place vowels; namely, ẽ, a, i, Ŏ, i, oí. In the same manner, writing an outline in the second position indicates that the vowel is either ā, ō, ĕ, or ŭ, and in the third position that the vowel is either ä, σo, ǎ, oo, ow or u.

234. The criticism may be made that position only tells that the vowel is one of several. As a matter of fact, it tells so definitely, that the practiced writer only finds it necessary to insert an average of one vowel in about one hundred words. First, because most outlines, when in a certain position, represent but one word. Second, when a given outline in a certain position represents more than one word, as for tick or talk, the context in a sentence will almost always lead to the proper word. In the comparatively few cases where this would not be sufficient, the vowel should be written.

235. It is also true, that, to a far greater extent than would at first appear, the manner of writing the consonants may be made to indicate where the vowel is. A very simple il

lustration of this is found in the words

row.

oar, and

The full significance of the rules for upward and downward r, and 7 (paragraphs 59 and 60) will now be appreciated. These rules, as well as those for the use of circles s and sez; loops st and str; semicircles w and y; hooks l, r, n, f or v, w, shun, and ther; the halving principle; and the doubling principle, should now be thoroughly reviewed.

236. It will be found excellent practice to select words from any of the engraved pages, and mentally give the reason for each consonant being written as it is. To illustrate, we will take some of the outlines given at the end of paragraph 230, and placing each to a proper word, give the reasons for thus writing it.

237.

д

store: st loop to indicate that there is no vowel before the s nor between the s and the t; downward r to indicate that r ends the word.

238. story: st loop to indicate that there is no vowel before s nor between the s and t; upward r to indicate that there is a final vowel.

239. stray: circle s to indicate that there is no vowel before the s; double consonant tr to indicate that there is no vowel between the t and the r.

240.

astray: stroke s to indicate that there is a vowel

before s double consonant tr to indicate that there is no Vowel between the t and the r.

241.

austere stroke s to indicate that there is a vowel before the s; t expressed by the halving principle to indicate that there is but one vowel between the t and the r; downward r to indicate that there is no vowel after the r.

242. history: h may be omitted in words of frequent Occurrence; stroke s to indicate that there is a vowel before the s; t expressed by the halving principle to indicate that there is but one vowel between the t and the r; upward r to indicate that there is a vowel after the r.

estuary: stroke s to indicate that there is a vowel

before s; stroke t to indicate that there are two vowels between the t and the r; upward r to indicate that there is a vowel after the r.

244.

satire: circle s to indicate that there is no vowel

before the s; stroke t to indicate that there is a vowel between the s and t; stroke r to indicate that there is a vowel between the t and the r; r made downward to indicate that r ends the word.

245. satirize: circles to indicate that there is no vowel before the s; stroke t to indicate that there is a vowel between the s and the t; stroke r to indicate that there is a vowel between the t and the r; r made upward to indicate that there is a vowel after the r; circle s to indicate that there is no vowel after the s.

246. oyster; stroke s to indicate that there is a vowel before the s; ter expressed by the doubling principle to indicate that there is no vowel after ter.

"can

247. If this idea were fully and universally carried out, we should hear much less of the stenographer who not read his notes." In reality, no such person exists, for the person who cannot read his notes is not a stenographer.

248. One of the beauties of the present system of shorthand is that it is not necessary to learn and arbitrarily remember the outline for each word. On the other hand, it should be the aim of the beginner to so thoroughly master the principles that the correct outline for a word can be quickly formed by the application of these principles, even though the word may never have been seen or heard before.

249. Illustrations of the proper application of principles are, however, an aid to the student. These have already been given in abundance; but we present upon the three following engraved pages the outlines for many frequently occurring words, the same appearing also in ordinary type on the alternate printed pages. These pages should be studied in the following manner:

1. Read from the engraved page, referring to the printed page only when necessary.

2. Copy the engraved page, recalling the word expressed by each outline.

3. Give the reason for the use of each stroke, circle, hook, etc., in each word.

4. Write from the printed page and compare your notes with the engraved page, making necessary corrections.

5. Write each outline many times for the purpose of developing the ability to execute rapidly. For this purpose, one outline can be written hundreds of times, making it each time accurately, but gradually increasing in speed.

T

3__

ং

Key to Outlines on page 88.

1. Ability, absolute, acceptance, accessible, accountant, acquaintance, advocate, affairs, affidavit, agent, agreement. 2. Alike, allowance, ambition, annual, answer, anticipate, apologize, apparatus, apparently, around, arrange.

3. Arrival, ascertain, assign, assistance, assume, attach, attention, attractive, augments, authority, authorize, automatic.

4. Await, barrel, bearer, benefit, between, broker, cancel or counsel, canvass, capacity, carrying.

5. Catalogue, census, certify, cheaper, chenille, civilized, classical, classification, closely, commence.

6. Community, compare, compensation, competition, complaint, computation, concession, conservative, consignment, construction, contrary.

7. Conversant, conversation, country, county, coupons, criminal, current, cushion, custom, customary.

8. Customer, debtors, decide, decline, defective, defense, demand, depositor, derived, derricks, description.

9. Destination, dimension, discretion, discussion, dispatch, dissolution, dividends, division, duly, earliest.

10. Economy, editor, election, element, eminence, enclosed, endeavor, energy, enforce.

II. Engraved, equip, erection, error, escape, esteem, esteemed, evening, exact, excellent.

12. Excelsior, exception, excessive, exchange, exertions, explain, extent or extend, fault, federal, file.

13. Filter, fixed, flavor, fortunate, foundry, friction, generous, grocery, habits, hardly, heavy.

14. Honest, honesty, illumination, imitation, imperative, implicit, inclined, increase, indispensable, individual.