The following five verses of John I, will serve to illustrate the writing in position:

It is proper to remark here, for the information of any who may chance to see the above example of writing, in the reporting style, that it is not in the complete reporting style, but is used merely to illustrate the writing in position, being based on the contractions of the business style.

WRITING EXERCISE.

Ab, eb, ib, ob, ub; af, ef, if, of, uf; as, is, es, os, us; an, en, on, un; ag, eg, ig, og, ug; ba, be, bi, bo, bu; bra, bre, bri, bro, bru; bla, ble, bli, blo, blu; ca, ce, ci, co, cu; cra, cre, cri, cro, cru; cha, che, chi, cho, chu; cla, cle, cli, clo, clu; da, de, di, do, du; dra, dre, dri, dro, dru; fa, fe, fi, fo, fu; fra, fre, fri, fro, fru; fla, fle, fli, flo, flu; ga, ge, gi, go, gu; gla, gle, gli, glo, glu; gra, gre, gri, gro, gru; ha, he, hi, ho, hu; har, her, hir, hor, hur; ja, je, ji, jo, ju; ka, ke, ki, ko, ku; la, le, li, lo, lu; ma, me, mi, mo, mu; mar, mer,

mir, mor, mur; na, ne, ni, no, nu; nra, nre, nri, nro, nru; pa, pe, pi, po, pu; pra, pre, pri, pro, pru; pla, ple, pli, plo, plu; pha, phe, phi, pho, phu; qua, que, qui, quo (it is never necessary to write a u after q, as it is always understood); ran, ren, rin, ron, run; rab, reb, rib, rob, rub; ras, res, ris, ros, rus; raf, ref, rif, rof, ruf; rag, reg, rig, rog, rug; sa, se, si, so, su; sha, she, shi, sho, shu; sla, sle, sli, slo, slu; ta, te, ti, to, tu; tha, the, thi, tho, thu; tra, tre, tri, tro, tru; tal, tel, til, tol, tul; ub, us, un, uf, ug; urb, urs, urn, urf, urg; ulb, uls, uln, ulf, ulg; va, ve, vi, vo, vu; var, ver, vir, vor, vur; val, vel, vil, vol, vul; wa, we, wi, wo, wu; wra, wre, wri, wro, wru; wha, whe, whi, who, whu; wal, wel, wil, wol, wul; xa, xe, xi, xo, xu; ya, .ye, yo; yar, yer, yor; za, ze, zi, zo, zu; zal, zel, zil, zol, zul.

4*

CHAPTER II.

CONTRACTIONS.

THE following contractions are all simple and easy to comprehend. Their object is to lessen the manual labor of writing, and thus increase its speed, which can only be done at the expense of thought; but when the writer has familiarized himself with any contraction, he will find the mental effort has ceased, and the action of mind will be quick enough for all the demands of the most comprehensive contraction. Familiarity is the basis of rapid writing. It is not enough for the short-hand writer to practice a few minutes occasionally, but he who would succeed must give it daily protracted practice, steadily striving to reach the highest speed in execution with the utmost certainty of stroke. No line should ever degenerate into a flourish, while every line should be perfectly and quickly made, with all the readiness and dexterity of the master of flourishing.

Quickness and certainty of stroke must characterize the writing of the perfect stenographer.

Mp, mb.-These combinations frequently occur, and are usually so clearly distinguished from each other by their context that one sign may safely stand for either combination. The loop being among the most facile and distinct forms, it is adopted as a representative of this

combination as follows, viz: it is written on the side of lines opposite to that occupied by the 7, that is, on the convex side of curved lines, on the left side of the vertical and oblique straight lines, and on the upper side of horizontal straight lines, being thus, by its position, clearly distinguished from the l.

This combination always follows a vowel. In words beginning with a vowel, as ample, amble, amber, employ, empty, etc., it is necessary to write the vowel in order to turn the loop on it; but in such cases as sample, simple, assemble, temple, etc., the preceding vowel, if it is a position. consonant, may be expressed by position, and the loop turned on the letter preceding it.

Mpl, mbl.― To add the 7 to mp or mb, the loop may be quite small instead of its usual length, which is half the length of the short letter.

ILLUSTRATIONS.

ample simple nimbl. gambl, Vumblbe, fumbl. ambl, simbl.

Mpt, mbd.—To add the t or d to the combination mb, mp, enlarge the loop to nearly the full length of the letter on which it is turned.

To add r to either of the preceding combinations, the loop is shaded, which is easily done if the loop is made

by a downward stroke, but should it be struck upward, it will be necessary to retrace the line to add the shade.

This loop contraction is one of the most valuable of the system, enabling the writer, as it does, to form from two to four letters by a single distinct line; besides often involving an intervening vowel, which is easily understood without writing it, or is clearly indicated by position.

Compress, comprise, complain, competition, impute, import, impress, improve, implore, impede, embrace, embargo, embryo, empty, emptings, empower, sampler, simpler, semblance, simplicity, numbers, timbers, scamper, flambeau, embrace, embargo, examples, nimbly, humbly, assembly, assemble, tremble, tramp, trumpet, crimp, cramp, impress, imprint, impudent, impede, umber, umbrage, umpire, lamp, lamb, lump, limp, samp, sample, symbol, simple, nimble, nimbler, ample, ampler, impute, empty.

Con, com, cog.-As the mp or mb never begins a word, the same sign which represents these combinations in or at the end of a word may be used to express some other combination occurring at the beginning of words. Hence it is used to represent con, com or cog. It is always written on the side of a letter opposite to that of the 1,