INSTRUCTIONS TO PROMOTE LEGIBILITY. 89 89 THE learner may sometimes find it convenient, in the writing of proper names and words not in common use, to be more explicit in relation to vowels, diphthongal sounds, and doubtful consonants; for which purpose the following instructions are given. They will, however, be found less necessary, as the writing and reading become more familiar, and should only be used to prevent obscurity. RULES. 1st. As A, I, O, are the only vowels ever used alone, they may be easily distinguished as follows. i; that is, A above, I in the centre, and O below, the line of writing. 2d. At the beginning and end of words make use 3d. To show what vowels are omitted in the middle of words, place a comma over the word as follows, thus: 4th. For diphthongal sounds place the comma under the word, as follows, for ou; and for oy. Enough has been already said in relation to Arbitrary Characters, and therefore a single remark must suffice. The Compiler of this work, after having learned, at great expense of memory, some hundreds of arbitrary signs, has at length abandoned the whole, except the following, The world +Jesus Christ These are soon learned, and are so very appropriate as not to be soon forgotten. 40 SHORT HAND SHORTENED. The preceding system is complete in itself, and has no dependance on the following instruction. It is, therefore, earnestly recommended, that beginners have nothing to do with short hand shortened, till they are quite familiar with short hand. They may then increase their facility of writing, by adding other links to the chain of abbreviation, without weakening those which precede. The learner will here discover no characters with which he is not already familiar; although, from the manner in which they are made and located, they receive additional powers. And, notwithstanding the instruction here given is considered quite sufficient, still, the learner may, upon the same plan, go much farther by the use of other stenographic letters above or below the line-and all this, without material encroachment upon the fundamental principles of the system; but it is no more necessary for the common stenographer, than conic sections or fluxions to the humble arithmetician. Instructions. 1st make an inverted* m, for him, am, most. nesis, as written upon this See the first chapter of Ge plan, plate 17. for 2d. Make a horizontal touch above the line of writing and the, or by the; and the same touch below the line for in the, or of the. 3d. Make two dots above the line of writing, for for the, or from the; and the same.. below the line, for with the, or was the. Remark. When signs are placed above or below the line, to represent a word or words, they should not stand near the preceding or following words, lest they be taken for parts thereof. *The inverted characters, may be seen on the right of plate 2, against the alphabet and words. The looped characters are frequently thus inserted, for convenience in joining, but never when alone, except in short hand shortened. ARBITRARY SIGNS. Although the subject of arbitrary characters has been once disposed of,-and though their introduction as a component or necessary part of the system of short writing, is strongly reprobated, still it is thought right to present the young reader with some of the arbitrary signs most frequently employed in the sciences and arts, independent of short hand. Indeed, many of these have, by their universal conventional sanction and use, become parts of our written, or printed language, and as such, should be known to every young man, who aspires to a respectable education. The written language of the Chinese is a language of figures, every object or notion being expressed by a particular sign. We, also, for the sake of brevity and precision, use, in several sciences, certain signs: for instance, Astronomical Signs. Sun; Moon; Earth; Mercury; Venus; Mars; Vesta; & Juno; Pallas; ? Ceres; 4 Jupiter; ↳ Saturn; H Herschel. The twelve Signs of the Zodiac: Aries; 8 Taurus; Gemini; m Scorpio; Pisces. Libra; Cancer; Leo; my Virgo; Mathematical and Arithmetical Signs, &c.: Roman cyphers; I, 1; II, 2; III, 3; IV, 4; V, 5; VI, 6; VII, 7; VIII, 8; IX, 9; X, 10; XX, 20; L, 50; C, 100; CC, 200; D, 500; M, 1000, &c. In Algebra, the first letters of the alphabet, a, b, c, commonly denote given magnitudes, while the last letters x, y, z, &c. stand for unknown magnitudes, which are to be found. Furthermore, + (plus) more,-(minus) less, sig 45 |