Sir Isaac Pitman

487 Pages·2017·22.28 MB·English

by  The Life Of

THE LIFE OF
SIR ISAAC PITMAN
INVENTOR OF PHONOGRAPHY
( )
ALFRED BAKER F.I . I .
,
CEN TENARY EDI TI ON
LONDON : SIR ISAAC P ITMAN SONS
, LTD.
No. 1 AMEN CORNER E C. 1913
,
PRI NTE D BY SI R I SAAC P ITMAN
SONS LTD . LONDON Bun
, , ,
AN D N EW YORK 19 13
THE RIGHT HON. THE EARL OF ROSE BE RY
H .G. K.T.
, ,
PRES IDE NT OF THE
FIRST INTERNATIONAL SHORTHAND CONGRESS
HELD IN LONDON IN 1887
THIS VOLUME
’
I S INSCRIBE D WITH HI S LORDSHIP S
KIND PERMISSION
PREFACE
IN the illustrious roll of inventors who have in our
own age conferred great and varied benefits on
their country the name of Sir Isaac Pitman
,
occupies a unique position as the originator of
,
a method of brief writing as widely used as the
language in which it is written . His bold ex eri
p
ment of giving to the world a system of shorthand
having an absolutely phonetic basis was an
immediate success and for over seventy years it
,
has proved of inestimable service for every purpose
for which a written record is desired and has
,
become the standard method of Engli sh short
hand . He did not li ve to see success attend his
proposals for a drastic reform of English spelling
on a strictly phonetic basis . But it is only just
t o his memory to point out that to hi s work as
,
a pioneer is t o a large extent due the revived
,
interest in simplified spelling manifested in our
own time.
The life story of Sir Isaac Pitman has been
related in many forms but not hitherto with the
,
completeness which has been attempted in the
’
present volume. The author s thanks are due
’
to Sir Isaac s family for placing at his di sposal
all the personal records in their possession . Mr.
Henry Pitman younger brother of the Inventor
,
of Phonography gave valuable information
,
on many points . From the writings of Mr .
vi PREFACE
Benn Pitman assistance was derived in relation
to his early reminiscences of his brother . The
Biography of Isaac Pitman written by Mr .
,
T . A . Reed in 1890 comprises a large amount of
,
information which would not have been recorded
at all but for his industrious pen and this work
,
has of necessity been freely drawn on.
Thanks are tendered t o the proprietors of
Punch for permission to reproduce the cartoon
on page 219 t o Mr. George Lansdown of the
; ,
Wiltshire Times Trowbridge for permission to
, ,
reproduce a rare drawing of the school attended
by Sir Isaac Pitman t o Mr . F . H . Fisher editor
(
of the Literar World for permission t o quote the
y )
In Memoriam sonnet and to Mr. A . T.
;
Donald for assistance with the bibliography.
,
A . B .
Dec 1908.
P REFACE TO CENTENARY EDITION
ADVANTAGE has been taken of the issue of the
present second or Centenary Edi tion to make a
, ,
few addi tions and corrections. I t is hoped that
these will add t o the value of the Life t o all
interested in the Pitman Centenary of 19 13 .
A . B .
an 19 1 3 .
j
CONTENTS
-
EARLY DAYS . 1813 183 1
- -
STARTING IN LIFE AT BARTON ON HUMBER.
—
1832 5
- -
EVENTFUL YEARS AT WOTTON UNDER EDGE .
—
1836 7
-
INVENTION OF STE NOGRAPHIC SOUND HAND.
1837—9
SETTLEMENT IN BATH AND PUBLICATION OF
”
—
PHONOGRAPHY. 1839 40
BEGINNING OF THE P ROPAGANDA AND THE
”
—
PHONOGRAPHIC JOURNAL. 1840 2
—
THE WRITING AND SPELLING REFORM THE FIRST
INSTITUTE. 1843
—
VI I I . PHONOTYPY INTRODUCED PHONOGRAPHY AND
THE SPELLING REFORM ATTACKED AND
—
DEFENDED. 1844 5
A DEPARTURE IN PRI NTI NG AND PUBLISHING
”
MR. A. . ELLIS AND THE 1847 ALPHABET.
J
—
1845 8
THE PHONETIC NEWS AND WHAT FOLLOWED.
—
1849 50
THE INTERNATIONAL EXHI BITI ON AND EXETER
—
HALL THE SECOND AND THIRD INSTITUTES .
—
1851 6
THE TE NTH AND E LEVE NTH EDITIONS OF PHONO
—
GRAPHY. 1857 62
XI I I . THE READING WRITING AND RECKON ING
, ,
”
—
REFORM. 1857 62
XIV. A UARTER OF A CENTURY OF PHONOGRAPHY
Q
PRESENTATION To THE INVENTOR. 1862
—
A CHARACTER SKE TCH ADDRE SS To THE BRITISH
”
—
ASSOCIATION ON BRIEF WRITING. 1862 4
vii
vi ii CONTE NTS
PAGE
—
PHONOGRAPHIC AUTHORSHIP TESTIMONY IN THE
—
JUSTICIARY COURT AT EDINBURGH ADDRESS
—
AT MANCHESTER. 1865 72
XVI I . SHORTHAND P RINTING FROM MOVABLE TYPE
—
THE FOURTH INSTITUTE . 1873 5 .
- —
XVI I I . MAX MULLE R AND THE SPELLING REFORM A
—
P ROPOSED ROYAL COMMISS ION . 1876 9
XIX . MANY SCHEMES OF SPELLING REFORM AND
—
THREE RULES PUBLIC APPEARANCES
—
ACTION IN THE HIGH COURT AMEN CORNER.
—
1880 6
—
THE PHONOGRAPHIC JUBILEE THE FIFTH
-
INSTITUTE . 1887 9
—
XX I . A NEW EPOCH IN SHORTHAND TEACHING THE
-
NATIONAL PHONOGRAPHIC SOCIETY AN EDI
—
TORIAL JUBILEE . 1890 3
XXI I . KNIGHTHOOD CONFERRED ON THE FATHE R OF
”
—
PHONOGRAPHY. RE TIREMENT FROM THE
PHONETIC INSTITUTE . 1894
—
XXII I . INTERE STS ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND FADs SOME
, ,
P ERSONAL DATA
-
XXIV LAST YEARS . 1895 7
PUBLIC TRIBUTES
APPE NDIX I . A REPRINT OF STENOGRAPHIC SOUND
H
HAND
APPENDIX I I . THE EVOLUTION OF PHONOGRAPHY
AP PE NDIX I I I . BIBLIOGRAPHY
I NDEX
PLATES
SIR ISAAC P ITMAN. MEMORIAL PORTRAIT BY A. S . COPE
,
R.A. I N THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLE RY LONDON
, ,
'
F rontis zece
p
FACING
P AGE
SAMUEL P ITMAN FATHER OF THE INVENTOR OF PHONO
,
GRAPHY
SCHOOL ATTENDED BY ISAAC P ITMAN AT TROWBRIDGE
’
ST JAMES S CHURCH TROWBRI DGE
,
COMPREHENS IVE BIBLE P RESENTED TO ISAAC P ITMAN
BY MR. SAMUEL BAGSTER
- -
KINGSTON HOUSE OR THE HALL BRADFORD ON AVON
( ) ,
’
- -
ISAAC P ITMAN S SECOND SCHOOL ATWOTTON UNDE R EDGE
’
- -
I SAAC P ITMAN S HOUSE AT WOTTON UNDE R EDGE THE
BIRTHPLACE OF PHONOGRAPHY
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STENOGM PHIC SOUND HAND P LATE 1
-
STENOGRAPHIC SOUND HAND PLATE 2
-
TITLE AND COVE R OF STENOGRAPHIC SOUND HAND.
PUBLISHED IN 1837
’
FACSIMILE OF ISAAC P ITMAN S LETTER To SAMUEL
BAGSTER 14TH NOVEMBER 1837
, ,
NELSON PLACE BATH FROM A DRAWING ABOUT 1840
, ( )
THE FI RST PHONETIC INSTITUTE NO. 5 NELSON PLACE
, ,
BATH
PHONOGRAPHY. THE PENNY PLATE 1840
,
THE PHONOGRAPHIC JOURNAL JANUARY 1842
, ,
FACS IMILE OF FIRST PAGE PRINTED IN PHONETIC SPELLING
ISAAC P ITMAN AGE PAINTED BY . B. KEENE
( J
REDUCED FACS IMILE OF THE TOP PORTION OF THE FIRST
PAGE OF THE PHONETIC NEws 1849
( )
ix