the. same line
,but
,if possible
,with increased
di ligence and faithfulness . Mr . Ernest Pitmanalso
,for the family
,returned thanks for the
cordial way in which phonographers had showntheir appreciation of his father ’ s labours in theshorthand world .
”
On behalf of the foreign visitors,Dr . Dreinhofer
moved a congratulatory resolution,which was
seconded by Dr . Gladstone,and supported by
Mr . Crump, Q.C. Dr . Gant ter
,a representative
of the Gabelsberger system,in Germany ; Dr .
Weber,who represented the French stenographers
Mr . W . H . Gurney-Salter ; Mr . J . C . Moor,of
Sunderland ; Mr . J . B . Lawson,of Edinburgh ;
and Professor Bridge,of the Chatauqua Uni
versity,
”who spoke in behalf of the phonographers
of America .
The social side of the Congress included a dinnerheld on Tuesday
,27th September
,at the Holborn
Restaurant,
over wh ich Sir Charles Russell,
Q.C.
,M.P . ( afterwards Lord Chief Justice and
Lord Russell of Killowen) , presided with great
262 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
In the Opening words of his reply Isaac Pitmanmade some remarks which were not al togetherunderstood
,and were
,as will be shown
,elucidated
by himself later on . As a personal matter,
he sai d,my love of Shorthand is entirely with
respect to its uses to society and I may honestlysay
,not in pride nor in depreciation of the subj ect
,
that I have not an atom of love for shorthand asan art for its own sake . I t is only for its use .
”
AS a superior medium of writing to the ordinarylonghand he advocated its introduction as partof the ordinary
(curriculum of our schools . The
two points in the construction of a good systemof shorthand were
,in his opinion
,in the first place
a simple alphabet scientifically arranged,and in
the second place a good and extensive system of
abbreviations to adapt it to the requirements ofthe reporter . In the generally practised systemof Phonography he ventured to think they hadthose two conditions . I hOpe ,
” he added,
that for the few remaining years of my lifeI shall devote myself to the propagation of
that system,and in connection with it to the
S implification of the Spelling of the Englishlanguage .
”
At a subsequent date,in his own journal,
I saac Pitman explained the statement in hisspeech which had caused some surprise
,that he
loved shorthand only for its use . His meaningwas that compared with the study of the spiritualaffections of man ( as revealed through Swedenborg)
MANSION HOUSE LUNCHEON 263
Shorthand,viewed historically or practically
,
did not engage his affections . Yet,
” he said,
I spend ten hours of a day in extending thesystem which I have been enabled to present to
the world . I have done this from a deepconviction of the utility of the art to Engli shspeaking people
,that is
,from a love ofuse . This
and the consequent Spelling Reform is my lifework
,and I enj oy it intensely
,but the enj oyment
arises from the fulfilment Of duty,and not from
considering the thousand stenographic and orthographic details on which it is necessary to decide
,
nor in prosecuting archmological studies inthe ancient systems of shorthand . I neverfelt a greater relief from an irksome task thanwhen I had finished reading and reviewing thesystems of shorthand published previously to
Phonography in 1845,in my History of
Shorthand .
’ 1
The Shorthand Congress was honoured with aninvitation to lunch with the Lord Mayor of
London,Sir Reginald Hanson
,at the Mansion
House,and on Friday
,30th September
,a company
of about two hundred were the guests of his
1 Isaac P itman was about this t ime preparing the third
edit ion of h is History of Shorthand,
”wh ich was rev ised
and enlarged,with valuable tables of alphabets specially
lithographed. Notices were given of nearly 250 systems ,
and in the preparat ion of th is edit ion Isaac P itman had the
valued assistance of Mr. Alexander Paterson.
264 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
Lordship in the Egyptian Hall . The cordialreception accorded to the members of the Congressand the graceful speech of the Lord Mayor inproposing the toast of the afternoon delighted all
present . His Lordship had just before takenan interest in the shorthand work of the studentsof the City of London School
,and he now men
t ioned that the name of Isaac Pitman was the firstever heard by him as a boy in connection withthe art of shorthand . Whatever di fference of
Opinion there might be with regard to the varioussystems
,there was
,the Lord Mayor observed
,
no difference of opinion at all that Isaac Pitmanwas the most eminent living English inventor .
I t is a pleasure to me as Lord Mayor,
” he continned
,to welcome him here
,and to say that
to him and to those who are representatives of
the art of shorthand we owe very much and webelieve that in times to come we shall owe themstill more
,not merely from the commercial point
of V iew,but from the general point of View of
the increase of knowledge throughout the civilizedworld .
” These encouraging sentiments wereacknowledged by Isaac Pitman and other gentlemen who had taken a leading part in theTercentenary proceedings .
The Congress was brought to a successfulconclusion on l st October
,but this narrative of
Isaac Pitman’s personal association with it wouldbe incomplete without a reference to two veryimportant works which his firm published in
266 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
the interesting fact that he was acquainted withthe first edition of Phonography . I remember
,
he said,
“making very good use of the book .
On the following evening,the 30th August , a
public meeting was held,presided over by Sir
Edward W . Watkin,M .P .
,who gave a practical
account of his pioneer work in utilizing the artfor the di ctation of correspondence in the officesof the railways with which he was associated . I twas their custom
,he remarked
,when they engaged
a young man as clerk,to compel him t o learn
shorthand,and Mr . Henry Pitman had been their
first teacher . I am bound to say,
” he went on,
that the Pitman system of shorthand has beento those by whom I am here
,and have been
elsewhere surrounded an unmixed blessing .
” SirEdward was thinking of many connected withrailway work to whom phonographic ability hadbeen of the utmost service . Isaac Pitman gavea comprehensive address on Phonography and theSpelling Reform . A number of able speeches byother gentlemen testified to the interest of Manchester in these subj ects . The Committee
,with
Mr . W . E . A . Axon as Chairman,and Mr . A . W .
Croxton as Hon. Secretary,had in fact arranged
two highly successful meetings . Advantage wastaken by the Executive of the Vegetarian Societyof Isaac Pitman ’s presence in Manchester to
entertain him at a banquet .The national commemoration of the Jubilee of
Phonography was followed by celebrations in
NEW CHURCH PRESENTATION 267
the City of Bath . The first of these took placein connection with the New Church in HenryStreet
,and was held very appropriately on the
15th November,1887
,the anniversary of the first
publication of Phonography . For nearly half-acentury Isaac Pitman had been a most activemember of the Church
,and he was at this time
its honoured President . That his own peopleshould rej oice with him and congratulate himon this auspicious occasion was very fitting .
There was,the minister ( the Rev . J . Martin) ,
observed,an irrepressible desire among the New
Church friends to express their wealth of affec
tion and personal regard for their fellow worker .
An address by Isaac Pitman on the origin andprogress of the Writing and Spelling Reform wasfo llowed by a congratulatory resolution proposedby Mr . William Harbutt
,wh ich expressed the
hope that his li fe will be prolonged to see thedesire of his heart carried out to a far greaterextent .
” A presentation was then made of abeautiful miniature portrait of Isaac Pitman on
ivory,by Mrs . Harbutt ( exhibited at the Royal
Academy in the following year) . Greatly touchedby the affection wh ich the gift represented, andthe regard shown for him by those to whom hewas best known
,I saac Pitman expressed his
gratitude in a few fervent words and handed theportrait to Mrs . Pitman
,observing that whatever
wisdom he had,or common sense
,tact
,or business
capacity,were really the treasures of hi s wife
,
268 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
and that beautiful and expressive likeness hepresented to her .
The gold medal struck in America to com
memorate the Jubilee of Phonography reachedIsaac Pitman in February
,1888 . The fund to
provide it had been raised through the efforts ofMr . E . N . Miner
,editor and proprietor of the
P honographic World,New York
,and accompany
ing it was an address which indicated the highvalue set on I saac Pitman ’s invention in theUnited States
,as follows
But very few of the number who , in America,are now
pract ising the art wh ich your pat ient study of the principles
that should govern the creat ion of writ ten language enabledyouto present to the world,
know the early history of yourwork . Before your text-books were printed, Shorthand writ
ing was lookedupon as amystery ,and the man who could,
byitsuse , reproduce theut terances of a speaker, was a phenomenon of dexterity ,
and was regarded as li t tle less than a nine
days’
wonder. And there was reas on for the belief. Thosewho have compared the lessened length s of form s in Phono
graphy with the cumbrous outlines of th e systems of Gurney ,
Taylor, Harding , Byrom ,Gould, and others , marv el much
that with them the requisite skill couldbe acquired to successfully report words ut tered with the rapidity of colloquialspeech . Stenographic Sound-Hand,
”as given by youto
the world a half century since , was the prophecy and promise
of a new revelation in the art that was realised in 1848 . For
Phonography was a system of shorthand founded on scientificprinciples and unfolded in systemat ic arrangement and
analogic harmony . I t was the first in wh ich the simplest
signs were employed the first in wh ich cognate sounds wererepresentedby cognate signs the first in which those elemen
tary sounds adm it t ing of classificat ion in groups were repre
sented by groups of analogous symbols ; the first in which
AMERI CAN ADDRESS 269
the at tempt was made to give circles, hooks , and loops dist inctoffices for efficient serv ice in the stenographic art . By it the
language was for the first t ime successfully presented in
shorthandon a phonet ic basis, and one who could read it couldhardly fail to know the spoken words .
But the medal which younow have is not a tribute to yourinvent ive genius alone . The evolut ion of a new idea is buthalf the work . I t is not alone the inventor who accomplishesgreat purposes . As much credit is due to h im who brings theimprovement before the world with strength of purpose tocommand at tent ion. And when the inventor and adapter
combines persistence with creat ive talent to the extent that
the world recognizes the truth of h is statements and actsuponthem
, then more than double credi t is due . In America, in
nearly every commercial house , corporat ion, and publicjournal, in our commercial andmanufacturing centres , in ourCourts of law and equity , and in deliberat ive bodies indeed,
in every place where much writ ing is done ,the stenographer
is a needed adjunct , and h is presence was made possible byyour work . Phonography came to us unheralded to meet a
then unvoiced demand. With a status secured it created
a further demand for its applicat ion in spheres ofusefulnessfor which scarce any had though t it available .
With few except ions, Am erican writers who have presented
the system have frankly acknowledged their indebtedness toyouas its discoverer and inventor. In so doing they have butfollowed the lead of the dist inguished pioneers, Stephen PearlAndrews and Augustus F . Boyle ,
who , in their text -bookspublished forty years ago , used these words
A system ofwrit ing, to be perfect , shouldhave oneuniformmethod ofrepresent ing every soundof the voice that isut teredin speaking, andwhich is obviously dist inct . In the next place ,
it is desirable for pract ical purposes to Obtain the greatest
possible brevity ,and therefore the characters or le t ters by
which these sounds are represented,should be the simplest
in' "
their form that can be found. And in the th ird place ,in
order to facilitate th e learning anduse of them , they ough t tobe selected and arra nged in strict correspondence with th e
nature and order Of the sounds wh ich they represent thus,
270 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
sounds which are related to each other by sirnilitude of organicformation
,should be represented by signs hav ing in their
forms a corresponding resemblance in other words , the bestsystem ofwrit ing will be ( 1 ) true ; (2) brief and (3) analogical.These properties are admirably combined in the system of
phonet ic Shorthand- the production of the genius and labours
of Isaac Pitman.
”
I t only remains for us to wish youhealth ,happiness ,
and
prosperity during the remainder of your career on earth ,and
that your life may be spared as long as existence shall be a
pleasure to yourselfand add to the happiness of others .
We are, respectfully yours,
EDWARD F . UNDERH ILL ,
ELIZA B . BURNZ, Committee.
JAMES E . MUNSON ,
There was a celebration of the PhonographicJubilee by the Canadian Shorthand Society atToronto on 12th August
,1889
,when Mr . Thomas
McGillicuddy deli vered a eulogy on Isaac Pitmanand unvei led a cast of the Jubilee bust .
The citizens of Bath did not allow this interesting event in the life of one who resided in theirmidst to pass without adding their congratulations
,
and promoting a suitable memorial of the occasion .
This celebration took place a li ttle later in point of
time than those already recorded,but the great
National Jubilee of Queen Victoria— the influenceof which was felt in the London celebrations— hadto be reckoned with . The committee which promoted the proj ect was largely representative of
the Bath Literary and Scientific Institution,with
Mr . ( afterwards Sir Jerom ) Murch as Treasurer ,
272 SIR“ISAAC PITMAN
walls where we have so Often met you.
1 We hopeit will be generally thought that the sculptor hasshown his accustomed skill and increased hiswell-known reputation . We believe that to yourfellow-citiz ens
,to the young especially
,it will be
a valuable memorial of one who,through a long
and useful life,has gained their sincere respect
,
and set an admirable example of intelligent,
benevolent perseverance . May youstill be blessedwith health and strength for many years t o con
t inue that example,to Share the well-earned
pleasures of old age with those who are near anddear to you honour
,love
,obedience
,troops of
friends,
’ and to benefit mankind by hastening thetime when knowledge shall cover the earth aswaters cover the channels of the deep .
In his speech in response,Isaac Pitman said :
I f I were a Stoic,a neat sentence of thanks
might suffice for acknowledging this beautifulgift . But I am not a Stoic . I am indeed deeplymoved by the kindness of the friends who havesubscribed to this testimonial . I am especiallyindebted to Mr . Tyte
,who originated the sub
scription,and to Mr . Murch
,who completed it .
Whatever of honour there may be in thi s presentation
,I refer it not to myself
,but render it to the
Lord,to whom alone all honour belongs . The
1 Th e speaker’
s allusion is t o th e fact t h at Isaac P itman was
a member of and regular att endant at th e meet ings of th e Literaryand P h ilosophi cal Assoc iat ion at th e Inst it ut e
,be fore wh ose
members h e read several papers on P h onography ,th e Spelling
Re form,and E locut ion .
LETTERS AND NUMBERS 273
Literary Institution has kindly o ffered to acceptthe bust
,and to place it in the Reading Room
,
and I have much pleasure in asking Mr . Murch,
as the representative of the Institution,to accept
it . I like to think of English literature under theform of a vast temple
,with a portico supported
on two pillars,on one of which is inscribed the
S ingle word Letters,
’ and on the other Numbers .
’
The temple is adorned with the statues of the men,
English and American,who have made the
literature,the science
,and the art
,that now
illumine,beautify
,and bless the world . No one
i s permitted to pass the portico of th is temple whois ignorant of letters and numbers
,and their com
binat ions . These little marks,a,b,c,
’ and 1,
2,
that seem in themselves to have no moremeaning than the marks of birds’ feet in the snow
,
are really the foundation of our civi lization .
There can be but little trade and commerce,and
no literature,without these seemingly insignificant
signs . In the use of figures we are consistentbut in the use of letters we are inconsistent .
Some observations in advocacy of Spelling Reformclosed the speech .
All things have an end,and the final celebration
of the Jubilee of Phonography has now to berecorded . The Jubilee Committee
,after three
years of arduous but successful work,commemo
rated the completion Of their labours by a dinnerheld at the Holborn Restaurant on the 7th March
,
1889,when Isaac Pitman was presented with a
1 8
274 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
gold medal struck in commemoration of theJubilee . The gathering was presided over byone who described himself as the youngestrecruit in the phonographic army
,Viscount Bury
FUN IN SCIENCE .
Th is was th e t it le wh ich Isaac P itman gave to th e aboveh um orous draw ing by Lord Bury , to wh ich h e at tach ed a description containing th e following : Th e faces of th e above happypair are out lined by th e two principal classes of ph onograph iclet t ers , th e man
’
s face by th e surds p,t,ch
,k
,and th e breath s f,
th s, sh ,
wh ich are male sounds— m ere consonant contacts ,
Wi th out vo ice or affect ion and th e woman’
s face be ing formed
by th e aflectionat e vocal surds and cont inuants . On th e neck of
th e woman lie th e vocal or affect ionat e nasals , liqu ids ,and
coalescent s and between th e st urdy male and th e sm iling female
lies th e asp irate h ,waiting for th e first of th e six vowels beneath
to give u t terance t o Ha 1 ha ha form ed for each oth er
276 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
have achieved the success it had done had he notbeen content to live somewhat the life of a recluse .
Without steady work at his desk it would havebeen impossible for him to have evolved thesimple yet comprehensive system which was nowmaking the compass of the world . He mentionedwith gratification the recent success of Phonography in a far-off land . Mr . A . Tacchi
,the
Private Secretary to the Queen of Madagascar,
who reported the speeches of the House of Representativ es in that country
,had just published an
adaptation of the P itmanic system to the Mala
gasy language . He also noted the appearance of aDutch adaptation of Phonography
,by F . De Haan
,
first published in 1887 .
Another announcement of much interest wasmade by Isaac Pitman on this occasion
,namely
,
that on that day,he and his sons
,with their staff
,
had entered on the occupation of a new PhoneticInstitute . The premises in the Abbey Churchyard
,which had been occupied for fifteen years
,
had latterly proved inadequate to the accommodation of the increasing staff
,and accordingly a new
Institute— the fifth— was built a little over amile from the centre of Bath
,and in the parish of
Twerton-on-Avon . The new Institute was plannedand constructed in a style most suitable for thecomplete production of books and periodicals
,
and the architect was Mr . W . J . Wilcox,of Bath .
The Opening was celebrated by a tea and enter
tainment t o the staff and friends, to the number
278 S IR ISAAC P ITMAN
man . I t is a life that gives the world a new idea
of everlasting energy . Fifty-two years ago IsaacPitman was engaged in thinking out and developing the system of shorthand with which his namewill ever be associated
,and to-day finds him
just as busily occupied with a much more daringproj ect
,nothing less in fact than a sweeping
revision of [the orthography of] the Englishlanguage . But the M ail was fain to adm itthat to a very large extent Isaac Pitman hadargument on his side .
The harmony which had prevailed among thewriters of various systems of Shorthand duringthe Tercentenary proceedings of 1887 was rudelyshattered in the following year . Certain pro
posals in association with the periodical issued bythe Shorthand Society led to some altogetherunfounded allegations being made against Isaac
Pitman at the annual meeting of that body on
the 30th June,1888
,when by a coup d
’
état thecontrol of the Society was secured by certainanti-phonographers . So far as he was concerned,Isaac Pitman had no difficulty in demonstratingthat the charges levelled against him werechimerical
,and he resigned his membership . His
example was at once followed by nearly all thephonographic members of the Society
,which
some years afterwards came to an end .
280 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
The immediate cause of the extended practiceof shorthand
,
” he had written years before,was
the diffusion of knowledge among the middleclasses of society . I t has yet to be extended tothe lowest classes
,and this will be the mission of
Phonography combined with Phonetic Printing .
”
Shorthand instruction was now made part of theelementary educational system of the country
,
but its importance was not overlooked by the highschools of the land . It was introduced at RugbySchool
,its value being appreciated by the then
Head Master,Dr . Percival ( afterwards Bishop of
Hereford) , and in many other schools and collegesthroughout the country . At thi s period
,indeed
,
Isaac Pitman was able to announce that everyyear one hundred thousand persons learnedPhonography .
The considerable extension in the teaching andpractice of shorthand at this time had impressedon the minds of many leaders in the phonographicworld the necessity of an organiz ation framedand conducted on national lines for the cultivation and advancement of Phonography
,and for
the regulation of the teaching of the art,by the
examination of those who proposed to teach andthe granting of a teacher’ s diploma
,which would
be recognized by educational authorities . TheseObj ects were promoted by the establishment of
a body conducted on national lines,entitled the
National Phonographic Society . This Society wassuccessfully inaugurated at a meeting held at the
NATIONAL PHONOGRAPHIC SOCIETY 28 ]
Memorial Hall,London
,on 3 l st October
,1890
,
and eight years later it became the IncorporatedPhonographic Society . There was a crowdedgathering of phonographers at the inauguralmeeting
,and for an hour before the proceedings
began Isaac Pitman held a kind of informal reception in the Hall . The greatest enthusiasm andcordiality prevailed
,and it is recorded of him
in a descriptive account of the proceedingsthat white-haired
,active as a stripling
,and
almost as erect,his happy face beamed with
content as he wheeled about from one knot to
another .
”
Lord Bury presided,and wished the new
Society God-speed . He represented,he said
,the
outside world,which looked with admiration at
the perseverance which had initiated and carriedto its full extent the great art of stenography .
We have here,
” his lordship went on to observe,
the doyen,the head and front of the phonographic
world,the man who has had the genius to succeed
in establishing a system of shorthand inventedby himself
,not upon the ruins of other systems
,
but alongside them,carrying out to a still greater
extent the benefits which they before him con
ferred upon mankind and he has now developeda system which I am persuaded
,and the outside
public are persuaded,will more and more draw
within its own lines the stenograph ic world . I tis applicable not only to the English but to allother languages . Lord Bury expressed his entire
282 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
approval of the Obj ects of the Society which werethus set forth
(a) The discussion of ( 1 ) all questions theoretical and
pract ical connected with the art Of Phonographyand its uses ; (2) the history and literature of
Shorthand and cognate topics.
(b) Efforts to raise the status and remunerat ion of
phonograph ic pract it ioners .
(c) The inst itut ion of Exam inat ions of Teachers and
others,
and the grant ing of Certificates of
Proficiency .
(d) The promot ion of mutual intercourse and esprit decorps among Phonographers .
The resolution establishing the Society wasproposed by Mr . Reed
,seconded by Mr . E . J .
Nankiv ell,support ed by Dr . (afterwards Sir
William) Gowers , and carried by acclamation . Aspeech from Isaac Pitman followed
,in which he
congratulated the phonographic world on the institut ion of the Society
,and expressed his gratitude
to the Officers for their labour in framing theconstitution . The genera l usefulness of shorthandwould
,he affirmed
,be destroyed by the practice
ofmany systems,but the formation of the National
Phonograph ic Society would do much to preventsuch an undesirable result . He became the firstPresident of the Society
,and continued to hold
office until 1895 .
I t is an interesting coincidence that the Instituteof Journalists was incorporated by Royal Charterin the year which witnessed the establishmentof t he National Phonographic Society . Isaac
284 S IR ISAAC PITMAN
Isaac Pitman and Mr . Reed addressed a crowdedand enthusiastic gathering at the Christian Institute
,at Glasgow
,on 23rd September . Isaac
Pitman ’s subj ect was Shorthand,
” and he madean exalted claim for the art : Shorthand
,
” hesaid
,develops mind ; expresses, amplifies, and
quickens thought ; and kindles and increasesaffection
,and thus promotes the best interests
of mankind .
” His address was enthusiasticallyreceived
,and at its conclusion he spoke to an
overflow meeting . Mr . Reed followed with apersuasive address
,in which he commended the
new Society to the support of the phonographersof the North . A few days later
,on the 29th
September,Isaac Pitman addressed another large
gathering assembled at the YM CA . Hall atBristol . The second inaugural meeting of theNational Phonographi c Society was held in Londonon the 2 1st October
,when the first shorthand
teacher’ s certificates,awarded after examination
by the Society’ s Examining Board,were presented
by the Earl of Albemarle t o exactly one hundredsuccessful candidates
,and it was announced that
the Society had received an addition of one
thousand members . Isaac Pitman was unablet o be present but had spoken an address intothe phonograph
,in which he congratulated the
Society on meeting for the first time to awardteacher’ s certificates to those phonographers whohad demonstrated their ability by passing itsexamination .
EIGHTIETH BIRTHDAY 285
On the 4th January,1892
,Isaac Pitman cele
brated his eightieth birthday . The fact that hehad j oined the ranks of the octogenarians wasnot lost sight of by troops of friends in all
parts of the world,who showered upon him
innumerable friendly greetings,for which he made
a general acknowledgm ent in grateful terms .
“Their good wishes,
” he said,
cheered andencouraged him
,and he hoped to repay them by
not lessening the number of his days on earththrough overwork
,as many men who undertook
important missions had done .
”In his early li fe
it was prophesied that hi s too assiduous labourwould bri ng him to an early grave
,but this
birthday and his Observations on it recall a passagefrom a speech he had delivered at Nottinghamin 1849
,which has considerable biograph ical
interest .
“I am sometimes told,
” he then said,
that I Shall wear myself out in a few years,but
I th ink differently . I take everything very calmly,
and have acquired the habit of doing my workquickly
,in shorthand style . I have adopted
temperate habits of li fe and early hours of risingand going to bed ; and I have the happiness ofbeing descended from a healthy stock
,being the
third child of a family of eleven,only one of whom
di ed in youth,and the youngest ofwhom
,Frederick
Pitman,is now ( 1849) on the verge of manhood .
I am now thirty-fiv e years of age . My father,
an eldest son,is now sixty-one
,and has scarcely
passed the prime of li fe,and his father
,who is
286 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
eighty-one,gives promise of a few more years in
this world . And I may add that when I was aboy I attended my great grandfather
’s funeral .I hOpe then , through the Divine mercy, I mayreach the age of eighty .
” On the completion of
his eightieth year,he was presented with a hand
some illuminated address of congratulation andgood wishes from the Scottish PhonographicAssociation .
A new phonographic weekly periodical beganits career in 1892 under the title of P itman
’
s
Shorthand Weekly This was established byhis sons
,but Isaac Pitman took a keen interest
in its success,and wrote the transfer of the litho
graphed shorthand oi the first page of the firstnumber . His Greeting ” was in the followingterms
Phonography has added a new joy to life,
and given a new wage-earning employment to thenation . Its use saves time
,and time is li fe ; it
quickens thought and its expression,and thus
cultivates the mind and it promotes intercoursebetween persons living at a di stance from eachother
,and is thus knowledge in the making .
’
Shorthand was first printed by li thographyin the P honetic journal for 1842 . During the lastfifty years
,at a moderate computation
,a hundred
thousand pages of li thographed shorthand havebeen published
,which have been read by perhaps
a million persons . During the first sixteen yearsof the Writing and Spelling Reform
,from 1842
to 1858,I wrote the transfers of several shorthand
C - C
f v v. (r e HE M!
Henry Sultan'
s E vm igcl of L ove
S P ECIMEN OF PHONOGRAPHY P RODUCE D BY THE TYPOGRAPH ICETCH I NG P ROCE SS
( The ch a racters are e tched w ith spec ia l tools on th e w ax coa t ing,y ofa brass pla te , f rom wh ich elect rotypes are taken Adopted in
P itm an’
s S horthand Week/y in yune , 1 89 2 )
KEY .—Our l iv ing flocks of though ts need no longer trudge i t s low ly and wear ilyfdown
th e pen and along th e paper, h inder ing each o ther as they s trugg le th rough th e strait gateof the old handwr i t ing . Our troops of fee l ings need no more craw l , as snails craw l , to theirs tat ion on the page reg iment after reg iment may now tro t br i skly forward,
to fill paragraphafter paragraph andwr i t ing , once a troub le , i s now at breathing-ease . Our kind and lov ingthoughts, warm and transparent , l i quid as me l ted from th e ho t heart
,shall no longer grow
Opaque , and freez e W i th a t edious dribb l ing from the pen : but the Who le soul may now
pour i tse lf forth in a swee t shower of words . P hono typ y and Phonography Wi ll be of a usein th e world no t dreamed of
,but by a few . Aye , and shake your h eads ’
as ye Wi l l , theyW i l l uproo t the old spe l l ing ; they W il l ye t tr iumph over the absurdit ies of the dead age .
Henry Sut ton’
s E vange l of Love .
”
L )‘
l TPW
50 >I 4 3
k 4 s
.fi/
t fi s pa /w
PITMAN ’S SHORTHAND WEEKLY 287
periodicals,sometimes three
,in di fferent styles ,
running together monthly . Then for fourteen years ,to 1872
,a lithographed Supplement ’ was added
to the P honetic journal, which was published at3d. In 1873 engraved metal shorthand characterswere introduced
,the price of the journal was
reduced to 1d.
,and its circulation rose from
to the presentThese recollections visit me in ushering into
the phonographicworld a new shorthand periodical ,and in writing the transfer of this brief address .
For half-a-century it has been to me a labour oflove to edit the P honetic journal, and a source ofgratification t o find it from year to year meetingwith ever increasing support . Though only a yearhas passed since the journal was enlarged fromsixteen pages t o twenty-four pages
,it is already
found inadequate to contain the increasing varietyof important matters pertaining to the study of
Phonography,to the numerous interests of those
who use it and teach it,and to the promotion of
the Spelling Reform— a goal in the distance forwhich we strive .
A general desire has been expressed for thepresentation of Phonography in a recreativeaspect . The adoption of Phonography in school s
,
mutual improvement societies,etc .
,has greatly
increased the number of writers of the system,
and there is a corresponding increase in the demandfor entertaining reading matter . The journalsupplies three styles of shorthand
,as lessons and
models for learners,letter writers
,and reporters
and the present publication,it is hoped
,will supply
home reading adapted to amuse and instruct thevast number who every year become students andpractitioners of phonetic shorthand .
”
288 S IR ISAAC PITMAN
In this year ( 1892) Isaac Pitman spent hi s summer holiday in the Channel Islands
,to which he
then paid his first visit . His system had gonebefore him
,and by special request he gave a
lecture on the art on 3rd of August in theGuille-Allés Library at Guernsey .
When a proposal was mooted that the Phonographic Jubilee ofMr . Reed should be celebrated in1892
,Isaac Pitman promoted the proj ect with his
whole heart,and his invitation t o the phonographic
community to support it was,without doubt
,a
considerable factor in the gratifying success of
the movement . For nearly the whole of thepreceding half-century Mr . Reed had been in theforefront of the phonographic world
,in promoting
the extension Of the art and assisting its pract it ioners he had consequently hosts of friends inevery rank of society
,while his writings had made
him almost a personal friend to innumerablephonographers who had never seen him . Amongthe speakers at the presentation
,on the 23rd
November,was Dr . Gray
,of Oxford
,who appro
priately observed that the Reed Jubilee was anevent in the history of Phonography which wouldalways stand side by S ide with the Jubilee of 1887
,
and such indeed it was . The presentation,which
took the form of a cheque,was made by Isaac
Pitman,and the value of the token of esteem from
the phonographic communi ty was evidentlygreatly enhanced in Mr . Reed ’s estimation by thefact that he received it at the hands of one whose
290 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
to the Royal Crescent,thus avoidingunnecessary
exposure t o the weather .In March
,1892
,the Phonetic Society had been
established for fifty years,and the Jubilee list of
members was the largest ever issued,containing
names . From this date annual lists werediscontinued
,and with Isaac Pitman’ s withdrawal
from the Institute,the Society ceased to exist .
The phonographic functions which this Societyonce discharged were now carried out in a differentway by other bodies
,while its work as a promoter
of orthographic reform was continued by theorganization of a Speling Leeg
,founded by Isaac
Pitman on the 4th J anuary,1893
,with Professor
Max-Milller as President . When on his summerholiday at Southsea in this year
,Isaac Pitman
gave an address on the obj ects of the Leeg at thePortsmouth Town Hall to a nirmber of teachers
,
and a resolution of approval of reformed spellingwas passed .
In the Lecture Hall of the City Temple,in the
presence of a crowded gathering,Isaac Pitman
,
on 27th September,1893
,distributed the prizes
gained by the students of the Metropoli tan Schoolof Shorthand
,of which his sons had a short time
before become the proprietors . Thi s was the lastoccasion on which he spoke in public on Phonography
,and in the course of his address he dwelt
on the great saving of time which its use hadeffected in various di rections . He pointed to thedi ssemination of his system through all English
LAST PHONOGRAPHIC ADDRESS 29 1
speaking countries . In every part of the world,
he remarked,where our noble tongue is spoken
,
phonetic shorthand is written . I t has been adaptedto the writing of fourteen foreign languages
,
and eleven foreign systems have been published .
They are French,Flemish
,Germ an
,I talian
,
Spanish,Dutch
,Welsh
,Ch inese
,Japanese
,
Bengalee , and Malagasy . The Debates in theJ apanese Houses of Parliament are reported inPhonography .
” Later in the same year he becameacquainted with the fact that his system had alsobeen adapted and published in Marathi ; andshortly before his Speech a Tongan adaptation
had appeared .
XXI I
KNIGHTHOOD CONFERRED ON THE FATHER OF
PHONOGRAPHY .
”- RE TIREMENT FROM THE
PHONETIC IN STITUTE,1894
I FEEL a lessening of the joy of li fe now that inmy old age I can no longer be with you daily,ai ding in your labours and hearing the music of
the machinery .
” Thus wrote Isaac Pitman inresponse to an address of congratulation promotedby the staff of the Phonetic Institute on the important event recorded in the present chapter .There is a certain pathos in the spectacle of thevaliant champion Of the Reading and WritingReform having to retire through the weight of
advancing years from the scene of his li fe-longlabours . For hal f-a-century he had directed theReform from his desk at the Phonetic Institutewith all the z eal and ability
,and with the full
extent of unwearied industry of which he wascapable . His inabili ty to be there as of old wasdeeply felt
,but without a trace of despondency
or the iteration of unavailing regrets . At hishome he could still work for the cause to wh ichhe had consecrated his li fe
,and he was able to
drive down in his carriage to the Institute,in
order to give directions in matters there to whichhe still paid personal attention . At this time
,
292
294 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
Though Isaac Pitman is now in his 82nd year ,he looks at least ten years younger
,in spite of his
snow-white hai r and beard . His step is firm andelastic
,his voice clear as a bell
,and his spirits
quick and merry . His fluency of speech tells ofcontinual activity of mind . He is essentially abusiness man .
The room in which we sat and conversed bearswitness to thi s fact . The walls are lined withwell-stocked bookcases
,and the centre of the floor
is occupied with two writing-tables .
These,
’ said he,pointing to the volumes
which filled the shelves on one side of the apartment
,are books chi efly connected with shorthand
and spelling reform . Here,
’ indicating anothercase
,
‘ is general literature,and in the cabinet
over the fireplace I have stacks of our own tracts,ofwhich there are already fifty-fiv e different kinds,which are continually being added to .
’
I noticed bound volumes of the P honetic
journal, which has reached the 52nd year of
i ts existence,in one bookcase ; and in another
a complete set of the Art journal from itscommencement .
At Isaac Pitman’ s writing-table we sattogether and talked over many incidents in myvenerable friend’s career . He speaks with pardonable pride of the present position of Phonography
,
and the extent to whi ch it is taught and practisedthroughout the country— I might almost say
,
throughout the world .
Shorthand has become a recogni z ed necessityamongst the acquirements of education
,
’ he sai dto me and there is no doubt that it will ultimately come into general use for correspondence
POSITION OF PHONOGRAPHY 295
and all ordinary matters of writing . For legaldocuments it will never supersede longhand
,but
there is no other clerical work for which it is notsuited . Printers compose from shorthand nowadays
, youknow . Look at thi s he handed mea neatly written manuscript in shorthand . Thatarticle was setup at our office from that very copy .
Corrections,interlineations and all are in short
hand, yousee . Economy in labour ; I Should think
so,indeed . Think what it will mean to reporters
and j aded newspaper men,when it is no longer
necessary for them to si t up all night to transcribethe notes taken during a hard day
Phonography,
’ remarked Isaac Pitman,has
reached the top of the hill,and may now be left
to run alone . Phonotypy has still the heightbefore it
,and requires all the help
,all the pushing
that I can give it during the few remaining yearsof my life .
’
Although too much absorbed in his own
particular sphere of labour to take any prominentpart in public matters
,he evinces a keen interest
in all movements which relate to educationaland social advancement . Thus quietly and umostentatiously Isaac Pitman works on
,—not for
personal aggrandisement,not fame
,but for the
benefit of mankind in general,and particularly of
the young men and young women,to whom
,when
his own labour is done,he wi ll bequeath the cause
to which he has given his thought— his timehis life .
”
While engaged in the daily occupation the Youand I interviewer has so well described
,I saac
Pitman was the recipient of a letter from the then
296 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
Prime Minister,the Earl of Rosebery
,which ran
as follows
10 DOWNING STREET , WH ITEHALL ,
2lst May, 1894.
MY DEAR MR. P ITMAN ,
I t is with great pleasure that I make the int imation to
youthat theQueen has been pleased to confer on youthehonour of Knigh thood. I have recommended this dist inct ion
on the ground Of your great serv ices to Stenography ,and the
immense ut ili ty of that art . I t was always a cherished hOpe
ofmine to obtain a recognit ion of these , which it is a sensiblesat isfact ion to have realized.
Yours truly ,
ROSEBE RY .
To this communication its recipient made thefollowing reply
,wri ting his letter in longhand
in the ordinary spelling,with an interlined
shorthand version
12 ROYAL CRESCENT, BATH.
22ndMay,1894.
MY DEAR LORD ROSEBERY ,I am very grateful to your lordship for the honour of
knigh thood which theQueen has conferred on me by yourlordship
’
s recommendation for my services to the English
language in giving it the briefest possible writ ten form .
That form was at tained by classifying the sounds of speech
scient ifically , and then arranging the shorthand signs in
harmony with th e sounds . Abbrev iating principles were
then applied to the let ters . The result is Seen in the
interlineat ion of this let ter.
Gratefully, your lordship’
s most obedient servant ,ISAAC P ITMAN .
298 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
reached him from Shorthand Writers ’ Associationsin all parts of the British Empire . By a happycoincidence a distingui shed citizen of Bath
,whose
name has al ready appeared in these pages,was
knighted at the same time,and this gentleman
,
SirJerom Murch , was presented with his portraiton 23rd May at the Bath Guildhall . IsaacPitman was present
,and the congratulations of
the citiz ens of Bath were tendered to both .
From the House of Commons came an addresswritten in Phonography and bearing the shorthand signatures of Members of Parliamentacquainted with the art
,all (with the exception of
Sir John Leng ’s) written in Pitmani c Shorthand .
This ran as follows
HOUSE OF COMMONS ,29th May,
1894.
To SIR ISAAC P ITMAN .
DEAR S IR,—The undersigned members of the House of
Commons desire to Offer youtheir hearty congratulat ions onthe well-deserved honour youhave received at the hands of
the Prime Minister. Wish ing youlong life and prosperity ,
We are , yours very truly ,
E . H . BAYLEY S . D . WADDYTHOS . J . HEALY ARCHIBALD GROVEJASPE R TULLY T . P . O
’
CONNORT. H . HEALY M . D . BODKINMAURICE HEALY WM . O
’BRIENCHAS . DIAMOND JOHN LE NG
The accolade of knighthood was bestowed byQueen Victoria at Windsor Castle on the following
RETIREMENT 299
18th July . Isaac Pitman was suffering fromlameness at the time
,for which he was receiving
medical attention,but he was able to kneel before
the Queen . Her Maj esty had with graciousconsideration
,intimated that this part of the
ceremony could be dispensed with in his case .
Happily,however
,he could fulfil the usual
requirements in association with the ceremony .
Soon after the bestowal of knighthood,Sir Isaac
Pitman retired from partnership with his sons,
Messrs . Alfred and Ernest Pitman,and transferred
to them his interests in the works of which he wasthe author . The transfer had been commenced inthe Spring
,but it was delayed by various causes
,
and it was not finally completed till 10th August,1894 . At the time of his retirement
,Sir Isaac
had been uninterruptedly engaged in the workConnected with his invention of Phonography forfifty
-seven years,and had edited the P honetic
journal for fifty-two years
,a record in both
respects quite unique in our national history . Inthis year ( 1894) the sale of the Phonographic
Teacher attained to a total of two million Copies .
It was in t his year also that the National Societyof Shorthand Teachers
, ( afterwards the Incorpor
ated Society of Shorthand Teachers ) , was founded,and Isaac Pitman accepted a cordi al invitation to
become the Patron of the soc iety .
XX I I I
INTERE STS,ACCOMPLISHMENTS
,AND FADS .
SOME PERSONAL DATA
A CAREER of incessant occupation in the promotion of his mission in life left I saac Pitmancomparatively little time or Opportunity for activeparticipation in public work of the ordinary kind,or for the cultivation of his individual tastes .
But there were matters outside his Special concernto which he was particularly attracted, andattention may be fit ly directed to these now thatthe story of his efforts as a Shorthand Inventor andSpelling Reformer is all but completed . Throughout his li fe the movements of the time greatlyinterested him
,especially those which related to
religion,politics
,hygiene
,and social life ; he
cultivated at least one accomplishment,that of
music ; and he had a good many fads , franklyowned as such
,and from the promotion and
advocacy of which he derived no small enj oyment .Deeply interested in theological studies
,Isaac
Pitman followed,with close attention
,the move
ment that extended over a considerable portionof his active life and resulted in the production of
the Revised Version of the Bible . As we haveS een
,he made in early life a very close study of
the text of the Authorised Version . When thework of the revisers was submitted to the public
,
he examined it with great interest,and expressed
a preference for the revisions of the American
302 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
Rule policy of the right hon. gentleman . Amember of the Bath Liberal Association
,he
occasional ly took his seat on the platform attheir meetings ; his political utterances, wheninvited to speak
,had the unusual merits of
conciseness and brevity . He was a Vice-Presidentof the United Kingdom Alli ance
,and on a well
known occasion,when Sir Wilfrid Lawson ad
dressed a mass meeting at the Bath TheatreRoyal
,Isaac Pitman
,with some friends
,occupied
a box,and was evidently entertained by Sir
Wilfrid’ s gay wisdom . For some time hewas President of the Bath Temperance Society
( the parent organiz ation of the city) and tookan active part in the Jubilee celebrations of theSociety in 1886. He was a strong supporter of
the propaganda of the Peace Society,but he does
not appear to have ever practically considered theproblem of national defence . In several societieswhose titles begin with Anti he took a considerable interest
,more particularly in those which were
opposed to vaccination,vivisection
,and tobacco .
A very great love of books,and a conviction
that the cultivation of a taste for reading was anennobling thing
,led Isaac Pitman to take an active
part in a movement for providing the city of Bathwith a Free Library . With this obj ect in viewa committee was formed
,ofwhich the leading spirit
was Mr . J . W . Morris,a z ealous worker in many
good causes for the intellectual advancement andbenefit of his fellow-citizens . Isaac Pitman j oined
BATH FREE LIBRARY 303
the committee and actively shared its labours .
A library of about nine thousand volumes,of
which two thousand were presented by IsaacPitman
,was collected
,and suitable freehold
premises were purchased by Mr . C . W . Mackillopfor a Reading and Reference Library . In thi sbuilding the library was supported for six yearsby means of a small voluntary subscription
,and
the experiment having successfully shown that itcould be maintained at the cost of a hal fpennyrate
,the building and its contents were offered
in free gift to the city of Bath,on condition that
the Free Libraries Act should be adopted by theburgesses
,which would have involved the levying
of a rate Of the amount just mentioned for themai ntenance of the institution . After much con
trov ersy ,the offer was rej ected in 1880, and conse
quently the library was closed . During the timethat it had been kept open experimentally IsaacPitman had co llected at his Institute tenthousand books with the intention of addingthem t o the library as soon as it was taken overby the city . When the proj ect was abandoned
,
he decided that he would distribute the volumes,
which he had intended t o give to the citiz ensof Bath
,among the free libraries throughout
the Kingdom,which then numbered about one
hundred and ten . He accordingly sent out acatalogue to all these libraries with an invitation tothem to make a selection
,and in this way speedily
disposed of his collection,which included a large
304 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
proportion of useful standard works . But thisgenerous distribution of books by no means com
pletes the story of Isaac Pitman’s gifts of books .
From thi s time until the close of his life manyinstitutions benefited by his liberal ity
,but special
no tice of one only need be made here . Readingin the newspapers the speech of Mr . Glads toneat the opening of the new Hawarden Institute in1893
,Isaac Pitman made a present Of three
thousand volumes to the library of the Institute .
The collection included a large proportion of
valuable and rare works,and books to suit all
Classes of readers and,it need hardly be said
,
was greatly appreciated .
Towards the close of his life Mr . Samuel CarterHall
,the editor of the Art journal, was a frequent
visitor to Bath with Mrs . Hall,and became on
very friendly terms with Isaac Pitman . Mr . Hallwas at this time engaged in the promotion of amemorial to the poet Moore
,who had been a
personal friend of himself and his wife,and for
whose genius he entertained high esteem . In thisproj ect he had the cordial support of Isaac Pitman .
The poet with his family were buried in Bromhamchurchyard
,in Wiltshire
,and the memorial took
the form of a window at the west end of the churchto complement a memorial window to thepoet ’ s widow in the east end
,placed there by her
nephew . The new window,which had been sub
scribed for by two hundred friends and admirers ofThe Poet of all circles and the Idol of his own
,
”
306 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
frequently attended concerts,and occasionally
wrote critiques of them for the Bath newspapers .
He had a preference for sacred music and delightedmost in the works of Handel .In association with Isaac Pitman’ s musical
efforts Mr . Reed has preserved a specimen of hiswork as a composer . In his youth
,
” Mr . Reedsays
,I saac Pitman indulged his love of harmony
so far as to compose a hymn tune,an anthem on
Isaiah xlix . 13-17,and the following tune to be
sung to a hymn which appeared in the Bath and
Cheltenham Gaz ette for 26th July,183 1
33 3“d ?
When the bus y day is done , And up on h is couch the sun
v - Q
nu, Sanete Spi ri 1115. be wi th me,
—i
Sanc te Spir it us, be with
AN ANTHEM 307
SANCTE SP IR ITUS .
When the busy day is done ,
Andupon his couch the sunRests, his course of glory run,
Sancte Spiritus be with me .
When the twiligh t shadow falls
O’
er the humming waterfalls ,And zephyr unto zephyr calls,
Sancte Spiritus be with me .
When the vesper murmurs come
Through the leaf, and from the tomb ,From the sunset ’s crimson gloom ,
Sancte Spiritus be with me .
When the moon is roaming high ,
Like a seraph , through the sky ,
And the one whi te cloud floats by ,
Sancte Spiritus be with me .
When the stars, those j ewels rare ,
Fill with diamond-ligh ts the air,
And comes on the hour of prayer,
Sancte Spiritus be with me .
Then when knees are truly bent ,And the hands are clasp
’
d intent ,
And the voice to heaven is sent ,
Sancte Spiri tus be with me .
H . C. DEARIN .
The anthem was arranged thus : Chorus
Sing,O heavens and be joyful
,O earth break
forth into singing,O mountains ; for the Lord
hath comforted his people,and will have mercy
upon his afflicted . S olo, plaintive
— But Zion sai d,
the Lord hath forsaken me,and my Lord hath
forgotten me . Duet, for two Trebles— Can a
woman forget her suckling Child,that she should
308 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
not have compassion on the son of her womb ?Yea
,they may forget
,yet will I not forget thee .
Chorus— Behold,I have graven thee on the palms
ofmy hands thy walls are continually before me .
’
I t was sung with much éclat,his brother J acob
says,on the other side of the globe . In this
country,however
,it does not appear to have been
rendered . The anthem was composed at the ageof S ixteen .
When the di scussion on the subj ect of uniformity of musical pitch arose out of a report of
the Committee appointed by the Council of theSociety of Arts in June
,1859
,Isaac Pitman drew
up a table showing the number of vibrations ofeach note in comparison with every other notein the octave ( the lowest in whole numbers) , whichhe published in the P honetic journal for 29thSeptember
,1860
,together with an account of
the proceedings at the meeting of the Society of
Arts held to receive and di scuss the Committee ’sreport . As every student of musical acousticsknows
,the pitch of a note depends upon the num
ber of vibrations produced in a given time . TheC produced by a 32 ft . organ pipe ( said to be thelowest possible music note) is the resul t of S ixteendouble or th irty-two single vibrations per secondthe octave above
,or the lowest C of a grand
pianoforte,of thirty-two double vibrations ; the
lowest C of a V ioloncello of sixty-four tenor C of
128 middle C of the pianoforte of 256 and theC on the treble stave of 512 . The intermediate
S IR ISAAC PITMAN
The table,it was explained
,is to be used like
a multiplication table thus,lower C with G above
gives the vibrations as two to three,while the next
note D,with A above
,gives twenty-seven to forty
,
etc . In the chord D,F sharp
,A
,the vibrations
of A,to agree with the chord C
,E
,G
,should be
forty-and-a-half instead of forty,or D should be
twenty-six and three-q uarters instead of twentyseven . We thus see
,says Isaac Pitman
,a mathe
mat ical demonstration of the di stinction whichevery musical ear feels in the perfection
,or round
ness,of the C chord
,compared with the chord
ofupper D,F sharp
,A and of the difference in
quality,as it may be called
,between the various
keys,
” rangi ng from C natural,through G with
one sharp,F with one flat
,D with two sharps
,B
flat with two flats,A with three sharps
,A flat with
four flats,and E with four Sharps
,etc .
Probably few men of his generation so con
sistent ly lived the simple life as Isaac Pitman .
His dietary was limited to three moderate meal sper day from the fruits of the earth of alcoholicliquors he never partook
,and until late in life it
was not his custom even t o drink tea he did notsmoke
,and had a pronounced antipathy to the
use Of tobacco by others . At the public luncheonsand banquets which he attended he never departedfrom his simple vegetarian dietary
,a fact over
which the gourmands present were apt to chortle,
1
1 Wh en th e Lord Mayor of London ent ertained the Internat ional Shorthand Congress to lunch eon at th e Mans ion House ,
VEGETARIANISM 3 1 1
forgetting that with Isaac Pitman plai n livingmeant a wonderful measure of bodi ly health and
h igh spirits,and total freedom from the ailments
which attend on so-called generous living .
” Hewas for many years a supporter and a VicePresident of the Vegetarian Society . His expe
rience was embodied in a letter he addressed toThe Times in 1879
,which ran as follows :
Ser,— A frend sujests tume that I ough t tureit a leter tuThe Times, plasing mei leif-eksperiens in kontrast with the
editorial suming-up on MrW. Gibson-Ward’
s vejetarian leterinThe Times ov last Thurz day . Th e konkluz hon areivd at izSo long az no speshal kall iz tube made on the strength ,
a
piurli vejetabel deiet may sufeiz .
”Az mei leif haz been wun
ov eksepshonal akt iv it i, the fakt that it haz beenmaintaind ona vejetabel deiet ought tn be known, nouthat a diskushon on
deiet haz been admited intuThe Times.
Mei deietet ik eksperiens iz simpli th is, —Abuv fort i yearz agodispepsia woz kariing me tn the grave . Medikal adveiz erz
rekomended animal food three teimz a day insted ov wuns ,and a glas ov wein. On this rejirnen I woz nuthing beterd butrather grew wurs . I avoided the meat and the wein, gradiualirekuverdmei dijest iv pouer, andhav never sins nown, bei eni
pain, that I hav a stumak .
Isaac P itman’
s vegetarianism— h e partook of a potato and a glass
of water— at tract ed th e at t ent ion of his Lordsh ip ’
s Chaplain,wh o
wrote imprompt u th e following Latin epigram wh ich h e handedt o Mr . Reed
Vina megat ; ventri indulget non omne legumen
Angulus ingenio multus ubique latet ,Ast ubi jam coepit tabulas implere capacesVerba fluunt : scriptis angulus omnis abest .
(He re fuses w ine,and eats only vegetables many angles are
to be found in h is m ind, but wh en h e wri t es th e words flow and
every angle disappears . )
3 12 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
Theze forti yearz hav been spent in kontiniuus labor inkonekshonwi th the invenshon and propagashonov mei sistem
ov fonet ik shorthand and fonet ik Speling , korespondens , and
the editorial diut iz ov mei weekliJurnal . Though sikst io feiv
[66] yearz ov aje , I kont iniu the kustom I hav folowd all
through th is period,ov being at mei Ofis at siks in the morning ,
sumer and winter. Til I woz fift i yearz ov aje I never tuk a
holiday ,or felt that I wonted wun ; and for about twent i
yearz in the ferst part ov th is period I woz at mei desk fourteenourz a
fl
day ,from siks in the morning t il ten at neit
,with two
ourz out for mealz . Twenti yearz ago I began tuleav of at
siks in the evening .
I at tribiut mei belth and poner ov endiurans tuabst inens
from flesh meat and alkoholik drinks. I kankum tuno utherkonkluz hon when I see the efekt ov such ekstended ourz ov
labor on uther men who eat meat and drink wein or beer.
I hav riten mei leter fonet ikali,az iz mei kustom
,and shal
feel Obleijd if it be aloud thus tuapear in The Times .
E IZAR P ITMAN .
Fanelih I nstitiut, Bath , 27 janiueri , 1879 .
He bore somewhat similar testimony in a con
tribut ion to a work entitled Study and Stimulants
,
” edited by Mr . A . Arthur Reade,containing
the personal experiences of many em inent men,
wh ich was published in 1883 . From my own
experience,
” he wrote,
of the benefits of abstaining from the sedative alcohol
,and the stimulants
tobacco and snuff and my observations of theeffects of these things on persons who indulge inthem
,I have a firm conviction that they exercise a
deadly influence on the human race .
” IsaacPitman’ s repugnance to tobacco led him at timesto a very active campaign against the Offending
3 14 S IR ISAAC PITMAN
probably arose from the fact that in the early partof Isaac Pitman’s career a good many people wereenthusiastic students and advocates of the twosubj ects . At any rate
,both were associated in the
denunciation of the Rev . E . Bickersteth,t o which
reference has already been made . Isaac Pitman ’ sinterest in Phrenology no doubt arose in the firstplace from his contact with Mr . L. N . Fowler
,
of the firm of Messrs . Fowler and Wells,of New
York,who was a well-known exponent of it in the
early days of Phonography . In later years hesubmitted his head for examination several times
,
and lastly,towards the close of his li fe
,he was
phrenologically examined,
” by Mr . James Webb,
a past President of the British PhrenologicalAssociation
,whose report was privately printed
in the form of a pamphlet . Mr . Webb ’ s exam ination
,with the aid of measuring tape and calipers
,
was also a semi-i nterview,in which Isaac Pitman
mentioned some of the facts of his li fe and gaveexpression to a few Opinions . Mr . Webb himselfnotes certain data which are worthy of repro
duction . He found that Isaac Pitman’ s headwas large
,which was due not only to the circum
ference of nearly 23 in .,but to the large coronal
development from the root of the nose to theocciput of 1215 in . Mr . Webb also noted thetransparency of his skin
,the exceeding fineness
of his hair,and the clearness and purity of his
eyes . At the time of this examination Isaac
Pitman was in his eighty-third year .
ART 3 15
The investigation does not appear to have di sclosed any appreciation for art . His brotherBenn says that “Isaac was somewhat deficientin aesthetic taste . He was precise
,orderly
,metho
dical,and clean in body and mind ; and with
a simplicity and di rectness of soul that we lookfor only in the innocency of childhood . But hehad little appreciation of
,or care for
,things of
beauty,or of the fine art works .
” Against thiscriticism it is only just to Isaac Pitman t o mentionhis great interest in the Art journal, and hi santicipation of a time when he should enj oy theperusal of a set of the volumes of this magazine
,
which he took much pleasure in completing andin binding in a style befitting the artistic treasuresthe volumes contained . And the testimony of
his brother Henry deserves t o be quoted Isaachad intense love for all things beautiful . Whydid he visit the Art Treasures Exhibition atManchester ? He spent many hours thereexamining the pictures .
”
A point in Mr . Webb ’s delineation indicatedan amiable weakness . His Caution was largebut somewhat eccentric in action
,so that there
was some likelihood of his being deceived by theplausible
,etc . Isaac Pitman was
,in fact
,inclined
to trust a litt le too readily to the truthfulnessof those who aroused his sympathy . A singleinstance may be mentioned . At the time whenthe feelings of the nation were excited by thesufferings of the Poles
,there came to Bath a
3 16 S IR ISAAC P ITMAN
certain indivi dual who described himself as aPolish refugee . Isaac Pitman went to the troubleand expense of printing the man’s story for
circulation among the benevolent,but it was
afterwards found that the interesting stranger wasnot what he represented himself to be .
One day,when the subj ect of this Life
was absent from home,an American gentleman
presented himself at his private residence andinformed the astonished maid that he was IsaacPitman ! Later on the two Isaac Pitmans hadan opportunity of fraternizing . Although theywere not doubles in the sense of having a personalresemblance
,they yet possessed many striking
similarities . Thi s will be best indi cated by thereproduction of a letter which Dr . Thomas Hill
,
a former President of Harvard University,wrote
to Mr . Benn Pitman,as follows
WALTHAM, MASS
22ndjune, 189 1 .
I have wanted to tell you, if I have not done so ,ofa curious
coincidence . Professor Barber, at Meadville, told me that
whenhe was in Somerville,Mass ,
he had a parishioner named
Isaac P itman,a very enthusiast ic phonographer. Th is
American P itman went to England,and wh ile there called on
your brother Isaac Pitman. The two men had been bornand brough t up on opposite sides of the Atlant ic ,
but were of
no known relat ionship . But they were of the same age, of the
same name, with the same zeal for Shorthand, with the same
devot ion to Swedenborg, andwith the same adherence to two
or three other isms Professor Barber thinks that homeopathy
XXIV
LAST YE ARS
1895-1897
ON a wintry day at the beginning of 1895,when
Bath was covered with a mantle of snow,Mrs .
Sarah A . Tooley paid a visit to the city,and had
an interview with the Inventor of Phonographyat the Royal Crescent
,an account of which was
soon afterwards published in The Young Man
under the title of Sir Isaac Pitman at Home .
”
Now I knew,Mrs . Tooley wrote
,that the
morrow (4th J anuary) was the eighty-second
( third) birthday of the Grand Old Man of Phonography
,and had he received me in an easy chai r
by the fireside it would have seemed the mostnatural thing possible on a cold afternoon in midwinter . Instead
,I found him in his study
,seated
at his writing-table immersed in correspondence,
and with no apparent thought about fire . Herose quickly to greet me in his simple
,kindly way
,
and I saw that though his back was slightly bent,
and his hair and beard were white as the snowoutside
,his eye was bright and keen
,and his face
ruddy as a winter ’ s apple . His speech is rapidand clear
,but he is so full of action
,and has so
many things crowding in upon his mind,that it
is with difficulty he tal ks upon one subj ect forany length of time . Small wonder that
,with his
active temperament,he early di scovered longhand
3 18
E tctmk S Ilnstmfu,“ki ln1893
GoS irllaacfihmnDmrfiat I saac
AUSTRAL IAN ADDRE S S P RE SENTE D IN 1894
320 S IR ISAAC PITMAN
makes the signs of Phonography . He showed mewith pride a letter in shorthand from ArchbishopWalsh
,of Dublin
,a disciple of whom he is very
Few indeed are the number of reform ers who,
having passed their eightieth year,have still the
inclination and the strength to work for theircause as they did in earlier years . Isaac Pitmanhas this unique distinction
,for it may be said
with t ruth that from the time he set his hand tothe Spelling Reform in the early forties until theclosing days of his li fe he never relaxed his efforts .
After the date of his retirement from partnershipwith his sons
,until the final phase of his last illness
— a period of nearly two years and a half -he
worked for the Spelling Reform with unabatedpersistency, and expended more than one thousandpounds a year in the promotion of the cause .
For the accommodation of a publishing staff hisoffice at the Royal Crescent was unsuited ;the Phonetic Institute was too distant from hi s
home to permit of his personal attendance thereto supervise whatever work he had in hand .
Accordingly in March,1895
,he engaged two
spacious rooms on the first floor at No . 43 Milsom
Street,the leading business thoroughfare in Bath
,
and there opened The Institute of Spelling Reform .
The Archbishop when on a v isit to Bath some t ime
previously had called on Isaac P itman at the Phonet ic
Inst itute .
A LAST VISIT 321
The new office was an easy distance from theRoyal Crescent
,but as his power of walking had
greatly diminished,he availed himself of wheel
chair conveyance when he felt that he needed thi sassistance .
“I have now recovered my wontedhealth
,
” he wrote in July,
“and am at my deskas of old at six o ’
clock in the morning .
In the autumn of this year Isaac Pitman wasvisited for the last time by his old disciple
,Mr .
Reed . Fifty-two years had passed over the headsof both of them since the latter
,then a stripling
of sixteen,made his earliest visit to the first
Institute established in the city of Bath . As on
that occasion,he found Isaac Pitman at his desk
promoting the Reform with his ever-ready pen,
and around him as of old was a staff engaged inthe distribution of its literature . Mr . Reed entersinto details
,and some of these may be quoted as
typical of the work which was carried on fromday to day to the end . He found Isaac Pitman inMilsom Street superintending the distribution of
a letter and literature on Spelling Reform whichwas being sent to the members andOfficers of the National Union of Teachers at acost of over £200 . Nothing
,he exclaims
,
“could be more characteristic of his marvellousenergy and patient toil . For this outlay of time ,labour
,and money he will not receive a penny
return ; the only recompense he seeks being thesatisfaction of contributing to the removal of theSpelling Difli culty which— to use h is own
2 1
322 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
words broods like a nightmare over all branchesof education .
’ I t was in this persistent,deter
mined way that more than half a century ago hesent forth Phonography into the world
,and laid
the foundation for its becoming co-extensive withthe English language . His phonographic enterprise brought him fame and material means
,both
well deserved . The latter he has,for years past
,
liberally dispensed,and is still di spensing
,in
furtherance of his darling proj ect of lessening thetoils of infancy
,and removing a standing reproach
from the noble English tongue . I confess that,
familiar as I am with his indomitable perseverance,
I am amaz ed at the energy he still di splays .
”
In addition to his efforts on behalf of SpellingReform
,Isaac Pitman manifested during these
years considerable activity in another direction .
He desired to make certain changes in Phonography
,which would have had the effect of turning
the system as it exists in the present day into theTenth Edition of 1857
,while at least one of the
proposals showed a reversion to a much earlieredition . A protracted and strenuous controversyarose over the proj ect which— whatever its meritsor demerits— would without question have disastrously affected the progress of the art . I tsinventor did not realize that the day for makingfundamental changes in his system had passednow that Phonography had taken its place amongeducational subj ects which are universally taught .
The proposals were finally submitted to a
324 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
interested audi ence a lucid address on the needand practicability of orthographic reform .
On the 8th September,1896
,a statement
appeared in the newspapers which was receivedwith widespread expressions of regret wherever theEnglish language is spoken . I t announced thatthe state of health of the venerable Inventor ofPhonography was occasioning considerable anxietyto his family . He was again suffering fromcongestion of the lungs
,and although in about a
month ’ s time he was able to leave his bed,there
was no recovery of strength,and during the
autumn he gradually grew weaker . At Michaelmas the family removed from No . 12 to No . 17
Royal Crescent,and the move was effected without
occasioning the smallest discomfort to the invalid,
who was indeed greatly interested in it .
“I t isoften said
,
” it was observed in the Bath H erald atthe beginning of December
,that hope on the
part of the patient has an excellent effect,and
,
i f that is so,Sir Isaac possesses a very valuable
qual ity,for he would be the last to give way .
He is,however
,quite confined to hi s bed and
sitting rooms,which open one into the other
,
and finds his dai ly self-imposed task of inditing afew letters and dictating others to a clerk
,all
that his strength can accomplish,and even thi s
sometimes occasions great exhaustion .
”
Throughout his last illness the serenity andcheerfulness of mind displayed by Isaac Pitmanmade a striking impression on his many friends .
NO . 1 7 RO YAL CRE SCE NT , BATH
326 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
His death occurred at ten minutes to eighto’
clock on the morning of Friday,22nd J anuary
,
1897 ; he was free from pain,and conscious
almost to the last . On the eve of the finalsummons he had simply and touchingly describedhis end in a message he entrusted to the Rev .
Gordon Drummond,at that time the Minister of
the New Church at Bath,which was in these
words
To those who ask how I saac Pitman passedaway
,say
,Peacefully
,and with no more concern
than in passing from one room into another t o takeup some further employment .
”
XXV
PUBLIC TRIBUTE S
H IS long illness had prepared I saac Pitman ’ smany friends and disciples for the inevitable end
,
but to numbers of those who had been in frequentcommunication with him till with in a day or two
of his death,there Seemed a sense of unreality in
the announcement . Could it be true that thehand of the unwearied worker in the cause of briefwriting and spelling reform
,and of many move
ments designed for spiri tual or social amelioration,
was for ever still The Press of the countrywhich told the story of his life and gave its estimateof his work left no room for doubt . Most of thosewho dealt with his career in the newspapers werewriters of Phonography
,and there were here and
there indi cations that they felt the loss of one
whose art had aided them so much as though itwere that of a personal friend . From all parts ofthe world
,from individuals and from societies
,
expressions of sympathy reached Lady Pitmanand her sons .
The funeral service was held at the New Church,
Henry Street,Bath
,on Wednesday morning
,
27th January,and was attended by the Mayor of
Bath (Mr . G . Woodiwiss) and a large and repre
sentat iv e company of the citizens of Bath . Afterthe service the body was conveyed to Woking for
327
328 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
cremation,in compliance with the following
direction left by Isaac Pitman I desire that onmy departure to the Spiritual world my body maybe cremated
,as a more wholesome and more
pleasant manner of disposal than burial in theearth .
” There was on the following day (Thursday) a service in the hall attached to the WokingCrematorium
,which was conducted by the Rev .
J . Ashby (President of the New Church Conference) and the Rev . Gordon Drummond . Aftercremation
,the ashes of the departed were pre
served in a casket of bronze,which is in the keeping
of his family .
Simultaneously with the proceedings at Wokinga large congregation assembled at a MemorialService at the New Church
,Argyle Square
,
London,which was conducted by the Rev . A .
Faraday . A similar Memorial Service was heldat the Bath Abbey Church
,and was attended by
the Mayor and a number of leading citizens .
From the pulpit of the venerable Abbey Church,
the then Rector of Bath,afterwards Bishop of
Sheffield (Dr . Quirk) , had on the previous Sundaymorning paid an eloquent tribute to the departed
,
and had spoken of his career as an illustration Of
self-sacrifice .
Isaac Pitman’s system is his best memorial,but
record must here be made of honours paid to hismemory . The Corporation of the City of Bathmarks with suitable mural tablets the dwellings of
celebrit ies of the historic past , but on 15th July,
330 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
the portrait to the Trustees of the NationalPortrait Gallery
,London
,by whom it was
accepted . I t is hung in Room XVI I I,the central
corridor on the first floor .A memorial window subscribed for by Isaac
Pitman ’ s CO-religionists was unveiled in the NewChurch
,Henry Street
,Bath
,in 1909
,the service
being largely attended by those taking part in aJ oint Conference of the national phonographicsocieties then in session at Bath . The subj ect ofthe window
,which is at the left side of the altar
,
is a symbolical figure guarding the Open Wordfrom profanation . Below the window is a brassplate bearing the following inscription
Now it is perm it ted to enter intellectually into the
mysteries of faith . Swedenborg, T.C.R 508 .
The abov e window was dedicated to the glory of God and
inmemory of the late Sir Isaac P itman, the Inventor of Phono
graphy,one of the original trustees of this Church ,
and for
ten years its honoured President ( 18875th September, 1909 .
In the many estimates of the li fe work of IsaacPitman which appeared in the Press of the worldat the time ofhis death
,there was no truer observa
tion than that of the Cologne Gaz ette— representative of German opinion— that in the two di rectionsof stenography and phonetic spell ing he must bereckoned among those who have exercised anunusually great and happy influence upon theirrace .
” An American estimate was expressed ata somewhat earlier period by the Rev . EdwardEverett Hale
,who in remarking on the gratitude
A UNIVERSAL SYSTEM 1
due to Isaac Pitman from the English speakingrace
,pointed out that the step forward in written
language,which was due to his ingenuity
,his
science,his steadfast perseverance
,is a step wh ich
marks,not only the literature of our time
,but its
commercial transactions,its mechanical work
,and
quite as directly its scientific activityA moment ’s reflection will Show that Isaac
Pitman ’s achievement is unique,and that its
success has been phenomenal . The majority of
the systems of English shorthand have passed intooblivion
,or are practised only by a few
,while the
method of writing for which the world is indebtedto his genius has come into uni versal use . Inthe United Kingdom
,except in the most thinly
populated parts,it is everywhere taught ; it is
practised in Africa,wherever the English language
has penetrated ; in India votaries of the art arefound from Colombo to the Himalayas ; in Austral iaPhonography has been taught and practised aslong as in the old country . Across the Atlantic wefind the method held in high esteem both inCanada and in the United States
,and universally
employed ; in South America it is in generaluse in Spanish adaptations . What is said of
the British Empire may be said of Pitman’ sPhonography— the sun never sets upon it .
To an age which appreciates t ime and laboursaving inventions Isaac Pitman ’ s shorthandappeals with especial force . But to his strenuousadvocacy of the much needed reform in our Spelling
332 SIR ISAAC PITMAN
it has been comparatively indifferent . Some day,
and possibly sooner than anticipated,the reform
of our orthography will become a practical question . When that time arrives the lifelong laboursof Isaac Pitman in this direction will not havebeen in vain .
(From The Literary World. )
IN MEMORIAM .
S IR I SAAC P ITMAN .
Say , Mercury is dead ! He whom the gods
Deputed to the task of teaching men
The way to quicken though t , to give it wings ,And bind the broken fragm ents of discourse .
Not in this age shall honour due be paidTo h im who more than most helped to advance
The human race along the paths of peace .
Succeeding generat ions will proclaimWith clearer voice the v ictory he won
Will rank him h igher than the men who slew
Their fellow-men in thousands on the field,
Or grabb’
d at honours in a Party’
s cause .
With self the sole object ive unconfessed.
334 AP PE ND IX I
th e ir hi gh price or scarcity . SE COND . E very composer findsthat frequent ly his th ough ts ou tstri p h is pen,
and many embryoideas perish as soon as th ey are conce ived, th ere be ing no means
for th e ir delivery according t o our present circu itous m ode of
wr it ing . Here Short -hand steps in,and adds a sevenfold celerity
t o wr it ing , enabling it t o keep pace w ith invent ion, and by its
reflex power qu ickens th e concept ion and delivery of fut uret h ough ts . TH IRD . I t is a short way of keeping cop ies of lett ersand m em oranda of al l important event s . Youwant to wr it e t oyour friend— and youh ave enough on th e t ip Of your t ongue j ustnow t o fill a sh eet . Get your let ter-book ,
and make your t h ough tsappear in dots and strokes wh ile do ing it youw ill be thank fulthat you can save all th at wh ich
,w ith out th e ass istance of
Short -h and,would evaporat e and youwill need no oth er proof
of th e last -named advantage . At your leisure transcribe it inlong
-hand,and post it . Th is is th e wr it er ’s constant pract ice .
To t h e clergy , to barristers , and all wh o at tend courts of law , to
journalists and t ravellers , th e science is invaluable ; and wh en
fairly wr itt en,it is more eas ily read th an long
-h and . TheFOU RTH advantage is so well known and appreciat ed, th at it sh all
be m erely nam ed— t aking down lect ures , speech es ,and serm ons ,
e ith er in full, or according t o th eir h eads and divisions . Speak ingin a general way ,
w ithout S t enography , th ere would be no
report ers— w ith out reporters , no newspapers
— wi th out news
papers , no readers— and w ith out readers , England would be
th rown back two or three cent uries in th e march Of civilisation .
FIFTH . By th e pract i ce of Sh ort -h and th ere is a great saving of
t ime . A S t enograph er can,accomplish in e igh t or t en m inutes ,
(according t o his proficiency , ) what would occupy him an h ouri f h e were ignorant of it . Th e amaz ing increase of power ,
and th e
addit ional means of do ing good,wh ich may be calculated upon,
under thi s h ead,are incredible . Take a very common case .
S uppose a man,wh o ,
in addition to his daily avocat ion,employs
an h our a day in composing books for th e instruct ion and benefitof mank ind ; with Sh ort -h and h e is able t o wr it e six times as
much as by comm on h and ; and th ere is no doubt that h isinvent ive powers w ill keep pace w ith h is pen. H e need not
transcribe it h im self,this may be done by a school-boy . E st i
mating th en th at h e spends fifty years Of hi s threescore years
and t en in thi s work (whi ch it is very likely w ill be productiveofmore good t o th e communi ty than hi s manual labour during th eremaining part of th e day) h e accompli sh es in h is life th e workOf 300 years ! Reader, P ersevere .
S T E N O G R A P H Y .
3 . Th e nam e of th is science is derived from two Greek words,
STENO S , short and GRAPHE,a wri ting . Common writing enables
AP PEND IX I 335
us t o m ake our th ough ts appear on paper ; S tenography or
Sh ort -hand does the same ,w ith one seventh of th e t ime and
trouble and,according t o th is system ,
w i th seventy times sevenas m uch consistency .
Th e strange t it le prefixed to th is system , S tenograph icSound-hand
,
”may perhaps requ ire a li t tle explanat ion . I t is a
system ofS hort-hand, shorter than any practical system yet publishedand the words are wri tten exactly as they are pronounced. Systems
of sh ort -h and t hat depend for th e ir existence upon staves like
music,or even on a single line , by wh ich th e let t ers have a three
fold power of expressing different words above,on
,or below th e
line, seeing that sh ort -h and is generally writ t en wi th ou t lines ,
and wi th out th e possibility of ge t t ing any , such syst ems are
certainly practicable, but th ey are not practical and th is is th eh igh est censure that can be passed upon them . Systems containing let ters of different si z es ,
or th e sam e S iz e more or less curved,
are equally object ionable .
4 . E very language is composed of two kinds of sounds . Th efirst Class is formed s imply by opening the m ou th to a greater or
less degree ,and making th e vo ice t o issue . Th ese are called
vowels , or vocal sounds , as e, 0 . Som etimes two of th em coalesce ,
as e,0 0
,forming u, or an
,e,in boy . Th ese are called diphthongs ,
or two sounds . Th ose Of th e second class canno t be form ed unlessa vowel be jo ined to th em . Th eir pronunciat ion consists in
pressing togeth er di fferent parts of th e mouth,such as th e lips , th e
t eeth,th e tongue ,
th e palate ,e tc .
,and making a vowel sound
e ith er before or after t h e concuss ion of th e organs , as b,wh ich
is made by a pressure of th e lips , and impelling th e breath againstth em ; st ill t h ere is no sound t ill th e vowel e is h eard. P is
produced in th e same way , by a brisker appulse of th e organs .
In sounding m th e vowel is h eard first, th en th e lips close as
for b,and th e sound is continued through th e nose . Th ese
let ters are called consonants , th at is , le t t ers sounding wi th oth ers .
I t is neith er necessary nor possible h ere t o enter into an ex
am inat ion of all th e let t ers,as to th e ir names and manner of
format ion t hi s is already well done in th e work m ent ioned at
th e h ead of th ese remarks our object is merely t o put th em down
on paper, in the s implest and most expedit ious form possible .
5 . Two of th e consonants,called li quids or melting letters ,
namely ,1 and r, possess th e peculiar privilege of coal escing wi t h
th e oth ers wi th out th e intervention of a vowel so that th e two
are pronounced as one . E xample th e word bless is pronouncedby closing th e lips and forcing th e breath against th em for b ;th en placing th e tip of th e tongue to the gums of th e upper t ee thfor 1 and causing both to be enunciat ed in th e following vowel, e ,
sounded as a . All th is is done as qu ickly ,and wi th as lit tle e ffort
as if it were only a single lett er s closes th e sound,and comple tes
t h e word. L unites with five let ters in th is manner,and r wi th
336 AP PEND IX 1
nine ,and th ere are thousands ofwords inwh ich th ese combinat ions
occur . There are also a few oth ers wh ich may be seen in P late 1 .
6. To every u t terance of th e vo ice form ing a vowel or diphthong ,
and every consonant , s ingle or double ,we h ave h ere given
a simple mark . Th e vowel and diph th ongal sounds are writ t enaccording to th e order of nat ure
,beginning w ith th e s implest ,
requ iring th e least opening of th e mouth, e (h eard in see) . A
w ider opening makes a (say) . Th e next sound in order is 0. (mar)[Not e a.] By expanding th e organs a lit t le m ore th e broadGerman a (all) is produced. Th is sound is expressed by an.
Contract ing th e s ides of th e mouth a lit t le,0 (no) is form ed
,and
by bringing th e organs into a round shape ,we h ave 0 0 (do,
too) .Th ese six vocal sounds have corresponding sh ort ones . Th ediph th ongs are i , u, oi , and ou
,whi ch be ing m ixed sounds cannot
be sh ort ened . That th e sh ort sounds of i and uare m iscalled so
w ill appear by and by . I is composed of a e,uis e 0 0
,oi is an e
,
and ouis au0 0 , pronounced as qu ickly as possible . Wh at are
commonly called diph th ongs and tri ph th ongs ,as 0a in boat , eau
in beauty ,are so only t o th e eye .
7 . Th e Sh ort -h and marks for th ese let ters,are as simple and
as orderly placed as th e ir sounds . Th e first th ree are made bya dot , placed at th e beginning , th e m iddle ,
and th e end of th e
consonant w ith wh ich it is associat ed. Th e next three,wh ich
are of a broader sound,h ave th e dot made broad, that is , a short
stroke . Three of th e diph thongs have a curve,or h alf of a small
circle,and th e oth er a small angle . Th e wh eel-about shape
of th ese four corresponds very well to th e ir tum -about soundand i f th e language sh ould ever become recept ive of two m ore
such,we have angular s it uat ions for th em . Th ese marks m ust
po int in th at direct ion wh ich renders t h em m ost consp icuous .
A long vowel is made wi th a heavy dot or stroke ,and a short
vowel by a light one . With respect t o sit uation, th e places are
count ed downwards wi th perpendicular and leaning down strokes
from le ft to righ t with h ori z ontal let t ers and upwards w ith h,
l, r, and y . Though s may be made up or down as expedit ion or
beauty of conj unct ionmay dictat e ,let th e vowels places be always
count ed downwards wh en it stands w ith out anoth er consonantin a word . In oth er sit uat ions it m ust follow th e general rule .
8 . Th e correct sound of t h ese six long vowels ,six sh ort ones
,
and four diph th ongs ,wh ich are all th at are to be found in t h e
language ,w ill be understood from th ese words ,
wh ich are wr it t enin t h e examples , plat e 2 , (3h 4 i) . Tea tin, pay pet, lather fat ,daw dot
,show shut, coo could
, fine , duke , boy ,vow . All th ese
sounds may be discovered in th e following sent ence : Feart h ou th e Lord in thy youth ,
h at e and avo id evil , love and pursuegood,
and so walk in the path s of life .
” Thi s is pronounced,
and according t o our system would be writ t en in full, th us :F ér rHoum aLafird euTH i yooth ,
hat and avo id év l 16V and pbrsu
338 AP PEND IX I
I t has been obj ected that it is di fficult to make th e heavys trokes for th e flat let ters . Th is is adm it ted wh en they are
writ ten wi th a black-lead pencil and as t o b and ga ,w ith th eir
compounds ,wh en writ ten w ith a pen . (Th e pupil must use the
lat ter . ) [Messrs Mordan Co . w ill confer a favour on th e publicby producing an ever-flowing pen, s im ilar to th e ir ever-pointed
penci ls ] But even i f every flat let t er were made w ith a ligh tstroke ,
th e inconvenience in reading would be very trifl ing .
E x . including th em al l,Get wi sdom , knowledge , and virt ue and
priz e th em as th e greatest treasure .
” I f th is sent ence were wri t t enunder circumstances whi ch prevented th e mak ing of h eavystrokes , (as black lead pencil on ivory , ) we sh ould read it t h us ,Puy w istom ,
knowlech ant fir tue,and price them as the kreatest
treshur .
”N o one could m istake the meaning of one word h ere .
S t enograph ers h ave always classed two of th ese flat let t ers , v and 3 ,
under th e same marks as th eir respect ive sharps . Th ey h avetaken no notice of two oth ers ,
fiat , sh , (z ha) and th (dha pronouncedlike they) , wr it ing th e last syllable of mission (mishun) , and vision
(viz hun) , alike ; and also using th e sam e marks for breath and
brearHe and th ey h ave m isclassed th e let t ers of two o th er
pairs ,nam ely , ga (get ) w ith 7
°
(jet ) , and k (keen) , wi th q (queen) .Certainly it is bet ter to h ave a ch o ice band of e igh t m en, w ithregular pairs of arm s
, 850 . righ t and left , th an only six, two of
wh om h ave only one arm , one leg , &c ., and two more are monsters
w ith a leg sti cking out at th e sh oulder, and an arm protrudingfrom th e thigh !
10 . N o apology can be necessary for th e use of double letters ,
(see th e lat t er part of P lat e In words wh ich requ ire m ore
th an one m ot ion of th e pen, th ey are used more frequent ly thanth e single let t ers of whi ch they are composed. We h ave takenall that occur w ith out a vowel between th em ,
and whi ch are
consequently pronounced w ith one effort of th e organs . Suchcombinable consonants have as good a claim to a place in the
alph abet as q <5» x . Th e small vow els (i e) placed among th em ,
(a e) wi th th e s ingle asp irat ed dentals , are t o assist in pro
nouncing each as one syllable . In placing q (kw) and x (ks) inth is class , wh ich is th eir proper place , it was necessary to alter th esound of th e form er a lit t le
,because of its flat gwe . I t has now
th e sam e sound as wh en pronounced in a word thi s should beth e case w ith every lett er . Wh enever th e short -hand lett er g is
m ent ioned, cal l it ga th at it may answer to k . Wh enever h ispronounced, call it he ,
like th e personal pronoun. P erhaps som e
of our readers wh o are not accustomed to aspirate th is let t erin th eir reading and conversation,
will pronounce it like th e vowele . Such persons m ust seek oral instruct ion on thi s po int . Th ename ai tch for a forcible asp irat ion is only one ofmany m isnom ers
in th e English alphabet . Th e rectificat ion of the oth ers , h owever,
is le ft for anoth er t ime . With out thi s alteration we sh ould cal l
APPEND IX I 339
th e first consonant in cheer by th e same name as the first inhear
l l . D IRE CTION S . Wri te every word according to its truepronunciation, and follow Walker t ill you have a better
gu ide [d] . Be exact in the shape of the lett ers [or p not leaningsufficient ly would be t . To ass ist in acqu iring th eir format ion,
construct a diagram like th e one in P late 2 , several t imes , t illyouh ave a tolerably good circle , by mak ing th e box of th e wheel
first , th en th e spokes , next the circles,inner and ou ter . Make it
w ithou t ruler or compasses . Wi th th e exception of q and x , all
th e let ters wh ich succeed each o th er in th e language , can be
jo ined by th e ir respect ive shorthand marks,wi th ou t tak ing o ff
th e pen . Conj o in th e wh ole th us bb, bd, b/ , &c . to bz hr (7Then db,
dd, d/ , &c . (8 a Th e loop 5 is jo ined in th is manner ,
sp, st , sf, sk , sr , s in , (8 Th e pupil may also run th rought h e changes w i th th e stroke 5 , mak ing it up or down , accordingto convenience , sb, sd, sf, sg , (9 a Furth er direct ions concerning th is let ter w ill be g iven n . 12 . Th e hooks of a few of th e
double let t ers must , in jo ining , be made less bent ; the worst
examples are rbl , pkr, (9 e . Repeat a le t ter th us : fl,nun
,
prpr. (9 Many of th e combinat ions th us Obtained cannot
be pronounced,but it w ill be well t o do th e wh ole for th e sake
of exerc ise ,and t o imprint th e forms of th e let ters upon the
pupil’
s m ind . Wh en t h e conj unct ion of all the consonants isth us accomplish ed, begin to write sent ences and h ere part icularcare must be taken in ascertaining th e exact sound of every word .
Th e greatest difficulty w ill be t o discover th e vowel sounds , so
as to write th em according t o th e natural order in wh ich th ey are
placed in th is system . Th e difficulty w ill arise from th is c ircumstance . By education and custom we are taugh t to call th e shortsound of a Short e or short a th us mate rh et
,hate hat
,and so
w ith every oth er vowel, the short sound of i t is foundunder anotherletter,
E x . seen s in, boat but , raw rot , pool pull . The reader w ill be
ass isted h ere i f h e remember to writ e th e second vowel in th islist for the first it is Walker
’
s notat ionl
p ine9.
pin1
noa
move 0 0
3v v
nor4
v s .
not
After a t ime it w ill be found th at it is much eas ier to wri te bysound in every case , than according to what is called by some
m isnomer , orthography . P ersons who have never learned any
340 AP PEND IX I
system of sh ort h and,and are inclined to make an at tempt at
th is ,wh ich is s trongly recommended to th em , should at first
write every word in full , th at is , as it is pronounced in good
society . An example both of spelling and wr iting is given in n . 8 .
To adduce ano th er instance ,th e Great P recept m igh t be wr itt en
by a beg inner th us Tnoush c‘
ilt 16V m aLafi rd rH i Géiid wérI-I
an] TH i hart and TH i nabér az rH isalf.
” After a lit tle pract ice ,
many of th e vowels may be om itt ed and every let t er m ay repre
sent two or three of th e commonest words ,and somet im es a prefix ,
or an affix . To th e double let ters only one word is appropriated,
(see P late Th e same example wri t ten by th is rule wouldbe reduced from 49 marks t o 22 .
1 2 . SHORT-HAND RU LE S . Wh en a let t er has two forms ,wh ich
is th e case wi th l, r, s , <5»ng , th e first is for j o ining ,and th e o ther
is to be used wh en such a let ter stands alone for an alph abet icalword, or wi th out anoth er consonant in th e word Ex . of th e iruse in th e three cases ; least , all, oi l right , our ,
raw case, us ,
see among, (ng is not used for an alphabe t ical word,but as a
representat ive for into and unto) owing . ( 10 a 1 1 b . ) In th ese
circum stances t h e second mark m ust be used. Wh enever I
occurs w ith no o th er consonant follow ing but I, r, and s . E x .
loll, liar, lose ,also , loller,
lolls , laurel, liars , loser . R with onlyI , r, s ,
and ng . E X . real,error, rose , ring , roller , rai ls
,roaring .
5 wh en repeat ed,wh en it is th e only consonant in a syllable ,
and wh en followed by l or ng only . E X . assi z e, mercy ,ascend,
soul, sing . Also use th e stroke 5 wh enever th e oth er would causeambigu ity [f] or h inder th e freedom Of th e writing ; in al l oth er
cases th e loop 5 w ill be found exceedingly convenient . N g m ustbe made wi th th e second m ark wh en preceded by p, sp, and yonly ; and wh en it does not end a word . E X . paying , sapping ,
young , anguish ,ringlet , beings , flinging . The pup il is request ed
to write all th ese words according t o th e rule . Th e small ngmay be t urned in any direct ion ,
it is m erely a h ook at th e end
of th e preceding let ter . Th e large ng is a th ick n ,but as thi s let t er
is never made h eavy in a word for any oth er purpose ,th ere can
be no m istake h ere . Spr , str,and shr, may be made w ith one
stroke,th us sprain,
strong , screw ( 1 1 c Th is will not
interfere w ith sp,st
,and sk
,because wh en th ese let ters begin a
word,th e loop is placed on th e oth er side . (See 11 . S before
and w,w ith whi ch it w ill combine ,
may be made w ith the
oop or stroke . Th e former plan is th e best . E X . splinter ,swing ,
1 1 f 1 2 I t may also be wr it t en with th e loop 5 ,and separat e
le t t ers for p and 1 . Wh en 5 comes before a double lett er in the
middle of a word,the double let t er must generally be divided, or
th e long s made . Th e first is th e preferable plan. Ex . principle ,nstruct , ( 1 2 P ossible ,
toaster, whisper ,&c . may be wr itt en
w ith both th e loop and double let t er , ( 1 2 X is noth ingmore th an a stroke across th e let ter preceding or follow ing . E X .
APPEND IX 1
h ave a straigh t line . See examples in th e first Rule of Li fe ,
n . 13 . S tops as usual, except t h e period. Ex . comma, sem icolon ,
colon, period,exclamat ion. int errogat ion , irony (g] parenth eses ,
brackets , hyph en . quo tat ion marks , ( 1 7 a h . ) Cont ract ions o f
long words may be m ade by adjo ining one let ter t o anoth er , or
by mak ing a comma under . E x . notwi thstanding , nevertheless ,
indispensable ,incomprehensi ble ,
satisfactorily , ( 1 7 i 18 d . )According to one Of our rules
,th is first plan would frequent ly
make q , but as th is let ter never ends a word,t h ere is no danger
of ambigu ity h ere . Anoth er m eth od of saving t ime is to j o in lit t lewords togeth er . E x . as i t i s said,
there are, ( 18 e . f . ) Th eological,
parliam ent ary ,and law ph rases ,
may be wr it t en by th e ini t iallet ters of th e words j o ined t o each o th er . E x . kingdom of heaven ,
H is M afesty’
s ministers, practice of the court , ( 18 Th ese aids
w ill enable a writ er to follow th e sw i ft est speaker in th e world
th at is worth follow ing . Sh ould o th er m ethods of abbreviat ionbe requ ired by a slow writer ,
th ey may be found in sh ort -hand
treat ises . I t m ust be remembered th at contract ions are a. license
grant ed to report ers only . To conclude th ese rules (whi ch cannotbe length ened w ith out producing tedium ,
nor abbrevi at ed w ithoutcaus ing obscuri ty) , give th e let t ers th e ir full shape ,
and in com
m encing ,make th em a quart er or even h alf an inch in length
th e s i z e may be reduced gradually t o one-e igh th or less, and i ft h ey be properly form ed
,and su fficient vowels insert ed to give th e
sound,it is impossible th at m istakes can arise . Let th e reader
practi se th e syst em ,and h e w ill find all diffi cult ies vanish as h e
proceeds and w ith re ference to one of th e babbling speech eso f th is babbling eart h — th e English ,
wh ich is not th e most
harmonious or consist ent— h e w ill be able to sing as h e proceeds ,
For every evil under the sunThere is a remedy , or there ’s noneI f there is one , try to find it ,I f there ’s not one , never m ind it .
1 3 . THE LoRD’
s P RAYE R . Our Fath er wh ich art in h eaven,
hallowed be thy name : thy k ingdom com e : thy w ill be donein earth
,as it is in h eaven gi ve us th is day our daily bread
and forgive us our debts ,as we forgive our debtors : and lead
us [h ] not into temptat ion , but deliver us from evi l for th ineis t h e k ingdom , and th e power, and th e glory ,
for ever . Amen.
Mat . vi . 9— 1 3 .
P SALM 100 . 1 . Make a joy ful no ise unto th e Lord, all ye
lands . 2 . Serve th e Lord w ith gladness ; com e before h is
presence w ith s inging . 3 . Know ye that th e Lord h e is God
it is h e t hat h ath m ade us ,and not we ourselves : we are h is
people ,and th e sh eep of h is past ure . 4 . Enter into h is gat es
wi th t hanksgi ving , and into h is courts w ith praise be th ank fulunto h im
,and bless h is nam e . 5 . For th e Lord is good h is
mercy is everlast ing and h is t ruth endureth to all generat ions .
APPE ND IX I 343
RU LE S OF LIFE . FIRST . T0 read often , and to medi tat e wellon th e WORD OF GOD . S E COND . To be always content and
resigned under t h e dispensat ions of P rovidence . TH IRD . Alwaysto observe a proprie ty of behaviour,
and to preserve th e conscienceclear and vo id of o ffence . FOURTH . To obey that wh ich is
ordained ; to be fai th ful in th e discharge of t h e du t ies of ouremployment ; and to do everyth ing in our power to make ourselves as universally useful as possible . Always t o remember“Th e Lord w ill provide .
”
1 4 . Th ese three examples are wr it ten according to th is syst em
in th e second plate . Compare th em word by word w ith t he sh orthand copy . Th is w ill explain much more th an several pages of
let ter-press . I t proves th e superiority of th is system ,th at th es e
specimens are wr it t en w ith 377 m ot ions of th e pen wh ile Byrom ’
s
takes 555, Taylor’
s 458 , and Lewis ’s 508 [i . ] Add to th is , thatby ne ith er of th ese auth ors , nor by any o th er,
can th e proper
sound of th e words be writ t en ; and t h at h ere th ere are no
arbitrary marks e ith er used or needed but every word is writ t enexact ly as it is pronounced,
with th e common allowance of leavingout som e vowels
,and mak ing every let t er represent one , two , or
t hree words . Th e average Of th e wh ole alph abet is less than twot o a let t er . S tenograph ers have h ith erto split th e ir sciencebetween a correct pronunciat ion of th e language ,
indicat ed bysimple and infallible marks and th e anomalies of long
-h and,in
wh ich “a perfect knowledge of the letters affords no clue to th e
sound Of t h e word .
” To at tain profic iency in writ ing t h is,or
any o th er syst em ,th e pupil m ust pract ise half an h our
,and
,i f
poss ible ,an h our a day and read over tw ice everyth ing h e wr it es .
H is constant mot to m ust be ,P E RSEVE RE .
”H e should keep out
t h e elbow ,and for Sh ort -h and,
use short lines . In th is system ,
wh en writ ten by a report er, t h ere w ill be about as many strokes as
syllables consequent ly th e pen can eas ily keep pace w ith t h e
tongue and i f our language were writ ten and printed by it , th elabour and expense of educat ion would be reduced 50 or 80 per
cent . We sh ould th en t each a ch ild t o call medicine f i e i k (ormore properly f e z e k) , fieik,
instead of pe p , ai tch h ,wi y ,
es s,
i for i , see c, phys ic !
15 . Th e writ er is preparing a Manual of S tenography ,
including an analyt ical sketch of th e English language ,and t h e
application of it t o sh ort -h and charact ers also a sch eme o f an
alphabet according t o nature wh ich shall be publish ed ano t h er
day i f it is worthy of publication t o ascert ain wh ich ,th is card,
containing th e principles ,is thrown out as a feeler . Th e system
requ ired many sch emesfand many experiments w i th t h e language ,
before it was brough t t o its present state . Forcible reasons cou ldbe g iven for th e select ion of every mark to express th e sound t owh ich it is appropriated som e of th em have appeared to former
stenograph ers ,consequent ly it w ill be found t hat th e let ters f,
344 AP PEND IX I
m,n
,r and t
,are th e same h ere as in some o th er systems . Let
th e at t ent ive reader examine every let ter, remembering that th ecommonest sounds must have th e simplest marks and that those
let ters wh i ch frequent ly succeed each o th er,
sh ould h avecharacters that run into each o th er without an angle ; and
'
we
presum e h e w ill di scover th at not one of th em could be altered
to advantage . With reverence be it spoken,that th e characters
appear to be adapted to th e sounds , as though th e circle ,math e
matically dissected,were contri ved by the Great , th e Wise ,
and
th e Benevolent Auth or Of Nat ure t o su it th e English languagea dot or a stroke to a sound . Th e co incidence appears in its
most strik ing ligh t , wh en we consider th at th ere is not one soundunexpressed ; that not anoth er character could be introducedw ithout causing confusion ; and that every two or three con
sonants th at will coalesce in the beginning of a syllable , as pl,sm
, str , &c . are made wi th one stroke .
16. Th e sh ort -hand placed above th e D iagram , plate 2 , is ,Th is alph abet contains sixteen vowel sounds, twenty -fiv e s ingleconsonants , and twenty
-four double ones total sixty-fiv e let ters ,
including every vowel sound in th e language , and every combination of consonants that w ill comm ence a syllable ,
all drawn fromth is D iagram .
” Th e system must stand upon its own legs i f itstand at all or, t o change th e figure , i t must roll upon i ts own
wheel, and if it sink into obliv ion after a reasonable tr ial of itscapabil it ies ,
it will be because it deserves no bet ter fat e . Byth e auth or it is practised and taugh t daily ,
W ith out any incon
v enience aris ing from h eavy let t ers and aft er e igh t years’
ext ensive use of th e best system h ith erto publish ed,Mr . Taylor
’
s
(somet imes miscalled Harding ’
s ,and lately sent forth w ith out
any reference to Mr . Taylor ’s name) and an examinat ion of manyoth ers
,h e h es itat es not to say , it is as good again as that . This
Observat ion m igh t certainly be spared for th e sake of modesty ,
and also wi th regard t o th ose readers wh o have learned Mr .
Taylor’s andw ill now gi ve this a fair trial but we know well that ,wi th m any persons, st enographi c perseverance is a rare virt ueand th e experiment , w ith its result , is h ere mentioned for th e irsakes .
.Among th e auth or ’s pup ils are more th an twenty boys
(in hi s sch ool , ) about th e age o f t en years and it may confidentlybe assert ed th at th ey could not have learned so easily any other
syst em extant .
1 7 . Never before were forty -nine consonants expressed bytwenty
-fiv e marks,and S ixt een vowels by four marks ; all as
s imple in shape as a coach-wheel and at th e sam e time as express ive of th e though ts and affect ions as long
-hand,wi th a saving
of at least fiv e h ours out of six . And wh at is ofmore importance ,
the marks are sui ted to the sounds , so that WHE REVE R A LETTE RI s RE LATE D TO ANOTHE R , E ITHE R BY ORGANIC F ORMATION , OR
BY BE ING COMB INE D WITH OTHE R LETTE RS , IT IS S IGNIFIED
346 APPEND IX I
N O T E S .
[a] To express th is sound of a , called th e m iddle or Italian a,
we adopt th e Greek alpha (a) , Th e reader is to pronounce th islet t er ,
th en,wh erever it occurs
,as in far, father,
wh ich is sim ilart o t h e cry of a sh eep , baa .
[b] Be care ful t o sound th e vowels as in th e preceding classificat ion , n. 6 . According to th e usual practice ,
a long vowel has a strokeover it
,and a short one a curve . Th (in italics) , signifies th e sharp
sound, and TH (in cap itals) , th e flat sound . See th e reason,for
pronouncing the article the that , in Walker’
s dict ionary ,under th e
word .
[0 ] There is one except ion to th is remark . Mr . Towndrow .
wh o ,it appears , is a transat lantic st enograph er, has separat e
marks for th e long and sh ort vowels,but in his classificat ion of
th em,h e h as followed custom
,as in th e above pairs , instead of
following nature, as is done in th is syst em . Mr . T.
’
s th eory of
sh ort -hand appears to be lit t le known in England . After a
careful exam inat ion of it , we are led t o say ,that , on th e wh ole ,
it is clogged w ith difli culties whi ch appear to us insuperable .
[d] Th e reader is earnest ly request ed t o peruse and reperuseth is gent leman
’
s P rinciples of English Pronunciat ion , prefixedas an I ntroduction to h is adm irable Pronouncing D ictionary .
Sh ould h e be unacquaint ed,we mean practically unacquaint ed
w ith th is standard of orth oepy ,th is able exposit ion of th e English
language ,h e will read th e present at t empt to express it in sh ort
h and w ithout interest , and condemn it wi th out scruple . Fromsuch crit ics may H eaven preserve us ![e] Th is th ird sound of 0 (nor) , is th e same as th e fourt h (not) ,
except that th e h ollow sound of r,necessarily length ens th e vowel
a lit tle .
[f] To gi ve a case of ambiguity by using th e round s,ask is
writ t en like sack,and east like seat . Thi s is near enough for a
reporter or even for privat e writ ing ; but i f ever th e syst em
should be print ed (th e probabilities ofwhich are greater th an th e
probabilit ies of long-hand, 500 years ago) , one of th ese rules mustbe added make s w ith a stroke wh en it begins a word followedby a vowel or
,make s w ith a stroke wh en a word b egins with a
vowel, followed by s and anoth er consonant .
[g] Many h ave said that as th ere are not es of int errogat ionand exclamat ion, th ere sh ould be one for irony . But no wri t erth at th e auth or is aware of, has given any . I f th is at tempt to
make a sm ile appear on paper, convey ing at th e sam e t im e an
int imation that th e words are t o be taken in a contrary sense ,be
approved of,it may be adopted by the reader . Th e shape of th e
APPENDIX I 347
note is someth ing like that of a conce ited puppe t , wi th an emptynoddle .
[h ] Th e punctuat ion o f th is pe t it ion was suggested to th e
au thor by a friend . I t appears preferable to th e common mode
for many reasons , for wh ich ,however
,we have no t room h ere .
[i] Th e follow ing are th e part iculars
S trokesg
Pen Ofl Twoeparate
do t s and 53235321 13’
lor dot s.
marks .
afli xes . st roke .
In th is calculat ion every au thor is allowed th e full privilegeof h is alphabet ical words ,
arbitraries , &c . , and wh en a word is
ne i th er the one nor th e o th er, all th e consonants that are soundedare wri t t en
,and wh en th ere is but one ,
and a vowel, that is put .
Th e number of other vowels that have been count ed may be seen
in th e specim ens, plat e 2 . Th e fairest way of j udging between
the systems appears to be th is — Take t h e number of straigh t orcurved strokes , and reckon every loop,
hook,dot
, or taking ofi the
pen as equal t o half a stroke . Deduct all th e le t t ers that followas a cont inuat ion of th e preceding let ter . Th e result is
,B . 546
,
T . 499 , L . 464,P . 4 12 . In n . 14 we have added th e strokes to th e
separate dots , &c ., deduct ing every two strokes made as one .
In th e above table Mr. Lew is ’s separate loops for s are countedin th e first column,
because th ey requ ire as much t ime as plainstrokes . Th e Ioops in th e second column are th ose that occur inconj unct ion.
Th e last column includes all double let t ers made by straigh tstrokes ,
as fi,tt
,and such strokes as fn, nr .
[j ] Th is is no airy imaginat ion, but a conclusion from these
prem ises .
The Bible contains in round numbers words . One o f
th e best edi t ions of th e Holy Word,e i th er for t h e pocket or th e
st udy is ,w ithout controversy ,
Mr . Bagst er’
s English Versionof th e P olyglo t t Bible . Th e type is sufficient ly large (nonparei l .th e same as is used in th is card) , and th e paper excellent . I f th eworthy publish er wi ll accept our j udgment (t h e work is aboveour praise ) we should say it is th e best small bible in t he world.
N ow , by nonparei l short-hand ( i f th e printers w ill excuse the
t erm , ) fourteen lines of e igh t een words each can be writ ten in a
square inch , 252 , or in a page of two inches square , 1008 words .
348 APPE ND IX I
770 pages ,th ere fore ,
would contain th e Bible ,and judging by the
same work as a standard,th ese pages would occupy three-fourth s
Of an inch in th ickness ! Allow one-eigh th of an inch all roundfor margin. H ere th en we have th e WORD OF GOD quite largeenough for reading ,
two and a quart er inch es square , and three
quart ers of an inch th i ck 1 As it would be advisable to have all
th e proper names in long-hand
, th is would make th e thicknessseven-e igh th s of an inch . Success t o th e publish er who mayundertake it !
350 APPENDIX I I
The short vowels were no t shown in the plate , but instruct ionon the ir representat ionwas given in the text , and was th us epitomiz ed A long vowel is made w ith a heavy do t or stroke
,and a
short vowel by a light one .
”
The follow ing arbitrary characters appear in P late 1T kw
, T gw, ks, gz , used to represent question (kw)
language (gw) except (ks) ; and example (gz ) respect ively .
Writ ers were recommended t o jo in litt le words t ogeth er
(phraseography )
SE COND E D ITION (January ,— In P honography ( the
P enny P late the consonants were arranged in ph onet i c orderand paired (in accordance w ith a prom ise made by the auth orin th e First E dition that h e would subsequent ly publish an
alphabet according t o nature wh ile th e s ignificanceat tach ed to some of th e signs was changed,
as w ill be seen fromth e follow ing list Of consonants
( th , ( thee, Jsh, Jeh , [ L / 7 , A m ,
v rt , v ng, h .
Th e consonant s igns for w and y were discont inued,also th e
hooked forms for tw , dw,and wk,
and th e four arbitrary charact ersfor kw, gw, ks , and gz .
Small init ial h ooks for l and r were added to curved consonantsthus fl,
c
\ fr,and th e th ickened s ign K was allot t ed to lr,
the h eavy S ign to hr and m was thickened th us , A for mp,
wh ile A represented mr and v nr .
Final books whi ch add I or r were introduced read before th e
stem let ter, th us ,
pl. 1p ; pr, rp ; k fl, 11 ; fr, rf.
Th e halving principle was introduced,th us , p, pt
b, bd, but with the following and some oth er irregular
applicat ionstn, dn, J chn , J in , fn, N vn
,A kn,
A gn, ( ut , nd.
Under th is principle P honography was wr itt en 9 th e first
APPE ND IX I I 351
S ign represented phono , and the second the suffix for
-graphy .
,6
Th e short vowe l scale was illustrated th us :"
is?“0
though different let ters from th ose h ere shown were used to
indi cate t heir significance . The followmg four angular doublevowels w ere introduced,
namely ,
V5,i , V
asA
oi , Aou,
and
four angular treble vowels ,
L
,wi , L iwho,
mwou. Some
of th ese charact ers were int ended,th e P enny P late s tates ,
t o represent foreign or provincial sounds . Th e w and y series was(
0
3we yeintroduced : c ;way e tc .,
usyay etc .,bo th long and sh ort .
c ; wah yah
TH IRD E D ITION (September, — The consonant representat ion remained th e same . Th e vowel s igns were exh ibited in
tabular form w ith th e S ingle or pure vowels at th e h ead,t h us
Long— e
,a , ah ; au, 0 , ao . Short— i , e
,a ; o ,
u, 0 0 . Under
Double Vowels were shown t he y and w series ,and ano ther
P
| series of angular signs ,w ith some addit ions for fore ign sounds .
Th ere was a table of Treble Vowels , includingL
wi , and a
series of fourt een signs for representing fore ign and provincialsounds . Th ese were indicated by th e sign j ust shown, in differentposit ions, and by
C'
yae , etc .
FOURTH E D ITION — Th e t erm inat ion -shon or -tion was
represented by a t ick or a curve as l, / \ J Th e angulardouble vowels were reduced to three by th e om ission of ao ,
t h e
angular treble vowels t o two by th e om ission Of wao and woi ,
and th e yae series of signs om itt ed altogeth er from the body of
the work , and placed at th e end,in an Appendix devot ed to
Fore ign Sounds and P rovinc ialisms .
”
FIFTH E D ITION —Th e s ign was allot ted t o r ,w ith
r as a duplicat e sign (it was hooked for reh ) , and th e
significat ion of was changed t o rl . The aspirat e was repre
‘5he ’ i haw
sent ed by a reversed comma,th us : «1ha viho Wh en
hah hoo
needful the aspirate mark was enlarged to th e si z e of a consonant ,
th us , C. hew.
352 APPE ND IX I I
Int ersected and Contracted Words introduced list of
P hraseograms given.
S IX TH E D ITION — This edit ion,in the form of a P enny
P late ,
”ant i cipated some of th e improvements wh ich were in
preparat ion for the next (Seventh ) Edit ion. Th e sign was
allot ted to rl . Th e aspirate was now expressed by adding a dot
to th e follow ing vowel, th us , heat .
Th e final h ook was given th e signification of n wh en on the le fts ide of a straigh t consonant , th us , and shn on th e righ t side ,
t h us , A h ook at th e end of any curved consonant represented n . All consonants except ng , expressed the addition of
t or d when half length .
The number Of s imple long vowels was increased by one and
now ran as follow3 °
l D
Th e new vowel signuh necessitated a s im ilar change in th e short
vowels ,and th e addI t ion of th e following new signs in th e w and y
series ,namely , yo and 3?wo .
Grammalogues were introduced,th e first list consisting of the
and,of, to, in,
that, i t, is , as , for,which , have ,
their, from , more
them , shall, upon,Lord, been .
SEVE NTH E D ITION ( 1845) —Th e double consonant lr was represent ed by f and f and rl by e/ Th e S ign N was adopted
as unh ooked vr. Th e meth od of vocali z ing consonant s of th e plseries was introduced.
Th e t erm inat ion -tion follow ing a curved consonant was represented by a large h ook , th us , nation. Loops for st and str,
and th e s-shon t erm inat ion were introduced,th us stp, pstr,
ps-shon.
From this edi t ion th e list of Arbitrary Words given in th e
preceding six edi tions disappeared,an ext ended list of Gramma
lognes taking th e ir place . Under th e discontinued arrangem ent
each s ingle or h ooked charact er h ad,in addition t o its alphabetic
name , assigned t o it th e representation of one or several words .
The list had been greatly reduced in 184 1 .
E IGHTH E D ITION — Th e use of n before th e trebleconsonants introduced,
th us , inspiration . From th e vowelscal e uh disappeared,
and th e s ign h ence forth represent ed 6.
354 APPEND IX I I
{N fr, Q“fl ; a , nr,0 nl ; ex represented mpr . The
aspirat ed w indicated by a th ickened h ook , th us , wh ,in
addit ion to th e Tenth Edit ion form . Th e back h ook for addingth e prefix in employed in inscribe, a
/ \ inhabi t , etc
Th e follow ing changes were made In th e diph thongs :0
!Th e ah-e series of disyllabic diph thongs introduced.
TWE LFTH E D ITION ( 1868) — Th e order of th e phonographi c
consonants was al t ered as follows : p, b t , d ; ch , j; k, g
f, v th,thee s , e sh ,
eh m , n , ng . Only one consonant formwas now assigned t o y ,
namely , and f represented lr
inst ead of f wh ich was assigned to wl .
Aft er th is issue E dit ions were discontinued.
1870 — Th e triph th ongL
Iwi discontinued. The s igns 0 thl,
Cthl introduced.
187 l .-Th e character was assigned to wh f to wl, and
C t o whl. Th e S ign was given th e s ign ificance of roh ,ri .
1873 — In th e list of Grammalogues 7 was subst it uted for
l t o represent he .
188 1 .—Th e double-lengt h principle was applied t o a strai gh t
consonant wh en following anoth er,as conductor . (Th ere was
a preliminary introduct ion of th e principle in 1 879 at th e end of
Key t o the Report ing E xercises ”
)
1884 .— Th e double-length principle was ext ended to straigh t
consonants ending w ith h ook, or circle us , as
, printer,
counters .
1885 — In th e lis t of Grammalogues replaces 7 for he .
1886.— I t was announced th at th e perpendicular or h ori z ontal
t ick for a j o ined a or an had beenused for many years ,but as
it was found to clash in rap id writing w ith th e jo ined t ick forthe,
it was now gi ven up .
1887 .— Th e double consonant sw expressed by a large init ial
circle introduced, th us , P sweet, 0\ swim . Th e tri ph th ong
L
i mi re-introduced.
1888 .
—Th e signs 0 tkt, Ctkt discont inued.
1889 — The double consonant N roh , r7'
discont inued.
APPEND IX I I I
BIBLIOGRAPHY
I . SHORTHAND WORKSP AGE
I I . BOOK S IN SHORTHAND CHARACTE RI I I . P E RIOD ICALSIV . S PE LLING RE FORM TRACTS
BOOKS IN RE FO RME D S PE LLING
I . SHORTHAND WORKSMANUAL
S tenograph ic Sound-hand, by Isaac P i tman. London : SamuelBagster, at h is Wareh ouse for Bibles , Tes tam ents ,
P rayer
Books , Lexicons , &c . , in Ancient and Modern Languages ,
N o . 15 P aternoster row . Also sold by th e Author,Wo t ton
Underedge and by all Booksellers . P r ice four-pence . [Th eabove is on th e cover . Th e h eading to th e t ext is Short
hand,founded ou Walker
’
s P rinciples of English Pronunc iat ion.
’
Th e book consists of 1 2 pp . and 2 plates . P late
i . Vowel sounds , and single and double consonants ; II . Th eWh eel ” diagram of charact ers , E xamples ,
Lord’
s Prayer ,
P salm 100,and Rules of L ife . Th is was th e FIRST E D ITION ,
and cons isted of copies . ( 15th N ov . , 1 2mo . ]P honography orWri t ing by Sound,
be ing also a N ew and Nat uralSystem of Short -Hand . Invent ed and drawn by I . P itman,
5 Nelson place ,Bath . P rice one penny . S . Bagster, 15
P aternoster row ,London . [P ost 4to , 8 in . by 65 in .
, printedfrom an engraved st eel plat e , publish ed sim ultaneously wi thth e introduct ion of th e P enny P ostage , l0t hJan . , 1840 . Th efirst issue h ad no reading mat t er down th e le ft and righ t s idesouts ide th e rule . Along th e bo t tom was th e statement th at
Any person may rece ive lessons from th e Au th or by postat l s . each to be paid in advance , etc .
” Th e second issue hadth e notice To purchasers of early impress ions ,
”e tc .
,down
th e s ides . Th e third issue had along th e bo t tom th e altered
statement Any person may rece ive lessons from th e
Au thor by post gratu itously .
” The SE COND E D ITION of th e
system ]
356 AP PEND IX I I I
Mounted on canvas and bound in cloth , let tered, wi th two
chapters from th e N . T . (Rev . 2 1 and Mat . 5) as addit ionalexercises [at th e back] , I s . London : 8 . Bagst er, 15 P ater
nost er row , 1840 . E xercises in P honography containing th eabove chapters was issued separately as plat e NO . 2
, price 1d.
[Eng . steel plat e , 7 in . x 8} in .,folded in six . Also th e Second
Edit ion of t h e system .]P honography , or Writ ing by Sound ; being a Nat ural Method
OfWrit ing applicable t o all Languages , and a complete systemOf Sh ort Hand. By Isaac P itman
, 5 ,Nelson place ,
Bath .
E ntered at S tat ioners ’ Hall . London : Samuel BagsterSons , 15 P at ernost er row . [Sept ] 1840 . P rice 8d clothl s . [Demy 8v o . 24 pp . Th is is P art I . , consist ing of
Introduct ion, Syst em , and Rules . Th ere was also an issuein Dec . P art I I . ,
wh en publish ed separat ely ,was called
E xercises in P h onograph y , or Writing by Sound,being a
Nat ural Meth od of Writ ing applicable t o all Languages , and
a Complet e System of Sh ort Hand. By I . P itman . London
Samuel Bagst er . 1840 . Pri ce 8d. Demy 8v o . 15 pp .
Wh en bound t ogeth er th e second part was paged 25-38 .
Price 25 . Th e E xercises were engraved on wood. Th ediagram sh own below appeared on th e t it le page and,
wh en
bound, on th e cloth cover of th ese books .
Wh eth er s ingle or t ogeth er , th e parts were
th e TH IRD E D ITION . ]Tit le P age and 1 1 pages of P art I . Print ed
on'
a large sh eet . Bagst er Sons . 1840 .
P rice 8d .
Twelve P ages of P art I I ., or th e E xercises
print ed on a large sh eet . Bagst er Sons ,
1840 . P rice 8d.
Ph onography and Sh orthand . A Nat ural Me thod of Wri t ing all
Languages by S igns th at -Represent th eir Sounds . By IsaacP itman . FOU RTH E D ITION
,copies [including previous
edit ions ] P rice one penny . London,Samuel Bagster & Sons ,
1841 . [Demy 4to . Let t erpress and woodcuts , print ed on
both sides ]Sam e as above . P rice threepence . On p ink enam elled paper
a double Sh eet , print ed on one side only .
P h onography , orWrit ing by Sound,a Nat ural Method ofWrit ing
all Languages by S igns representat ive of Sounds . And a
Complet e Syst em Of Shorthand . By Isaac P itman, 5 Nelson
place , Bath . London Bagst er Sons , 15 P at ernost er row ,
1842 . [Large 8v o . Introduct ion , Syst em , and Rules forma first part . Sold separately . TO thi s was added a second
part . E xamples cut in wood, 37 pp . in al l,numbered 1 -24
and 3-1 5 . Th is was a first issue of th e FIFTH E D ITION .]
358 APPEND IX I I I
A Manual of P honography ; or Writ ing by Sound : a naturalMeth od Of Wri t ing by S igns that represent th e sounds of
language ,and adapted to t h e English language as a complet e
System of P hone t ic Shorthand . By Isaac P itman. SeventhE dit ion . Publish ed by Isaac P itman at th e P honograph icInsti t u t ion, 5 Nelson place ,
Bath ; and at th e P h onographi cand P h onotyp ic depot , l Queen
’
s H ead passage ,P at ernoster
row,London. E dinburgh ,
John Johnstone ,H unt er square ;
Dublin,S . B . O ldh am , 8 Suffolk street P aris ,
M . Degetaue t
Cie , 1 2 P lace de la Bourse ; Boston,Andrews Boyle ,
339
Wash ington street . S ept . 1845 . A P eople’
s E dit ion,
London and Bath ,bore th e date 1845 . [Fcap . 8v o .
Thi s s i z e was from th is t im e adopt ed for th e t ext -book s .
64 pp . 1s ]A Manual of P h onography ,
etc . By Isaac P itman. With an
Appendix on th e applicat ion of P h onography t o fore ignlanguages . By A . J . E llis , B .A . (Seventh Edit ion. ) London :
Sam uel Bagst er Sons , 15 P at ernost er row ,Bath : Isaac
P itman,P h onetic Inst itut ion, 5 Nelson place . 1845 . [64 pp
Appendix , 36 pp . 23 . Th e Appendix was also publish edseparat ely , price 6d. ]
P honography , or Writing by Sound. By Isaac P itman. Price3d . Feb .
,1847 . Anoth er issue ,
May , 1847 . [Royal 4tosh eet ]
Addi t ions t o P honography supplem entary to th e E igh th E dit ion .
4 pp . let terpress and engraved sh orthand. P ri ce 1d. 5th
March, 1852 .
Rough draft of th e E igh th E dit ion . 14 pp . Of lith ograph edP h onography . 5th April, 1847 .
E IGHTH E D ITION . [Quotat ion from th e E nglish Review on t it lepage ,
as given on p . 186 ante . Th is was cont inued down t o
London : Fred . P itman,P honet i c Depot , 1 Queen ’
s
H ead P assage ,P at ernoster Row . Bath : Isaac P itman
,
P honet ic Inst it ut ion, 5 Nelson place . 1847 . [72 pp .,including
8 st eel plates . l s . 6d. Th e Appendix is discont inued. )Seventh thousand of th e E igh th E dit ion.
N inth t h ousand of th e E igh th Edit ion . 1848 .
E leventh th ousand of th e E igh th E dit ion . 1 848 .
Twelfth th ousand of th e E igh th E dit ion . 1848 .
Fift eenth th ousand of th e E igh th Edit ion. 1848 .
Twent ie th th ousand of th e E igh th E dit ion . 1849 .
Twenty -fifth thousand of th e E igh th Edition . 1849 .
Th irt ieth t housand of th e E igh th Edit ion . 1849 .
Thirty-th ird th ousand of th e E igh th Edi ti on. 185 1 .
Fifty -sixth th ousand of th e E igh th Edi tion . London : FredP itman
,P honet ic Depot , 20 P aternoster Row . 185 l .
APPE ND IX I I I 359
N INTH ED ITION . One h undred and twenty-fifth thousand . 1852 .
One h undred and th irt ieth th ousand. 1853 .
One h undred and t h irty -fifth thousand. 1853 .
One h undred and fort ieth thousand. 1855 .
Circular let t er on the Changes proposed t o be introduced intothe Tenth Edit ion . [Small 8VO , 8 pp . in li tho . sh orthand .
7th Nov .
TE NTH E D ITION . One h undred and fift ieth thousand . 1857 .
One h undred and fifty-fourth thousand. 1858 .
One h undred and fifty-fifth th ousand. 1860 .
One h undred and sixt ieth th ousand. 1860 .
One h undred and sixty -sixth th ousand. 1861 .
Supplement t o th e Ninth E dit ion . [Fcap . 8 vo , 4 pp . le t terpress
and shorthand ] P urchasers of th e Ninth E dit ion of t h e
Manual of P h onography are request ed t o pas t e th ese fourpages in th eir copies after page March
, 1861 .
Rough proof of a new E dition of th e supplem ent t o th e TenthEdit ion,
containing a new downward r. 4 pp . let t erpress and
sh orth and. Six editions (Nos . 1 to 6) issued in Sept ., 1862 .
E LEVE NTH E D ITION . One h undred and sevent ieth th ousand .
1862 .
One h undred and seventy-seventh thousand . 1863 .
Supplement t o th e Tenth Edit ion of th e Manual of P h onography .
[Fcap . 8vo ,4 pp . let terpress and shorthand ] 2oth January ,
1863 .
One h undred and e igh t ieth th ousand . 1864 .
One h undred and e igh ty -sixth thousand . 1865 . [Th e monogram
given below appeared on th e t i tle page from thi s edit ion downt o 1873 ]
One h undred and ninet ieth thousand . 1866 .
TWE LFTH E D ITION . Two h undredth thousand . 1867 .
Two h undred and t enth th ousand . 1868 .
Two h undred and twent ieth th ousand. 1868 .
[Edit ions discontinued,th is be ing t h e las t
bearing th e words“Twelfth Edit ion on th e
ti tle page . ]Two h undred and th irt ieth thousand. 1870 .
Two h undred and thirty-fifth th ousand. 187 1 .
Two h undred and fort ieth thousand . 187 1 .
Two h undred and fift ieth th ousand. 1872 .
Two h undred and fifty -fifth th ousand. 1873 . [Shorthand readingmat ter at end first printed from engraved type ,
in place of
st eel plat es ]Two h undred and sixt ieth th ousand . 1873 .
Two h undred and sixty-fifth th ousand . 1873 .
360 APPE ND IX I I I
Two h undred and seventy—fifth thousand. 1874 . [The mono
gram given below appeared on th e t it le page from th is edit iondown to
Two h undred and ninet ieth th ousand . 1 875 .
Th ree h undredth th ousand . 1876. [64 pp . ]Three h undred and t enth thousand . 1877 .
Th ree h undred and twenti eth th ousand . 1877 .
Th ree h undred and twenty -eigh th th ousand . 1879 .
Three h undred and th irty-sixth th ousand. 1880 .
Three h undred and s ixt ieth th ousand . 1881 .
Th ree h undred and seventy-sixth th ousand . 1882 .
Three h undred and ninety-fourth th ousand. 1 883 .
Four h undred and t enth th ousand . 1883 .
Four h undred and twenty-fifth th ousand . 1884.
Four h undred and th irty-e igh th th ousand . 1885 .
Four h undred and fiftieth th ousand . 1885 .
Four h undred and sevent ieth th ousand . 1886.
Four h undred and e igh ty -fifth t h ousand . 1886.
Four h undred and ninety-e igh th th ousand. Isaac P itman and
Sons , 1 Am en Corner,London ; Bath : P h onet ic Inst itut e .
1887 .
Five h undred and s ixth th ousand . 1887 .
Five h undred and twent ieth th ousand. P roof of th e JubileeEdition of th e Manual of P h onography . 88 pp . 1887 .
Five h undred and twentieth th ousand. N ew Edit ion. 89 pp .
1888 .
Five h undred and seventieth th ousand. 1888 .
S ix h undred and fift ieth th ousand. 1889 .
Seven h undred and fiftieth th ousand. Rough P roof . 87 pp .
London,Bath
,and 3 E ast Fourt eenth S treet , N ew York .
1890 .
Seven h undred and fift ieth th ousand. 1890.
E igh t h undredth th ousand. 1892 .
E igh t h undred and fi ftieth th ousand. 1893 .
Nine h undredth th ousand . 1894 .
[From th e dat e last given Sir Isaac P itman discontinued th e
personal supervision of th e issue of h is works , and th e present
Bibliography is through out brough t down t o th is po int ]
Questions on the M anual.
Quest ions on Isaac P itman’
s Manual of P h onography . Adapt edt o th e N inth E dit ion. 1854 . 3d. [16 pp . ]
Questions . Tenth Edit ion . 1858 and 1860 .
Quest ions . E leventh Edit ion. 1863 . 1864 .
Quest ions . 1 873 . 1875. 1877 . 1879 . 1883 . 1884 . 1885.
Quest ions . N ew Edition . 1888 . 1889 . 189 1 . 1894 .
362 AP PEND IX I I I
The Reporter’
s Companion,etc . (as developed in th e N INTH
E D ITION of th e Manual of th e system ) etc . 1853 . [8v o .
96 p . ]E igh tegnth thousand. Fourth edit ion. 1854 .
N ineteenth th ousand. 1858 .
Twenty -first thousand. (As developed in th e TE NTH E D ITIONof th e Manual Of th e syst em . ) 1859 .
Twenty -th ird th ousand. 1860 .
Twenty-fifth thousand . E LEVE NTH E D ITION . 1862 .
Twenty -ninth th ousand. 1863 .
Th irty -fourth th ousand . 1866.
Th ir ty-sixth th ousand. TWE LFTH E D ITION . 1869 .
Th e P h onograph ic Report er , or Report er’
s Companion : an
Adaptat ion Of P h onography t o Verbatim Report ing . ByIsaac P itman . Thirty-s ixth th ousand . London and Bath . 1896.
Thirty -e igh th t h ousand . 1869 .
Forty -third th ousand. 1870 .
Forty -fifth th ousand . 187 1 .
Fift ieth th ousand. 1872 .
Fifty -th ird thousand . 1 873 . [94 pp .]Fifty-e igh th thousand. 1874 .
S ixty-third th ousand. 1875 . [96 pp . ]S ixty—ninth th ousand. 1876 .
Seventy -seventh th ousand. 1877 .
E igh ty -fifth thousand . 1878 .
N inety-third th ousand. 1880 .
One h undred and second thousand. 1882 .
One h undred and t enth th ousand. 1882 .
One h undred and e igh t eenth th ousand . 1884 .
One h undred and twenty-e igh th th ousand. 1884 .
One h undred and th irty-th ird th ousand . 1885 .
One h undred and th irty -sixth th ousand. 1886.
One h undred and forty-second th ousand. 1886.
One h undred and fifty-th ird th ousand. 1887 .
One h undred and fifty-th ird th ousand . 1887 . Isaac P itman
Sons, 1 Am en Corner
,London,
and Bath .
One h undred and fifty-ninth thousand. 1888 .
One h undred and s ixty -ninth th ousand. 1888 .
[Enlarged edition. 1 1 2 pp . ]One h undred and seventy—second thousand. 1889 . 25 .
One h undred and e igh ty -s ixth th ousand . 1890 .
London,Bath ,
and 3 E as t Fourt eenth Street , N ew York .
One h undred and ninety -s ixth th ousand . 1892 .
Two h undred and first th ousand . 1893 .
Two h undred and eleventh th ousand . 1894 .
Two h undred and twenty-first th ousand. 1894 .
Grammalogues and Contract ions for use in classes . 1876.
[8 pp. Frequently re—issued in subsequent years ]
AP PEND IX I I I 363
Reporting Exercises .
Report ing E xerc ises : intended as a companion to t he P hono
graphi c Report er , or Reporter’
s Compani on . London and
Bath . 1 872 . [30 pp . in le t terpress . P re face by IsaacP itman
,who stat es that th e exercises were comp iled by
William S ilver and t hat T . G . Joh nson contr ibut ed th e exerciseon the law ph rases Th e publisher has insert ed th e RulesforWrit ing 1 and r
,added a short praxis on Intersect edWords ,
and made som e o th er
Report ing E xerc ises : A Praxi s on th e P h onograph ic Reporter,
or Reporter’
s Companion . Enlarged t o 32 pp . Edit ionsappeared in 1877 and 1 879 . E nlarged t o 36 pp . Edit ionsappeared in 188 1 , 1883 , 1884 , 1885 , 1887 , 1888 , 1889 , 1890,
189 1 , 1894 .
Key t o Report ing E xercises . In P itman’
s P h onography . 1879 .
[62 pp . Contains at th e end an art icle on th e ext ension of
th e double length principle t o straigh t let ters— th e firstappearance of th e meth od in th e t ext -books . In th e issuesfor 1883 , 1884, 1886, 1887 and 1888 thi s art icle also appeared,
but was discont inued in succeeding edit ions .
Key t o Report ing E xercises . In P itman’
s P h onography . New
Edition. 1889 . [64 pp . ]O ther edit ions appeared in 189 1 , 1894 .
Reporter’
s Assistant .
Reporter’
s Ass istant (Th e) a key to th e reading Of th e ReportingS ty le of P honography . 1867 . [8VO . 86 pp . lith . ]
Reporter’
s Assistant and th e Learner’
s Gu ide t o a knowledge of
P h onography (Th e) a key to th e reading of th e Reporti ngS ty le of P h onography ,
and a Course of Lessons for learners
in Shorthand ou t lines . By Isaac P itman . Second edit ion .
1883 . [8VO . 79 pp .,let terpress and engraved charact ers ]
Th ird edit ion. 1885 .
Fourth edition . 1890, 1892 . [80 pp . ]
P hrase Books .
P h onograph ic P hrase Book (Th e ) , w ith th e Grammalogues of th eReport ing S tyle of Ph onography . By Isaac P itm an. 1858 .
[Fcap . 8v o . 48 pp . Th e ph rases were indicat ed in st eno typy .
Th is work succeeded two edi t ions issued by T . A . Reed wi t hth e perm ission and approval of Isaac P i tman]
Subsequent edit ions in 1 859 , 1860 , 1862 , 1864,and 1866.
N ew edit ion . 1866. [100 pp ., partly let t erpress , part ly lith . ]
Also in 1868 and 187 1 . [96 pp . , partly let t erpress , partly lith . ]P honographi c P hrase Book (Th e ) . By Isaac P i tman. 1873 .
[Fcap . 8vo . 48 pp . P hras es entirely in lith ograph edsh orth and ]
364 AP PEND IX I I I
P honograph ic P h rase Book (Th e ) , w ith th e Grammalogues of th eReport ing S tyle of P honography . By Isaac P itman. 1874 .
[48 pp . engraved sh orthand characters ]S ubsequent edit ions in 1875, 1877 , 188 1 , 1883 , 1885 , 1887 , 1889 ,
1890 ,and 1893 ,
th e last named edit ion having an exerciseon th e phrases in let terpress , comp iled by George Andrews .
P h onograph ic Railway P hrase Book (Th e) . 1869 . [20 pp .
lithograph ed . In t h e pre face Isaac P itman expressed indebtedness to Edward Johnson and o thers in the preparat ion of
t h e work . ]P h onograph ic Railway P hrase Book (Th e ) ; an adaptation of
P h onography to th e requ irements of Railway Business and
correspondence . By Isaac P i tman . Second edition . 1872 .
[20 PP -lThird edition . 1874 .
O th er editions , 1880 and 1884, 1889 , 1892 (al l
P h onograph ic Legal P hrase Book (Th e ) . An adaptat ion of
P honography t o th e requ irements of Legal Bus iness and
Correspondence . 1882 . [20 pp . Frequent ly re-issued in
subseq uent years ]
TE ACHE R SE RIE S .
Class-B ook .
Th e P honographi c Class-Book . P itman,Bath . Bagster, Lon
don. [Fcap . 8vo . 24 lith . pp . 1843 . 6d.]Th e P h onograph ic Class-Book . By Isaac P itman . 1844 . [24
pp . let t erpress w ith sh orth and ch aract ers engraved on wood ]Th e P h onograph ic Class-Book . An improved edition ,
adapt ed
t o th e FIFTH E D ITION of P h onography . Bath publish ed byIsaac P itman
, at th e P honograph ic Inst itution, 5 Nelson place .
London : S . Bagst er Sons , 1 5 P at ernost er row . Sold byall booksellers
,and by ph onographi c lecturers and t each ers .
1 844 . [24 pp . s imi lar t o previous edit ion .]Th e P h onograph ic Class-Book ,
adapt ed to th e S IX TH E D ITIONof P h onography . 1844 . [24 li th . pp . ]
Th e P h onographi c Class-Book . 1845 . [24 pp . let terpress and
wood engraved sh orthand ]Th e P h onographi c Class-Book . 1846. [24 pp . s im ilar to
previous edit ion . ]Th e P honograph ic Class-Book . 1847 . [24 lith . pp . ]
E xercises .
E xercises in P honography . By Isaac P itman . London
Bagster Sons , 1 5, P at ernoster row . Sold also by th e auth or5 Nelson place ,
Bath ,and by all booksellers . 1842 . [1 2mo .
24 pp . li th . shorthand reading mat t er only . )
366 APPEND IX I I I
Teacher .
N ew Edition of the P honographi c Instructor . The P hono
graphi c Teacher a Course of Lessons in P honet ic Shorthand .
By Isaac P itman. Tenth Edit ion. Two h undred and fift ie thth ousand. 1858 . 6d .
Tenth Edi tion. Two h undred and s ixt ieth th ousand. 1859 .
Th e P h onograph i c Teach er . Tenth Edition . Two h undred and
sixty -fifth thousand. 1860 .
Tenth Edit ion. Two h undred and seventy-fifth thousand. 1861 .
Tenth edi tion. Two h undred and e igh tieth th ousand. 1861 .
E LEVE NTH E D ITION . Two h undred and e igh ty -fifth thousand .
1862 .
E leventh Edit ion. Two h undred and ninety -fifth thousand . 1862 .
E leventh Edi tion . Three h undredth th ousand. 1863 .
E leventh Edit ion. Three h undred and fifth thousand . 1863 .
E leventh Edition . Three h undred and t enth th ousand . 1863 .
E leventh Edit ion . Three h undred and twenty-fourth th ousand .
1864.
E leventh Edit ion . Three h undred and twenty-fifth th ousand.
1864 .
E leventh Edit ion. Three h undred and forty-fifth th ousand.
1865 .
E leventh E dit ion. Three h undred and fifty-fifth th ousand.
1866.
E leventh Edition . Three h undred and s ixty-fifth thousand.
1 867 .
TWE LFTH E D ITION . Three h undred and seventy-fifth thousand .
1868 .
Twelfth Edit ion. Three h undred and e igh ty -fifth thousand. 1868 .
Twelfth E dit ion . Four h undred and t enth th ousand. 1869 .
[Editions discontinued ]Four h undred and twenty
-fifth thousand. 1870 .
Four h undred and thirti eth th ousand . 1870 .
Four h undred and th irty-fifth th ousand . 187 1 .
Four h undred and forty -fifth th ousand . 1872 .
Four h undred and sixty -fifth thousand . 1873 .
Revised Edit ion. Four h undred and sixty-ninth th ousand. 1873 .
Four h undred and nineti eth th ousand . 1874 .
Five h undredth th ousand . 1874.
Five h undred and t enth th ousand. 1874 .
Five h undred and twent ieth th ousand . 1875 .
Five h undred and thirt ieth thousand. 1 875.
Five h undred and fort ieth th ousand. 1875 .
Five h undred and fift ieth th ousand. 1876.
Five h undred and sixtieth thousand. 1 876 .
Five h undred and seventieth thousand. 1876.
Five h undred and e igh tieth thousand. 1877 .
APPEND IX I I I 367
Five hundred and e igh ty -fifth thousand. 1877 .
Six h undred and e igh ty-sixth th ousand. 1879 .
Seven h undred and fort ie th th ousand . 188 1 .
Seven h undred and seventy-e igh th th ousand. 1882 .
Seven h undred and ninety -fourth thousand. 1882 .
E igh t h undred and tenth thousand . 1882 .
E igh t h undred and th irty-s ixth thousand. 1883 .
E igh t h undred and fifty-third thousand . 1883 .
E igh t h undred and sixty -ninth t housand. 1884 .
N ine h undred and fourt h thousand . 1884 . [Quotat ion fromH enry Sut t on discont inued after th is edit ion. ]
Nine h undred and twenty-fourth th ousand . 1884 .
Nine h undred and forty-fourth thousand. 1885 .
Nine h undred and sevent ieth thousand . 1885 .
N ine h undred and nineti eth th ousand . 1885 .
One m illion and thirt ieth thousand . 1886.
One m illion and sevent ieth th ousand . 1886.
P roo f Of Jubilee Edit ion. 1886, 1887 . [Three edit ions ]Jubilee Edition. Th e P h onograph i c Teach er : a Gu ide to a
Pract ical Acquaintance w ith th e Art of P h onography or
P h onet ic Shorthand . By Isaac P itman . One m illion and
one h undred th ousand . Isaac P itman Sons , 1 Amen
Corner, London, and Bath . 1887 . [46 pp . ]One m illion one h undred and th irt ieth thousand. 1887 .
One m illion one h undred and seventieth thousand . 1887 .
One mi llion two h undredth th ousand . 1888 .
One m ill ion two h undred and twentieth th ousand . 1888 .
One m illion two h undred and sevent ieth th ousand . 1888 .
One m illion three h undred and sevent ieth thousand. 1889 .
One m illion fiv e h undred and twent ieth thousand. 1890 .
One m illion six h undredth th ousand. 189 1 .
One m illion seven h undred and fifti e th thousand. 189 1 .
One m illion e igh t h undred and fiftieth thousand . 1892-3 .
One million nine h undred and fiftieth thousand . 1894 .
Second m illion . 1894 .
Key to the Teacher .
Key to th e P honograph ic Teach er and to th e E xercises inP honography .
”By Isaac Pi tman . 1874 . 6d . [32 pp . of
lith ograph ed Shorthand and let t erpress form ing a key to th e
Teach er exercises and t o t h e E xercises on th e
Manual .Key to Teacher and E xercises . 1879 . [40 pp . of engraved
sh orthand and lett erpress ] 1880 . 188 1 . 1882 . 1883 . 1884 .
1885 .
Key to th e P honographic Teach er . By Isaac P itman . JubileeEdit ion. 1887 . 6d . [28 pp . of engraved shorthand and
letterpress ] 1888. 1889 . 189 1 . 1892 . 1895.
368 AP PEND IX I I I
Teacher Exercises, E tc.
E xercises in P h onography : A Series Of Graduated Sent e nce
E xercises , illustrating t he P rinciples of th e Art , as Developedin the P honograph ic Teach er .
”1890 . 1d. [15 pp . in
let terpress . Comp iled by G . H . Gunston,w ith introduct ion
by Isaac P itman . Also on cards . Num erous subsequentedit ions ]
P rogressive S tudies in P h onography . A S imple and E xt endedE xposit ion of th e P rinciples of th e Art of P h onet ic Shorthandas set forth in Th e P h onograph ic Teach er,
” “Th e ManualOf P h onography and Th e Reporter,
” int ended for the use ,
principally , of self-taugh t students . [Fcap . 8vo . 104 pp .
Edit ed by Isaac P itman,wh o contribut ed a pre face ; th e
compiler of th e S t udies was T .,
A . Turner .
Subsequent edit ions in 1887 , 1888 , 1890, 1893 .
COP Y BOOK S .
P honograph ic Copy-book (Th e) designed to conduct the learner,
in th ree lessons , t o an acquaintance w ith th e principles and
pract ice of P honography , or writ ing by sound a new system
Of sh orthand. By Isaac P itman . Second th ousand. 1 842 .
P ri ce 6d. [Fcap . 8v o . 16 pp .,int erleaved w ith ruled paper
engraved characters and let t erpress ]P honograph ic Copy
-book (Th e) . [With th e ph onograph icalphabet on th e cover .] London and Bath .
COMPEND S .
Summary of P honography (A) . By Isaac P itman . Abstractedfrom th e
“Manual of P h onography .
”Small 8vo . 16 pp .
3d. 1868 .
Compend of P honography . 1862 .
Compendium of P honography (A) , or P honet ic Sh orthand,
containing th e alphabet , grammalogues ,and principal rules
for writ ing . By I . P itman. 1864 . One penny . [A foldingcard of 6 pp .]
P enny edition . For use in sch ools and as a pocket compani on .
A Compendium of Phonography , or ph onet ic sh orthand
containing th e alph abet , grammalogues, and principal rulesof writ ing . By Isaac P itman. 1865. [4 pp . ]
Compendium . 1866. [6 pp . folding card ]Summary of P honography (A) , w ith th e grammalogues and
principal rules for writing . 1868 .
Compend of P h onography (A) . Fift ieth th ousand. 1871 .
370 AP PE ND IX I I I
H ISTORY .
H istory of Sh orthand. In th e P honotypic journal, v ol . vi 1847 ,
pp . 53-58 ,2 13-2 18 ,
269-274 ,282-292 , 3 1 7-343 , 349-382 , 389
428 including 16 lith . pp . of stenographi c and ph onograph icalph abets .
H istory of Shorthand (A) . By Isaac P itman . Writ ten in
P h onography . 1852 . [8v o . 167 pp . lith o . sh orthand ]H istory of Sh orth and (A) . By Isaac P itman. Reprint ed from
th e P honotypic journal, 1847 . Second edit ion. (Corresponding S tyle . ) 1868 . [8VO . 192 pp . lith o . sh orth and ]
H istory of Sh orthand. P honetic journal, 1884 , pp . 97 , 109 , 122 ,
1 34, 145, 158 , 1 78 , 18 1 , 194,206,
238,250 ,
262 ,265,
279 ,292 ,
304, and 3 13 .
H ist ory of Shorthand (A) , by Isaac P itman. Reprint ed from t he
P honetic journal, 1884. Third editi on. [193 pp . in lett er
press , wi th li th o . specim ens and alphabet s , and preceded byA Brie f Presentat ion of P itman
’
s P h onet ic Sh orthand
X Vl pp .]Also in 189 1 .
AME RICAN P HONOGRAPH IC TREATI S E s .—Th e following are th e
principal Am erican auth ors wh o publish ed Isaac P itman’
s
P h onography in treati ses bearing th e ir nam es S . P . Andrewsand A . F . Boyle J . C . Booth E . Longley
H . M . P arkh urst E . Webst er A . J .
Graham Benn P itman J . E . MunsonE li z a B . Burnz C. H aven W . W . Osgoodby
D . L . S cot t -Browne In 1893 th e Unit edS tat es Bureau of Educat ion publ ish ed a Circular of Informa
t ion on Shorth and whi ch contained a large amount of informa
at ion as t o system s used,et c . Th e pre face was contribut ed
by Dr . W . T . H arr is , Comm iss ioner of E ducat ion, wh o wrot e
I t will be seen in th e ch apt er gi ving th e statist ics of instruot ion in sh orth and in th e United S tat es , th at th e system
mainly followed is that of Isaac P itman . Few inventorsw ithin th e last two h undred years h ave been so happy as h e
in discovering devices th at have proved use ful in practiceand at th e sam e t im e called forth universal admiration for
th e ir t h eoretic perfect ion . I t will be seen by th e
chronological lists of E nglish and Am erican authors of textbooks t hat very many syst em s have been publish edthat are but sligh t m odificat ions upon th e system of
P honography .
AP PEND IX I I I 371
FORE IGN ADAPTATIONS O F P HONOGRAPH Y .—The following
publish ed adaptat ions of P h onography to th e languagesm ent ioned were made by th e authors named during t h e
li fe t ime of Isaac P itman,to wh ich period the list is lim ited
Bengalee ,D . N . Sh inghaw Du tch ,
F . de H aan
French , P . Barrué ( 188 1 ) T .A . Reed . ( 1882) J . R . Bruce( 1888) T . Van den Bergh German, C . L . Driesslein
I talian,G . Francini Japanese ,
M inamot o
Taunanori . Malagasy ,A . Tacch i Spanish ,
G . P arodyWelsh , Rev . R . H . Morgan
I I . BOOKS IN SHORTHAND CHARACTER .
Th e works m ent ioned below were produced from Isaac P itman’
s
lithograph ic transfers , except wh ere described as engraved.
1844
1844
1846
1847
1848
1849
1850
1853
P h onograph ic Reading Book (Th e) , writ t en in th e Th ird[Learner
’
s] S ty le . [Crown 8v o . , 24 pp . See
Key to th e P h onograph i c Reading Book [in let terpress] .Sermon on th e Mount . In P h onography writ ten in an
E asy S ty le for Learners . [16 pp . ]Pri z e E ssay . P honographi c Teach er (Th e) . An E ssay on
th e Best Meth od of Teach ing P i tm an’
s P honography . BySunergos (Corresponding S ty le) .Also Wri tt en in Accordance w ith th e 9th E dit ion
Th ird Edit ion Fourth E dit ionSubsequent editions were in let t erpress .
Laura ; Edward ’
s Dream . By M iss A . A . Gray . [Small8vo . 48 pp . Corresponding S tyle ]N ew Testament (Th e ) , and Book Of P salms (Th e ) . [Royal32 m o . Corresponding S tyle . Issued t ogeth er and
separately ]O th er editions of th e N ew Testament were issued byIsaac P itman in 1853 (Corresponding S tyle ) in 1865
(Corresponding S tyle) and 1869 (E asy Report ing S ty le) .Th e first edit ion of t he N ew Testam ent from engravedsh orthand type , 368 pp . (E asy Report ing S ty le ) , appearedin 1886.
Hart’
s Orth ography , 1569 . [Produced from a Copy in t h e
Brit ish Museum in sh orthand and ph ono typy . Li th o .
78 pp . Corresponding S tyle ]Book of P salms (Th e) . [Fcap . 8vo ,
143 pp . See
372 AP PEND IX I I I
P h onograph ic Reader (Th e) , a series of Lessons in P hone t icShorthand,
TE NTH E D ITION . [Fcap . 8vo , 32 pp . engravedsh orth and, Learner
’
s S ty le ; see
Also in 1858 , 1860 ,1862 , 1864 , 1865, 1867 , 1869 , 1870,
and 1871 .
P entat euch (Th e ) , or fiv e books of Moses . In Learner’
s ,
Business , Corresponding ,and Report ing S ty les ,
eachOpening of th e book display ing one style . [Demy 8vo ,
159 pp .]Anoth er edit ion appeared in 1872 .
Bible (Th e Holy) . In Corresponding S tyle . [Demy 8vo .
8 12 pp .]In 1872 The Old Testament was lith ograph ed fromGenes is i to 2 Kings xvii i , 25,
and also th e N ew Testament ,
but this edit ion was never complet ed,and remained
unpublish ed.
Book of Common Prayer (The) . [Small 8vo . 250 pp .
Corresponding S ty le .]In 1869 a second edit ion appeared (Fcap . In
1887 th e Book was print ed in engraved sh orth and type ,
E asy Report ing S tyle [Fcap . 8v o . 296 pp .]Dairyman
’
s Daugh t er (Th e) . By Legh R ichmond,M .A
[Small 8v o . 96 pp . Corresponding S ty le .]Rasselas . By Dr . Johnson. Fcap. 8v o , 101 pp . (Reporting S tyle . )Macaulay
’
s Biographi es . [Small 8v o . 199 pp . Report
ing S ty le . 126 pp . , key in ph onotypy ]In 1870 a Second Edit ion appeared. [Demy 16mo .
187 pp . Report ing S tyle . N O key .]Debat e on th e Irish Ch urch Bill in th e H ouse of Lords
(The) , J une , 1869 . [Fcap . 8vo . 173 pp . Report ingS tyle ,
w ith let t erpress key t o th e introductory speech es ]D iet , by Dr . Lambe w ith a P reface and Not es by E dwardHare
, C.S . I . [Small 8v o . 176 pp . Corresponding S tyle . ]Ch urch Servi ces (Th e) . [Fcap . 8v o . 592 pp . EasyReport ing S tyle . ]In 1893 an edit ion from engraved characters was issued .
Fcap . 8vo . 935 pp .
Th e Vicar ofWakefield An E xerc ise in P h onography ,in
th e several sty les of th e Art , from th e Learner’
s t o th e
Report ing S tyle to b e writ ten by th e pup il in sh orth and
from a typ ic representation of th e Short h and form for each
word,by Isaac P itman . [Fcap . 8v o . With a pre face
containing th e Rev . W . J . Ball ’s appreciat ion of stenotypy]In 189 1 Th e Vicar of Wakefield was produced from
engraved shorthand, Corresponding S ty le . [Fcap . 8vo .
280 pp . ]
374 AP P ENDIX I I I
I I I . P ERIOD ICALS .
P honographic journal (The) . N o . 1 . January , 1842 . Price 2d ,
or 3d. post-paid. Editor
,Isaac P itman
, 5 Nelson P lace ,Bath
P ublish er, Bagster, 15 P at ernoster Row ,London . Fcap . 8VO .
8 pp . lithograph ed shorthand. Th e first number Of thi s
month ly was print ed at Manch ester from th e transfers of IsaacP itman. I t was th e first sh orthand periodical ever publish edin th e character of any syst em in th is country . In Vol . 2
,
beginning January , 1843 ,th e S i z e was increased t o crown 8v o . ,
and th e number of lith ograph ed Sh orthand pages t o 12 . In
Vol . 3 , 1844, th e s i z e was increased to demy 8v o , 8 pp . , and
at th e end of th is year th e periodical was discontinued underth e above t it le and combined w ith th e P honographicCorrespondent .
P honotypic journal (The) . Conducted by I . P itman,P hono
graph ic Insti tution , 5 Nelson P lace,Bath . Vol . 2 ,
N o . 1 3 ,
January , 1843 . Crown 8v o . 24 pp . Th is was a companionm onth ly periodical to th e P honographic journal, was numbered to correspond,
and print ed in th e ordinary type . Th efirst art icle
,whi ch began as follows , explained its scope The
t it le of th is Journal has been ch osen prospectively . We havereason to h ope that th e time is not very distant , wh en it w illbe print ed w ith ph onotypes . As th e primary aim of th e
P honographic journal will be t o at t empt to introduce a qu ickerand briefer manner of writ ing than th e one in common useso , the obj ect of th e P honotypic journal w ill be to at t empt
a sim ilar beneficial ch ange in th e usual m ode Of printing .
”
Th is periodical was enlarged to 16 pp .,demy 8v o . in Vol . 3 ,
beginning January , 1844,and from th is dat e onwards a port ion
of th e cont ent s consisted of ph onotypy ,Vol . 6 be ing printed
ent irely in ph onet ic spelling ,and subsequent vols . partially .
In December, 1847 ,
Isaac P itman relinqu ish ed th e editing and
publish ing to Alexander John E llis .
P honetic journal (The) N O . 1 January , 1848 . Price 1d. Mr .
E llis announced th i s as Th e successor to th e P honotypic
journal . I t is the same in s i z e and price , but it is conduct edby a different editor on a som ewh at different plan and for a
somewh at different purpose .
” Mr . E llis conducted th e
journal throughout th e year ,and di scont inued it in December,
on th e appearance of h is P honetic N ews .
P honotypic journal (The) , Vol . 8 ,March t o Dec .
, 1 849 . IsaacP itman re-started a new series of th e same s iz e as Mr . E llis ’slate monthly ,
w ith th e Obj ect of providing an organ for the
P honet ic Society .
P honetic journal (The) , Vol . 9 ,January , 1850 . From th is t ime
Isaac P itman changed th e t it le to th e above as m ore con
v enient and progress ive than th e Old name . The periodical
APP END IX I I I 375
was from t h is date issued fortnigh t ly . On 3rd J anuary , 1852 ,
the journal was enlarged and issued weekly at 1d . under th esty le of
P honetic journal (The) , To read and wr i te comes by nature .
S hakspere . London : Fred . P i tman,P h onet ic depo t , 20
P aternoster row . [4to . 8 pp . ] To Vol . xii . , 1853 was addedConducted by Isaac P itman
,P hone t i c Inst it ut ion
,Bath
,
and t h e Shaksperean m o t to was left out . With Vol . xiv . ,
1855, each number was increased t o 12 pp . 15d . A seriesof full-paged lith ograph ed specim ens of P honography com
m enced w ith th e number for 5th January , 1861 (Vol .and 16 pp . were given per number. 2d . Th e li th . Specim ens
ceased soon after, but shorth and supplements were gi veninstead,
and in 1866 th e price was increased t o 3d . On 4th
January , 1873 ,a new series was started, ent it led
P honetic journal (The) P ublish ed weekly . Devot ed to the
P ropagat ion of P honet i c Sh ort hand, and P h oneti c Writing ,
Reading ,and P rint ing . N o . 1 , Vol . xxxi i . N ew series , 1d.
[4to . 8 pp . ] Two pages were given of specimens of P hono
graphy from engraved type . In 1875 (Vol . th e si z ewas increased t o 1 2 pp .
, and 4 pp . cover,four pages be ing
occupied wi th engraved sh ort hand . A t th e comm encem ent of
1887 (V ol . t h e magaz ine had th e follow ing ti tle and
descriptionP honetic journal (The) . P ublish ed weekly . Devoted to th e
propagat ion of P itman’
s Shorthand (Ph onography) , and
P h oneti c Reading ,Writ ing , and P rint ing . P rinted by Isaac
P itman Sons ,at th e P h onet i c Inst i tute , Kingston buildings ,
Bath and publish ed at th e ir P honet ic depot , l Am en Corner,
P aternoster row , London. [4to . 16 pp . ,including cover. )
In January , 1888 , th e number of sh orthand pages was in
creased t o fiv e . At th e commencement o f 189 1 th e si z e of th e
journal was increased t o 24 pp .,and soon afterwards six pages
of sh orth andwere given weekly . Th e wh ole of the above seriesof periodicals were edited by Isaac P itman,
w ith th e except ionof V0 ] . v ii . th e first wh ich was called th e P honetic
journal , h is editorsh ip extending for a period of fifty-two
years down to h is retirem ent in 1894 .
P honographic Correspondent (The) , N o . 1 , January , 1844. 3d .
month ly ,demy 8v o . 8 pp . of lith ograph ed sh ort h and. From
April, 1844,th is periodical bore th e t i t le of th e P honographic
Correspondent and Reporter . During 1845 it was th e P honographic Correspondent ; in 1846 and Reporter was added . In
January , 1847, th e t it le was altered t o th e P honograph icCorrespondent only , and th e s i z e reduced to a small 8v o of
16 pp . At th is dat e th e port ion ent i tled Reporter became
The Reporters’
M agaz ine ,called Vol . 4 ,
N o . and at th e
sam e t ime th ere was start ed a new series of
376 AP PEND IX I I I
P honographic Correspondent (The) . E dited by Isaac P itman , and
wr it t en in t he First or Corresponding S tyle (also called Vol .
iv .,N o . P ri ce 2d . F . P itman
,London . [16m o . 16
Thi s gradually became illustrated. Th e periodical was discontinued at th e end of 1858 .
P honographic Correspondent (The) . A supplem ent t o th e P honetic
journal, edited and lith ograph ed by Isaac P itman. N o . 1 ,January 7 , 187 1 , 16 m o . 16 pp . In an introductory notice
Isaac P itman m ent ioned th at During th e last seven yearsth e sh orth and supplement t o th e P honetic journal has w ithone except ion consisted of a sh eet of some book . Ourreasons for issuing th ese books th us at th e rate of a sh eet per
week, inst ead of a sh orthand periodical of mi scellaneous
subj ects ,was that some standard books in sh orthand for read
ing pract ice were m uch want ed,and we could not li th ograph
both th e books and th e periodical . We h ave now secured th eass istance of a sh orthand li th ograph ic writ er wh o will renewm ost of th ese books (many of whi ch are already out of print ) ,and execut e oth ers
,th us leaving us at liberty t o writ e a
weekly sh eet of m iscellaneous mat ter under th e revived t itleof th e P honographic Correspondent .
” Th is periodi cal wasdiscontinued at th e end of June , 1871 .
Reporters’ M agaz ine (The) . Conducted by Isaac P itman
,Bath .
Vol . 4,N o . 37 , January , 1847 . 3d. Small 8v o . 16 pp .
lith ograph ed sh ort h and . Thi s was a new series of th e Reporterportion of t h e Correspondent , and was cont inued by IsaacP itman down t o th e end of 1848 . I t was int ended only for
th e perusal of advanced phonograph ers .
”At th e beginning
of 1849 th e ti t le was alt ered t o th at of th e P honographicReporter, and th e periodi cal was edit ed and li th ograph ed for
th e future by Th omas Allen Reed .
I pswich P hono-P ress (The) . N o . 1 . August , 1845. 3d. Demy8v o . 8 pp . of li thograph ed sh ort hand and 8 pp . of sh orthand
di ct ionary in each number. E dit ed by John K ing to D ec .,
1845,wh en Isaac P itman (wh o wrot e th e transfers through out ) ,
took up th e edi torship . Th e last number appeared in
December, 1846. With it was issued a not ice that a new
series of m onth ly ph onograph ic periodicals would commencein th e following year , nam ely , th e P honographic S tar (Learner
’
s
S tyle) , P honographic Correspondent (Corresponding S tyle) , andReporters
’
M agaz ine (Report ing S tyle) .P honographic S tar (The) . Conducted by John Newby ,
Friends ’
S ch ool, Ackworth , Wakefield. [A large ph onographic star ish ere displayed ] P ublish ed by C . Gilpin, 5 Bishopsgat e st reet
With out , London ; afterwards by Isaac P itman, 5 Nelson
378 AP PEND IX I I I
IV . SP ELLING REFORM TRACTS .
The orthograph ic reform , to the advocacy ofwh ich Isaac P itman
devot ed so large a port ion of h is life ,was chiefly promot ed by
means of leafle t s and pamph lets a great variety appeared,and
th ese were circulated in m illions . Th ey were known as SpellingRe form tract s
,
”and usually exh ibit ed th e ph onet ic alphabet
w ith som e explanatory mat t er,as an introduct ion t o th e essay or
art i cle advocat ing th e re form . No at tempt is h ere made to givea list of such publicat ions .
In associat ion w ith t h e above sh ould be not ed a volum e ent it led A De fence of P h onet ic Spelling ,
drawn from th e h istoryof t h e English Alph abet and Orth ograph y ,
w ith a remedy for
t h e ir de fect s .
”By R . G . Lath am ,
M .A .,M .D . ,
F .R .S . Th is waspublish ed in 1872 ,
and Dr . Lath am during it s product ion stayed
at Bath .
Arranged according t o date of publicat ion.
V . BOOKS IN RE FORMED SP E LL ING .
E xcept wh ere
o th erw ise stat ed th e books were print ed in full ph onotypy .
1846 Milton’
s P aradise Lost .
1849 Th e Book of P salm s (Au thori z ed Version) .1849 Book of P roverbs1850 Th e Holy Bible [Demy 8v o . O .T. 580 pp
N .T. 164 pp . ]1850 Th e P salm s of Dav id in Metre (allowed by th e auth ority
of th e General Assembly of th e Ch urch of Scot land) .1850 A Th ousand Gem s of Th ough t .
1850 Longfellow ’
s E vangeline .
”
1850 Th e Bath Fables , by th e Rev . Sh eridan Wilson.
1853 Daily Bread from th e Word of God .
1853 S t . Luke ’
s Gospel . Also a smaller edit ion in 1856.
1855 Lucy ’
s Temptat ion .
1 855 Out lines of Ast ronomy .
1856 An English Grammar print ed phonet ically .
1 856 S t . Luke ’s Gospel in Mikmak .
1856 The Acts of t h e Apost les in Mikm ak .
1857 Tomi P louman.
1857 The Book of Genesis in Mikmak .
1859 The Book of P salms in Mikmak .
1860 A Triple (twelve gross) Gem s of Wisdom on Moral and
Spiri t ual subj ects .
1868 Th e Trial of William Rodger .
1870 A Rhymed Harmony of th e Gospels , by Francis Barhamand Isaac P itman (s econd edit ion publish ed subsequent ly ) .
1870 Th e Writ ings of Solomon, e t c . , translat ed oby FrancisBarham .
1871 Th e O th er Life , by William H . H olcombe ,M .D .
187 1
187 1
187 1
1872
1873
1878
1879
1879
1880
1880
188 1
1882
1883
1884
1884
1887—8 P h onet ic Readers .
1892
1892
1 895
1895
AP PEND IX I I I 379
Our Ch ildren in Heaven, by William H . Holcombe ,M .D .
Conversat ions on th e Parables of th e N ew Testament , byEdward,
Lord S tanley .
Th e Wonderful P ocket and O ther S tories , by ChaunceyGiles .
Th e Game of th e Ch esse (Second E dit ion) .A Memorial of Francis Bar ham ,
edited by Isaac P itman.
P lea for Spelling Re form (A ) , Volume of tracts edit ed byIsaac P itman .
Emanue l Swedenborg ,t he Spiritual Columbus .
S tage . )A Compreh ensive Grammar of the English Language .
Boys of O th er Countr ies , by Bayard Taylor .
Susan’s Re turn to H er Old H om e
,by Kath erine M . A .
Cooper .
L iterary Ladder (Th e ) . By A . A . Reade .
Th e Vale of Brukli . (First S tage . )Gospel E pic (Th e ) , by Francis Barh am and Isaac P itman .
Second edi t ion.
Life and Correspondence of Rev . J . Clowes . (First S tage . )Gladys , or Th e S tory of P enbirth . (First S tage . )Th e Squire of Ingleburn,
and wh at h e did w ith t he LawsonArms , by R . Bailey Walker. (First S tage . )Th e Test imony of Jesus ,
by David Bailey . (First S tage . )First , Second, Th ird, Fourth , Fifth .
( First
( Firs t S tage . )
E lokiush on. A P aper red at th e Lit ereri and Filosofical
Insti t iush on ,Bath
,18th November , 1892 ,
bei B i z akP itman . (First S tage . )The N ew Testament (Revised Version) w ith th e readingsrecomm ended by th e American Revision Company incorporated in th e t ext . [Th is edit ion contains a preface by IsaacP itman wh ich stat es th at Bish op Taylor,
of th e Am ericanMethodist Ep iscopal Ch urch , superintends above a do z en
m ission stat ions ,w ith sch ools , on th e Congo ,
and t each es
th e nat ives th e English language by means of P h onet icReading Books . A very large supply of th is edit ion of
th e N ew Testament has been sent t o h im for use in th e
sch ools .
” Th is was th e last book print ed in full ph onotypy . Th e type was set at Bath by anAm erican m issionaryunder th e supervision of Isaac P i tman . Crown 8v o .
436 pp . ]Contrast s and P arallels between th e First and SecondChrist ian Ch urch es during th e First Cent ury of th eirE xist ence (First S tage . )Wesley and Swedenborg . Two E ssays by Two Clergymen ,
American and English , on th e two greates t religious men
of th e last cent ury ,w i th an introduction by S ir Isaac
P itman . [Fcap . 8vo . Printed in First S tage ]
380 AP PEND IX I I I
1895 Rem iniscences of th e Early L ife of S ir Isaac P itman . [Th iswork cons ists of a reprint of the correspondence in th e
I ntellectual Reposi tory of 1836 relating t o th e author’sacceptance of th e doctrines of Swedenborg . I t h as a
preface by S ir Isaac P itman dat ed Bath ,October 1895 .
Fcap . 8v o . Pr int ed in First S tage ]
( I t h as not been found poss ible t o include in t h e aboveBibliography not ices of an almost innumerable number of small
product ions and cont ribut ions by S ir Isaac P i tman t o books andperiodicals . )
382
DALLI NGE RJ. , replies to B. Barton,
92
Darton E li z a, 14
Davis Maria 1
Dawson G on P honography , 103
President of P honet ic Society ,
120
De Haan F 276
D ixon William Hepworth , 75
Dre inhofer Dr 260
Drummond Rev . Gordon , 326, 328
Dut ch P honography ,276
E D IN BURGH ,Isaac P itman
'
s visitsto
, 64, 175, 234
Edmunds G . , 79
E llis Alexander John, first let tert o Isaac P itman, 84 contribut ion on phonet ic spelling, 98 ;Th e Alphabet of N ature by ,
99 ;“A P lea for P honotypy
and P honography , or SpeechWrit ing ,
”99 ; agreement with
I saac P itman on 1847 phonotyp ic alphabet , 99 ; residencein Bat h
, 100 ; issues th e
P honetic journal, 100 ; es
tablish es print ing o ffice at Al
b ion P lace , Bat h , 101 hi storyof th e phonet ic movement , 101
produces P honetic N ews , 104 ;t ribute t o Isaac and BennP itman and George Withers,108 ; publishes Spelling Re
former, 108 ; illness of
, 108 ;hi s phonet ic type destroyed byfire , 1 10 ; stat ement in th e
Press on th e loss over t he
P honetic N ews,1 1 1 corre
spondence w it h I saac P itman
on P res idency of t h e P honet icSociety , 120 ; Max -Muller ’
s
t est imony t o ,207 member of
deputat ion t o Governm ent on
spelling reform,2 16
English Review, quo t at ion from ,
186
E v ercirculator, t h e first , 94Everit t J . D . ,
220
Exeter Hall , soirée at , in 1851 , 1 1 3 ;authorit ies view spelling re
form movement wi th susp icion,
1 1 4 I saac P itman lectures at
in 1885,241
INDE X
FALKNE R G . , 76
Faraday Rev . A 328F ield G . , 305F iggins V . and J. , produce firstphonotypic fount , 84 produceshorthand fount , 184Francini Giuseppe , adapt s P hono
5:33tto th e Italian language ,
Freeman H . W 271
French P honography ,232
HALE Rev . E . Everet t , 330Hall 8 . C. and Mrs 304
Hanson S ir Reginald, 263
Harbut t Mrs . paint s m iniature of
I saac P itman , 267
Harbut t W . , 267
Harland John,tribute to P hono
graphy , 82, 1 45
Harris Dr. W . T 370
Harrison S ir George ,235
Harwood Alderman 265
Haywood G. R . , 75
H ealy , Timo thy M . , MP 200
H ill S ir Rowland,and Phono
graphy , 93
H ill Thomas , 239
H ill Dr. ThomasUniversity ) , 3 16
H ill T W 78
H ine T 237
H olgat e Mary ,23
(Harvard
GAH AGAN C 13 1
Gant t er Dr. , 260
Gawt ress W eulogy on short
hand, 32
Gladst one Dr. J . H 2 1 1 , 2 16
descript ion of Isaac P itman ’
s
syst em , 253 , 255
Gladstone W . E . , and spellingreform
,229 ,
230
Glasgow , Isaac P itman'
s visit s t o ,
69 ,284
Gowers Sir W 282
Graham ’
s syst em , 1 78
Graphophonomachia Th e Bat t leof t h e S igns and Sounds , 222Gray Dr 288
Great E xhib it ion of 1851 , 1 12
Griffin J . and price of books ,23 1
Gurney-Salt er W. H 249, 260
INDEX
Holyoake G . J. , presentat ion to
by Mr. P itman,
”29
Hornsby J. , 75
Hudson Rev . Joseph ,19
Hunt W 1 18
INTE RNATIONAL Short hand Con
gress, London, 1887,248 ; Earl
of Rosebery’
s speech at,250 ;
newspaper report s of t he pro
ceedings , 252 ; exh ib it ion of
shorthand books and manuscript s , 252 ; phonographiccelebrat ion at , 253 ; paper byI saac P itman on Th e Genesisof P honography , 36, 254 ;Congress dinner, 261 Bibliography of Shorthand
,265 ;
Transact ions, 265
Ipsw ich Phonographi c Soirée ,95
I pswi ch P hono-P ress, 103
Italian P honography ,232
JERROLD Douglas and spell ingreform , 105
Jones Edward,1 79, 207, 2 10,
2 1 3 ,2 16, 230
KE ENE James , New Church minister and editor of Bath journal,45
Keene Colonel J . B . , paint sportrait of Isaac P itman, 89
Ke ith -Falconer Hon. Ion,200,
239
Kelvin Lord, and P honography ,
70
King J. , 82
Kingston House ,
Avon, 25
LATHAM R . G . , 378
Laverton Charles
death of, 3 1
Laverton fam ily , 3 1
Lawson J . B 260
Lawson S ir Wilfrid, 302
Lewis William , 199
Li terary World, 332
Lloyd J . R . , 170
MACAULAY '
S E ssays
graphy ,203 n
Mackillop C . W. ,303
Malagasy P honography ,276
Manchest er , Isaac P itman’
s vis itst o
, 55, 135, 1 78 , 203 ,266
Bradford-0n
accidental
in P hono
383
Mart in Dr. J . W. ,experiment s in
t eaching reading by phono typ icbooks, 2 10
Masters Isabella, 143
Mathew Mr . Just ice , judgment in
copyright act ion,239
Max -Muller F first let ter t o I saacP itman , 140 ; reference t o
phonotypy in lectures on t h e
Science of Language , 141 ;Fortnightly Review art icle on
spelling reform ,205 ; Presi
dent o i Phonet ic Society ,220
ent ertains Isaac P itman at
Oxford, 220
McGillicuddy T 270
Melson Dr . , 78
Michaelis Dr. , 257
Mikmak books in phonet ic printing , 142
M iner E . N 268
Mogford J . H . , 75
Montgomery James ,
P honography , 90
Moore J . C.,200, 260
Moore Thomas , 304
Morgan Rev R . H . , 203
Morri s J . W 302 , 325
Munson J . E 270
Murch S ir Jerom , 27 1 , 298
Murray Dr adopt ion of t hreephonotyp ic charact ers in Ox
ford English D ict ionary ,
”229
and spelling reform ,229
poem on
N ANK IVE LL E . J 282
Nat ional P honographic Society ,
280
Nat ional Society of ShorthandTeachers , 299
N ew Miss , t eaches P itman fam ily ,9
N ew York branch , 283
OXFORD English D ict ionary ,
and phonotypy ,229
P AGLIARD I N I S ignor Tito ,2 15
Palmer H . J 194
Parker J . A 204
P at erson A . ,
P aul Thomas,176
P ercival Dr . , 280
P erk ins Rev . B. R 27
P hone t ic Alphabe t of 1876,208
384
P honet ic Inst itute , t he first , 73 ;the second, 1 1 1 th e third
,
122 th e fourth, 196 the fifth ,
276
P honetic journal first issued w ithth is t it le 100 new seriesof 187 ; Jub ilee of
,283
P honetic N ews , first appearanceof, 104 ; prohib it ive price of
,
106 ; discont inuance of, 107
Phonet ic Society ,t h e
, 107 '
George Dawson President , 120vot es on vowel scale , 128 ; S irW. Trevelyan President , 1 39 ;t e-organi z at ion in 1875,
200
members given t each er ’
s qualificat ion,
201 Max-MullerPresident , 220 ; t eacher '
s q ualificat ion withdrawn , 220
Jubilee li st of m embers , 290
dissolut ion of, 290
P honographic Alliance ,1 34
P honographic alphabet according to nature , 38
Phonographi c consonant s , select ion of forms for, 37
P honographic Corresponding So
c iety , 75 first list of members ,76 ; phonograph ic ab ility a
qualificat ion o f membership ,
94 ; convert ed int o Phonet icSociety ,
107
P honographic168, 202
P honographic fest ivals : Man
chest er, 76 ; N ot t ingham , 77 ;
Birm ingham , 78
P honographic journal, No . 1 , 66
P honographi c Jub ilee : proceedings at th e celebrat ion,
253 ;American gold m edal and ad
dress , 268 ; Canadian celebrat ion,
270
P honographic Teacher, firstm illion,
243 ; secondm illion,299
P honographic travelling lecturers ,est imat e of t heir work
, 1 16
P honography ,by John Jones ,
M .D . , 46
P honography ,
‘
genesis of IsaacP itman ’
s syst em of, 36 ; firstManual of, 71 ; at Ant i
Corn Law Baz aar, 88 Sevent hEdit ion of, 95 ; bronz e medal
Dict ionary , 103 ,
INDEX
awarded to at Great E xh ibi‘
t ion of 1851 , 1 12 copyright of,1 14, 237 Ninth Edit ion of
126 ; Tenth Edit ion of, 128
American object ions t o TenthEdi t ion, 132 ; quart er of a
century of, 144 ; Society of
Art s and, 164 ; Rev . Dr.
Parker on, 179 ; Dr . P ankhurst on, 1 79 postal t eachingof
, 182,188 print ed from
movable type and engravedcharacters , 184 ; silver medal
awarded to at Health Exhibi
t ion, 1 884, 234 ; gold medal
awarded to at Edinburgh Int ernat ional E xhib it ion
,237 Jub i
lee of,245 ; at Rugby School,
280 ; and phrenology ,3 1 3 '
proposed changes in , 322
universality of, 330 ; evolut ionof, 333 ; b ibliography of, 355
Am erican adaptat ions of, 370
fore ign adaptat ions of, 37 1
P honography ,fore ign adaptat ions
of Spanish , 164 French232 I talian, 232 Malagasy ,
276 Dut ch,276 German
Chinese ,Japanese ,
Bengalee ,
29 1 ; Welsh adap tat ion,203
P itman (Abraham ) , 15P itman (Alfred) , 176,
243
P itman (Benjam in or Benn) , 6,8
,
15,24
, 34 learns S t eno
graphic Sound-Hand,
42
phonographic lecturer , 72 be
comes London publisher , 97
ret ires from lecturing , 1 16, 1 17
goes t o America, 1 16 ; object ions t o Tenth Edit ion, 1 32 3 16
P itman (Clarence) , 255, 283
P itman (E rnest ) , 1 76, 243
P itman (Frederick) , 1 5 beginslecturing , 75 t akesup publishing, 98,
1 18 appo int ed Societyof Art s exam iner in shorthand ,
164 reluctance to adopt
phonographic improvement s,
167 edit s ShorthandM agaz ine,
170 ; 2 16 ; death of,243
P itman (Gu ilbert ) , 255P itman (Harry ) , 255P itman (Henry) , 1 5 ; learns“S tenograph ic Sound-Hand,
"
386 INDE X
P ITMAN , I SAAC, third lecturingtour, 66
product ion of No . 1 of P hono
graphic journal, 66first visit to Glasgow ,
69
t est imonial from ProfessorsThomson and Ramsay , 70
lessons to Lord Kelvin and Prof.James Thomson, 70
P ocket Edit ion and Manual of P honography , 7 1
di scont inues privat e school , 73Th e Reporter
’
s Book ,
”73
th e P honographic Inst itut ion , 73
visit ed by ThomasAllenReed,74
establishes th e P honographicCorresponding Society , 75
at t ends phonographic fest ivalat N ot t ingham , 77
at tends fest ival at Birm ingham ,
78
speech on orig in of P honography at Birm ingham , 79
phonotyp ic print ing , incept ionof, 82
establishm ent of P honotypic
journal, 83correspondence with AlexanderJohn E llis , 84
phonotyp ic fount , t h e first , 84edit s P honographic Correspondent , 85
set s up first page of phonotypy ,
85
pract ical knowledge of print ing ,
85
first annual address t o P honographic CorrespondingSociety , 86
Reading and Writ ing Re
form inaugurat ed, 86
supports th e introduct ion of
P honography in America, 88
report s Ri chard Cobden at
Bath, 88
Bath journal publishes speechfrom his phonograph ic not es,89
oil portrait by J . B. (afterwardsColonel) Keene , 89
start s t h e first ev ercirculat or, 94
at Ipsw ich phonographic so irée ,
95
P ITMAN, ISAAC, h is first print ing
press, 96
descript ion of h is first print ingo ffice
, 96
opens London depot , 97
president ofP honet ic Council, 98agreement w ith A . J . E llis on
phonotyp ic alphabet , 99ret ires from control of P honotypic journal, 100
relinquishes print ing plant and’
staff t o A . J . E llis , 100h is part in t h e phonet ic movement described by A . J . E llis ,101
wr it es H istory of Shorthand,
102 ,263
produces P honograph ic Dict ionary , 103
A theneum art icle on h is work103
resumes publicat ion of th e
P honotypic Journal, 106announces t h e discont inuance
of th e P honetic N ews , 106
re-names t h e CorrespondingSociety th e P honet ic Society ,
107
h is tribut e t o A . J . E lli s , 107
discont inues use of 1847
alphabet , 109appeal t o A . J . E ll is for
phonotyp ic unity , 1 10
print s t h e Bible phonet ically , 1 10
contradict s erroneous announcement about t h e Inst itut e , 1 1 1
occup ies t h e second P honet icInst itut e in Alb ion P lace ,
Bath , 1 1 1
exh ib it s P honography and
phonotypy at t h e Great E xhib it iou of 1851 and is awardedbronz e medal, 1 1 2
addresses so irée at E xet er Hall,1 13
at t ends anniversary of Preston
phonet ic school , 1 14and th e work of th e Brit ishP honet ic Council , 1 16
names Gallery phonograph icreporters known t o him in t h eearly fift ies , 1 18
makes t h e P honetic journal a
weekly periodical, 1 1 9
INDEX
P I rMAN ,IS AAC , produces enlarged
Short hand Dict ionary ,
"
1 19
h is est imat e of hi s own lithographic phonographic transfer work , 1 19
correspondence w ith A. J . E llison P residency of Phonet icSociety , 1 20
removes h is privat e residence t o2LansdownTerrace , Bath , 122
t hird P honet ic Inst itute Par
sonage Lane , Bath ,122
t h e propagat ion of h is relig iousview s discussed ,
124
circulat ion of his t ext -books in1 855, 126
vowel scale experiment s in co
operat ion with C. B . Cayley,
127
int roduct ion of new vowel scaleand publicat ion of TenthEdit ion, 128
h is reasons for the change , 129
replies t o T . A. Reed'
s oh
ject ions , 1 30
publishes t he E leventh Edit ionof Phonography , 1 33
abolishes Edit ions after theTwelfth ,
1 33
address at Manchester,
135
deat h of h is first w ife , 135
Reckoning Reform ,1 36
rece ives support of S ir Walter
Trevelyan,for spelling reform
propaganda , 1 38
loans from S ir Walter Trev el
yan, 139
first let ter from P rof. Max
Muller, 140
Max-Muller ’
s opinion of h is
work as spelling reformer, 140
produces works in M ikmaklanguage , 142
h is second marriage , 143
q uarter of a century of P honography ,
1 44
promo tes t he employment of
shorthand clerks , 146
t est imonial to , 146
let t er o f Rev . C. H . E . Wycheto , 147
proposes t he bu ilding of a
P hone t ic Inst itute , 148
P ITMAN , I S AAC , presenta t ion o f
t est imonial, ( 1862) 149acknowledgment o f presenta
t ion,the usufruct speech ,
150
g ives Mr . Be sley'
s opinion on
th e first phone t ic type , 151
descript ion o f h is work in
P arsonage Lane by T . A .
Reed, 153
character ske tch by WilliamWh ite , 1 55
takes services at the New
Church , Bath , 1 59
prepares paper on BriefWrit ing for Brit ish Associat ionmee t ingat Bath , 1864 , 160
on S ir William Armstrong’
s
advocacy of longhand abbre
v iat ions , 161
on illeg ible wr it ing , 163
carriage accident to , 164
interest in t h e Shakspere Tercentenary Celebrat ions ,
164
t emporary estrangement fromT. A . Reed, 166
on t he inadvisability of a
report er chang ing his me thodof writ ing , 167
produces Third Edit ion o f
P honographic D ict ionary ,
"
168
produces Repo rter‘
s Assistant , 169
works executed in lithographicshorthand, 170
transfer writ ing , an anecdoteconnected w ith , 17 1
adopt s a shorter working day ,
171
beg ins pract ice of annual holidays w it h a visit t o t he Isleof Wight , 1 72
product ion o f t he Dairyman'
s
Daughter in shorthand, 173
and A . M . Be ll ’s VisibleSpeech ,
"
174
w itness at t he EdinburghJus t iciary Court , 1 75
appeal on behalf o f th e re lat ivesof a convict ed man
, 178
on Graham '
s sys tem , 178
address at Manchester TownHall
,1 78
388 INDEX
P IrMAN , 1 5AAC,
’h is friendship with
Francis Foster Barham,179
publishes a Memorial of
Francis Barham ,
”180
lithographs t h e Bible in shorthand, 18 1
last work in lithographedshorthand, 182 , 195
crusade against t h e paid postalt each ing of Phonography ,
182, 188
print s P honography frommovable type and engravedcharact ers, 184
brings out new series of P honeticjournal containing engravedP honography , 1 87
a singular rumour about , 187and Ball ’s S tandard Phonography , 188Proposal for th e Building of aP honet ic Inst itut e at Bat h
,
”
191
h is personal hi story in connect ion wi th P honography ,
192
and th e Income-tax Comm issioners, 1 93
P honet ic Inst itut e Fund subscript ion list , 1 94
accident at Turki sh bath, 195
purchase of bu ilding for
P honet ic Inst itut e in BathAbbey Churchyard, 1 96
occupat ion of fourt h Phonet icInst itut e , 197
t roub les wit h neighbours aboutprint ing machinery , 198
P honet ic Society reorgani z at ion, 199
fourth edit ion of Shorthand
Dict ionary from metal
charact ers , 202co-Operat es in t h e adaptat ion of
Phonography to th e Welshlanguage , 203
is int erest ed in Spelling‘
Bees ,203
addresses a meet ing at Man
chest er 203
observat ions on Max-Muller ’
s
art icle on spelling reform int h e F ortnigh tly Review, 205
address at Spelling ReformConference ,
2 14
P ITMAN , I SAAC, att ends a deputat ion to t h e Government on
spelling reform , 2 16takes part in t h e proceedings
of t h e Spelling ReformAssociat ion, 2 17
is not iced by Punch ,2 18 ; reply
t o , 2 19
introduces changes in th e
P honet ic Society ,220
visit sMax-Mii ller at Oxford, 220
sends phonotyp ic lit erature t o
t h e Caxt on Exhib it ion at
Sout h Kensingt on, 220
is vi sited by P rof. J . D. Everitt ,220
bu ilds Haz elwood,22 1
publishes twenty -seven sch emes
of orthograph ic reform ,222
replies to t h e Spectator's chargeof flat burglary ,
”225
first stage of t h e spelling reformintroduced ,
225
g ives up full phonotypy , 228
addres s at Bristol 23 1
on t h e publicat ion of phonographi c and phonotyp icbooks, 23 1
publishes French adaptat ion of
P honography ,232
assist s in adaptat ion of P honography to Italian,
232
address to th e Short handSociety 232
is awarded t h e silver medal at
t h e Healt h E xh ib it ion of
1884,234
vis it t o Edinburgh and address
234
gold medal awarded t o at
Edinburgh Int ernat ional Exh ibit ion, 237
witness in t h e copyr ight act ionof P itman v . H ine ,
237
lecture at Exet er Hall
241
issues speed certificat es242
hi s sons become partners in th e
phonet ic business ,243
opens t h e London house of
I saac P itman Sons , 244
central figure in t h e Jub ilee o f
P honography ,245
P ITMAN,
390
ISAAC, fatalmanifest s itself, 293
descript ive interview w ith in
Youand I ,293
let ter from Lord Roseberyoffering th e honour of knighthood
,296 ; h is reply ,
296
not ificat ion in t h e London
Gaz ette, 297
knighthood approved by t h e
Press,297
messages and addresses of
congratulat ion , 297 ,298
address of congratulat ion fromm embers of P arliament , 298
accolade of knighthoodbestowedbyQueen Victoria ,
298
ret irement from t h e firm of
I saac P itman Sons ,299
becomes P atron of t h e Nat ionalSociety of Short handTeachers , 299
interest in Revised Vers ion of
t h e Bible , 300
student of t h e works of Swedenborg , 30 1
hi s polit ical op inions , 301supporter and officer of t emperance societ ies , 302interest in th e P eace Society
and ot her bodies , 302
joins in t h e Bat h Free L ibrarymovement , 302
distribut es books to free libraries , 303
presentat ion t o library of
Hawarden Inst itut e , 304
takes part in th e Moore memo
rial celebrat ion at Bromham ,
304
h is int erest and at tainment s in
vocal and instrumental
music , 305hymn tune composed by , 306
ant hem arranged by , 307
prepares a table of vibrat ions ofmusical notes , 308
h is vegetarian dietary , 3 10
Lat in epigram on h is simplediet , 3 1 1
let ter t o The Times on h is
diet e t ic experience ,2 18, 3 1 1
contribut ion t o S tudy and
S t imulant s,3 12
malady P ITMAN ,
INDEX
I S AAC , h is dislike of
t obacco , 3 13
h is at t itude t owards the autograph hunter, 3 13
phrenolog ical exam inat ion o f,3 13
art ist ic percept ions of, 3 15
deceived by a supposed P olishexile , 3 1 5
visit ed by an American name
sake , 3 16
int erviewed by Mrs . Tooley in
The Young M an, 3 18
corresponds w ith and is vis itedby Archb ishop Walsh , 320
opens th e Inst itute of SpellingReform , 320
last visit of T. A. Reed to , 321
proposes changes in P honography , 322
publishes t h e Speler, 323h is last public appearance in
advocacy of spelling reform ,
323
failing health of, 324
h is serenity of m ind,324
presentat ion of books to t h e
Bath Reference L ibrary , 325
deat h of, 1 5, 326
funeral services of, 327
cremat ion of, 328
Bath civic memorial tablet t o ,
328
memorial portrait accept ed byt h e N at ional P ortrait Gallery ,
329
N ew Church m emorial, 330t ribut e of t h e Cologne Gaz ette,330est imat e of th e Rev . E . Everit tHale
, 330
t h e universality of h is syst emof P honography , 330
In Memoriam from t he
Li terary World, 332
P itman (Jacob ) , 4 ,6
,8 , 14, 15,
24 takes S t enograph ic SoundHand t o Australia , 42 308
P itman (Jane ) , 14,1 5
P itman (Joseph ) , 14, 1 5 ; firstacq uaintance w ith S t eno
graphic Sound-Hand, 42
as lecturer, 7 1 ; at Rochdale ,
8 1 at Brighton, 93 ; 1 16, 1 17
INDEX
P itman (Maria) , marriage to
Samuel P itman, 1 ; influenceon h er fam ily ,
2 ; deat h , 14P itman (Mary ) , 14, 15
P itman (Melissa) , 15P itman (Rose lla) , 14, 1 5,
255
P itman (Samuel) , b irth, 14 ;
marr iage of, 1 ; second mar
riage , 14 set t lement at Trowbridge , 1 overseer t o Mr .
James Edgell, l study of
astronomy and astrology ,2 ;
horoscope of son Isaac , 3 ; a
diligent reader ,4 ; Sunday
School superintendent , 4 pro
mot es Brit ish School and infantschool at Trowbridge , 5 ; pro
mot es t emperance and freelibraries , 5 ; arranges home
evening schoo l for h is fam ily , 9
purchases books from Tegg ,
Cheapside , l l begins businessas a clot h manufacturer
, 13
decides t o make I saac a Brit ishschool t eacher , 1 3 ; select s th esame profess ion for fiv e othersons and daughters ,
1 4 ; residence at Kingston House ,
Bradford-ou-Avon,
25 learns
S tenograph ic Sound-Hand ,
”
43 ; assist s at London depot ,98 ; death , 14
P itman’
s S horthand Weekly ,286
Pocknell E 253
Press on P honography and t h e
Spelling Reform : A thenwum ,
103 ; Bath and Cheltenham
Gaz ette, 65 ; Berrow'
s Worcester
Journal, 72 B irmingham DailyM ail, 277 B radshaw
’
s journal,76 Cologne Gaz ette, 330 ;E nglish Review, 186 ; F ort
nightly Review,205 ; Keene
’
s
Bath journal, 89 ; M anchester
Guardian, 82, 145 ; M anchester
Times, 56 ; M orning Chronicle ,1 13 N ottingham M ercury , 77
Punch 105, 2 13 , 2 18 ; SufiolkChroni cle , 82 Weldon
'
s
Register, 155 Westm inster
Review, 105
Qurnx Dr. (Bishop of She ffield) ,328
39 1
S AYCE Rev . A . H 2 13
Scot t ish P honograph ic Associat ion, 235,
286
Short hand, H istory of,102
, 263
clerk ,introduct ion of t h e
, 1 45
Society of Arts first exam inat ion in, 164 ; D ict ionary ,
"
202 ; science of,232 ; as a
specific under Educat ion Code ,
279 included under TechnicalInstruct ion Act , 279
Shorthand Society ,246
,278
Shum F 271
Society of Art s first exam inat ionin shorthand , 164
Spelling Bees , 203Spelling reform , pri z e essay on,
1 39 ; works of American re
formers,
1 43 ; t hree great
RAND Rev S T 143
Reade A . A 3 12
Reckoning Reform , 1 36
Reed S ir Charles , 2 15, 216
Reed T. A . , and P enny P late , 51first visit t o Isaac P itman
, 74
suggest s Corresponding Socie ty ,
75 ; at Rochdale , 8 1 ; repliesto M orning Ch ronicle , 1 13 ;descript ion of and ret irement
from lecturing work , 1 17 ;assists w ith “Shorthand Dict ionary ,
”1 19 ; opposes change
in vowel scale,130 adopts it ,
13 1 ; declines t o adopt E levent h Edit ion
,1 33 ; describes
I saac P itman'
s work, 153 ;
t emporary est rangement from ,
166 ; adapt s Phonography t o
French language , 232 ; w itnessin copyright act ion,
239 takesinit ial st eps for celebrat ing theJub ilee of P honography , 246,
249 ; makes presentat ion of
P itman bust , 255 ; at t h e
foundat ion of Nat ional P honographic Society , 282 ; at Glasgow ,
284 ; P honographic Jub ilee of, 288 ; last visit to IsaacP itman, 32 1
Report er’
s Assistant , 168
Richter H 253
Rodgers John 2 13
Russell S ir C 260
392
obstacles to , 2 10 proposed
Royal Comm ission on,2 1 1
London School Board and,2 12
Conference in 1877, 2 1 3 ; Lowe(Robert ) on
,2 1 3 ; Temple
(Bishop) on,2 14 at Social
Science Associat ion , 1877,2 15
career of Spelling Reform Asso
ciat ion described, 2 17 F irstS tage of
,225 ; Five Rules of,
226 Three Rules of, 227 fullphonotypy falls int o “
disuse ,
228 ; Gladstone (W. E . ) and,
229 ,230
Spencer H erbert,and reckoning
re form , 1 36
S tenographic Sounds Hand, arb itraries in, 39 phras ing in,
40
print ing and publishing of,41 ;
reprint of, 333S torr W . , 2 15, 2 16
Sully G. , 75
Swedenborg Emanuel, 25, 26,27
TACCH I A . , 276
Taylor Bianchi , 305Tay lor Bishop , 379
Taylor ’
s shorthand learned byI saac P itman
, 1 3 , 3 1 , 32
Tercent enary of Short hand, 246
Trevelyan S ir Walt er,
support sspelling reform ,
1 38 ; loans t o
I saac P itman, 1 39 ; Presidentof P honet ic Society ,
139 offerspriz es for essays on spellingreform , 1 39 ; death of
,220
INDE X
Trowbridge , S t . James ’s churchat
, 4 ; l ion chapel, 4Typeset t ing from reporter
'
s notes ,89
Tyt e W 27 1
UNDE RH ILL E . F 270
Unit ed K ingdom Alliance , 302
VALPY F. H . , 253
Vowel scales old and new,128
124 147
THE END
P rint ed by 5 17’ I saac P i tman 6 Sons, Ltd. , Bath .
(2 284)
WALFORD Cornelius, 232Walker T 75
Walker ’
s D ict ionary , 34
Walsh Archb ishop , 320
Ward W. G 75
Wat kin S ir E 266
Weber Dr 260
Webst er W 124
Webst er Mrs 1 5, 255
Welsh P honography ,203
Wesley John,Isaac P i tman
compared t o, 157
Westby-Gibson Dr. J 246
,265
Wh ite W . , character sketch of
I saac P itman,1 55
Whi twell M . , 23 1
Wilcox W. J 276
Withers G 74, 1 18
Woodiwiss G . , 327
Woodward F E 74
Wright T. R 261
Wyche Rev . C. H .
