obliquely upward to the right on an angle of 45° it is the character y-and if a horizontal right line, be drawn from left to right, till it strike the lower edge of the circle, and be joined to the lower quadrant, on the right of the perpendicular, the character ious is produced.

We have now seen formed from the properties of the elementary key, a diagram, which, while it serves to represent the roots of the tree, is found to contain all the essentials of a stenographic alphabet. The characters or letters chosen from it, are twenty in number, all seen at a single view in the diagram. They have been already named; and the figure of each, separately and distinctly defined-they are found to be of four species; and for the convenience of teachers and learners, as well as to aid the memory of the latter, they are classified according to their form, and arranged upon the first four limbs of the tree-in preference to displaying them in their usual alphabetical order.

Accompanying each figure, as seen upon the limbs, is the common letter of which the figure is the representative in writing.

The same twenty characters are again extended upward along the trunk of the tree, in the order of their late classification—that is, the right lines first, then the semicircle, then the circle and lines, and last, the quadrant and lines. The object of this is, a more convenient and systematic display of their respective uses in writing, viz: as signs of letters, words, prefixes, terminations, &c.

Several of these characters have a fourfold power,

c

others a threefold; and none less than a twofold use. Of the first, which is simply the power of common letters, it is unnecessary to add any thing in this place. Of the second power, I may remark, that they represent, when used individually, some one of the words arranged near them, in the tree; which words, sixty in number, constitute about one-third of common composition. By this arrangement, a very great saving of labour is effected.

Example.-The Stenographic s, is used to represent either of the words, is, as, us, his. The character h, represents know, knew, or known. The character m, is used for me, my, many; and the x, for example, except, &c. In almost every sentence, some one of these sixty words must necessarily occur, and frequently, in common parlance, or even in Scripture style, they constitute half, or more, of all the words in a discourse.

The third power of the characters is, that of representing when made smaller, and placed before words, some of the most frequent prefixes, exhibited in italics, at the extremity of the limbs on the left. These prefixes are fully explained in page 12, rule 5, (this rule should be turned to, and read immediately, by every learner,) they are also very clearly exemplified in pages 20, 23, 24, 25, 26, and the succeeding plates.

The fourth power of the Stenographic characters is, that of representing a number of the most frequent terminations, placed in italics, also, at the extremity of the limbs on the right. See page 12, rule 6, and the several pages, plates, &c. as above referred to.

Thus far, there has been a strict conformity to the

scientific principles, upon which the system is founded; viz: that the characters shall be few in number, and selected for their peculiar fitness and simplicity, that the most simple shall be appropriated to letters which occur most frequently, that the most frequent words, prefixes, terminations, &c. shall be represented by their initials, or most prominent consonants. A very trifling, though it is believed, a justifiable departure from fixed principles, will now be noticed.

Near the top of the Stenographic tree, are a number of dots, small circles, &c. which are extremely useful in practice, though not in strict accordance with the design hitherto pursued, of only a fourfold application of the characters. These small signs are all derived from the same elementary key, and after the whole circle, several of them are in fact the common Stenographic characters in miniature-even the dot, is neither more nor less than the extremity of a line. These circumstances in connexion with the entire aptness, and admirable simplicity of the signs, will compensate in part, for this slight deviation, from cardinal rules. For a full explanation of all the signs at the top of the tree, and their use in writing, read from page 12, rules 2, 5, 6; and see pages 20, 23, 24, 25, 26, and the succeeding plates.

The substance of the preceding explanation is usually given to classes in attendance; and is considered important, in several respects. First; it gives them, in a very concise way, a general outline of the whole theory. Secondly, it aids the memory by a judicious classification and arrangement, of the several parts, and

their association with the roots, trunk, and limbs of the tree. Thirdly, the mathematical positions and relations of the several characters, being at first correctly impressed upon the mind, supersedes the necessity of following written copies as in learning the common hand; for each individual having a suitable criterion or standard erected in his own mind, is enabled to test his writing as he proceeds, and thus, without the benefit of a single copy for imitation, he may write, in the course of a few hours, as mechanically correct, as if he had written a thousand pages. His hand will not, to be sure, exhibit all that ease and grace, discernible in that of one more experienced; nor can excellence be attained, in any other way, than by considerable prac. tice.

But to return to the order of nature, the child becomes first acquainted with the meaning and application of words most frequently used in the domestic circle; and as these words occur more or less frequently in almost every sentence, even of the learned, he is constantly gaining a knowledge of other words, before new to him, without any apparent inconvenience or loss of time, simply by their connexion in sentences, with words already familiar. A little reflection will satisfy most persons, that four-fifths of all the words with which they are acquainted, have been learned in this way, by their incidental occurrence, with other words, already familiar, rather than by turning them up in a dictionary. And who cannot look back to hours that have been spent in searching out, and perhaps committing to memory the spelling and definition of words,

which during their life, they may never have occasion to use, and which they may never discover in any of their reading. Is not, then, much of the time devoted to such pursuits unprofitably occupied; and would it not be better to travel over less space, be more select in our choice, and understand better the subjects passed in review?

Fully impressed with the truth of the positions already taken, I have, in my own humble way, made some very satisfactory experiments, in which I have conformed as nearly as circumstances would admit, to the plan which I have prescribed. And without assuming to myself any superior tact in teaching, it may be excusable in me, to speak of facts as they are known to have occurred under my immediate instruction. In several instances, where I have attended classes of from 25 to 100, a majority of individuals in each class, have not only learned the theory of this system of writing so as to spell and abbreviate according to the rules, but have been able in the course of four or five hours to write with considerable ease and accuracy, much faster than in their own common hand.

This was effected in a great degree, by rendering first familiar, that which must necessarily occur frequently, in order that it might serve to elucidate and make more easy, every additional step in the future progress of the learner: And secondly, by an ingenious method of confining the attention throughout, exclusively to that which is essential, to the exclusion of every extraneous consideration-by explaining and demonstrating, at once, each particular point, at the in