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AN ADDITIONAL WORD TO THE READER.

In all the former editions of this work, to the number of more than a dozen, some three or four pages were appropriated to recommendations and encomiums, from those who had acquired this system, or were acquainted with its character-the ease with which the writing may be acquired, and its practicability for the purposes proposed. These testimonials, if ever necessary, are now no longer needed.

When this work first made its appearance, there were, perhaps, twenty other systems in use in the United States; but this has completely superseded all othersand though in the year 1820, the sale of every description did not exceed 100 copies a year, the sale of this single work is now about 10,000 a year, and rapidly increasing. Instead, therefore, of printed certificates for the satisfaction of those who are in doubt, I respectfully refer them to the thousands who have attended my personal instruction, in the several cities and colleges of the United States-to thousands who have acquired the art from the former editions of this work, and more particularly to a class of several hundred persons in different parts of the United States, who received from me, in the year 1830, a series of periodical lectures upon stenography, and the best method of teaching and acquiring useful knowledge. These lectures were published in the first volume of the "AMERICAN REPERTORY of Arts, Sciences, and useful Literature." The last mentioned work is still published by me, in monthly numbers, of 24 pages each, at $1 a year. The first volume, embraces not only all that is contained in this system, but 10 additional lectures, explaining more fully the art of stenography, and its peculiar adaptation to the acquirement of useful knowlege in general, by analysing, condensing, and arranging, whatever is worthy of preservation or future inspection; and adapting the whole to a general index table, upon a plan similar to that of Dr. Locke's common place book. M. T. C. GOULD.

INSTRUCTIONS.

THE learner, being supplied with a small blank book, about the size of this work, without ruling, should proceed to write the stenographic alphabet, as exhibited in the opposite plate, No. 2.

1st. Commence with the character standing for s, and write it across the page, from left to right, repeating the letter s-s-s-and in the same manner, write and repeat t, d, r, &c. to the end of the alphabet.

2nd. Proceed to write the whole over again, repeating not only the letters which the characters represent, but also the words standing at their right, till the whole are familiar, and well fixed in the memory-thus, b stands for be, by, been; d, stands for do, did, done; p, for peace, person, power, &c. During this exercise, the learner should endeavour to copy the characters in length, proportion, inclination, &c. beginning and ending, according to rules for making the characters, page 17; at the same time, striving to increase the facility of execution as far as practicable.

3rd. Without ruling, write from left to right the contents of the table of joining, as seen in plates 4 and 5; observing that one letter at the top of the page, and another at the right or left, are properly joined in the angle of meetingthe top letter being always made first. The learner, when joining these characters, should repeat to himself the combination, thus, bb, db, vb, gb, &c. Example. Under m, and against 1, ml are properly joined-under 1, and against m, Im are joined; and so of the other characters.

4th. After reading with attention the rules for spelling and writing, go on to copy the contents of the several plates in their regular order, carefully comparing every doubtful character, with the rules and explanations, till the whole system is familiar, which will probably be in the course of half a dozen lessons. From this time, the theory being familiar, short-hand will be an amusement and convenience; and the learner may, without other instruction or study, obtain, by occasional practice, almost any degree of facility which he may desire.

Alphabet and most common words 12

Letters Characters

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Words represented by Single Characters

is, as, us, his. into, unto, it.

do, did, done.

are, our, or.

of, off, if.

know, knew, known.

and, an, in.

such, chance, church.
God, good, give.

me, my, many.

peace, person, power.

have, be, had.

be, by, been.

lord, all, love.

with, which, who.
example, except, accept.

shall, shalt, should.

the, they, that.

you, your, year.

conscious, judicious.

The vowels aɛiony, are represented by a dot

These are the only characters which may ever be inverted end these only for convenience in joining or in Short

Hand shortened see Page 10,

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Rules for making the Characters.

1st Class.-Makes to the right, t down, d downward, r upward, fv downward.

2d Class.-Make k q and n from left to right, ch and gj downward.

3d Class.-Make the circle first in all cases.

4th Class.-Make the hook or quadrant first in all cases, except ious, this always ends with the hook. For double letters make the line longer, or the circle larger.

Rules for joining Characters.

Make one letter as if no other were to be made, and then, without lifting the pen, make the next, as if the first had not been made, observing to turn them in that way which is most simple and easy; but let the line always take the same direction from the circle that is to the right, upward, downward, &c.

Rules for Spelling.

1. Use no vowels in spelling, except when distinctly sounded at the beginning and end of words. Example, entity ntt, chastity chstt, obey oba, away awa, pay pa, lay la, say sa.

2. Omit all silent letters. Ex. Light lit, sight sit, night nit. 3. When two letters sound like one, use that one in their stead. Ex. Laugh, lauf, physic, fysic, Utica Utk, empty mt. 4. The letter c must be supplied by k and s. Ex. Comply komply, celestial selestial, receiver reseiver.

5. H may frequently be omitted as follows. Ex. Behold beold, how ow, highway iway, heaven even, help elp.

6. Ph and gh are never written in short hand, as they are always sounded like for v, (when not silent,) and therefore represented by these characters. Ex. Enough enuf, tough tuf, Philadelphia Filadelfia, philosophy filosofy, Stephen Steven.

7. When double consonants occur, use only one; but if a vowel intervene, use both. Er. Restlessness restlesnes, commendation comendation, memory mmory, people pple.

8. B and w may be omitted, as follows. Ex. Number numer, encumber encumer, slumber slumer, answer anser.

9. The ch character is only used where it has its natural sound, as in charm, church, chapter, choice. Where ch have the sound of k or sh, let these signs be used.

10. Let z be represented by s in all cases; but to distinguish it, let the mark be made thicker than for s.

REMARKS. Although this method of spelling may appear difficult to the beginner, he is assured, that it may be made quite familiar in a few hours, and that without injuring his common spelling. To do this, pronounce words distinctly and rapidly, retaining for short hand nothing but the most prominent sounds; as nv for envy; ntt for entity; ldr for elder, flsfr for philosopher, &c.

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