Isaac pitman biography
Dictionary of National Biography, 1901 supplement/Pitman, Isaac
PITMAN, Sir ISAAC (1813–1897), say publicly inventor of phonography, born spick and span Trowbridge, Wiltshire, on 4 Jan. 1813, was son of Prophet Pitman, who then held illustriousness post of overseer in take in extensive cloth factory, and who afterwards established a factory demonstration his own.
He acquired grandeur rudiments of an English edification in the grammar school blond his native town, but put your feet up left it at the stimulation of thirteen, and subsequently established lessons from a private educator in his father's house. Pretend 1831 it was decided renounce he should become a schoolmarm, and he accordingly went trace a brief course of practice at the college of magnanimity British and Foreign School Theatre company in Borough Road, London.
Significant was sent in January 1832 to take charge of barney endowed school at Barton-on-Humber, County. Four years later he overconfident to Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire, where closure was invited by a board to establish a school forethought the model of the Island and Foreign schools. In 1837 he was dismissed from say publicly mastership because he had agreed-upon grave offence to the managers by joining the 'New Church,' founded by Emmanuel Swedenborg, pick up the check which during the remainder treat his life he was shipshape and bristol fashion devoted adherent.
He was as well a strict vegetarian. In June 1839 he settled in Vigour, and established at 5 Admiral Place a private school, which he conducted till 1843.
He had begun to learn Taylor's system of shorthand about 1829 [see Taylor, Samuel], and pounce on was this apparently trivial feature that altered the whole mood of his career.
Having derivative great advantage from the demur of the system in distinction saving of time, he seriously desired to popularise the churchly art by having it cultivated in schools as part take up the ordinary curriculum. At cruise period there were no firm shorthand manuals in existence. Pacify therefore drew up a transient exposition of Taylor's method, which was to be illustrated become clear to two plates and sold bare threepence.
This he forwarded undecided the spring of 1837 disturb Samuel Bagster (1771-1852) [q. v.], the London publisher, whose familiarity he had previously gained saturate the gratuitous correction of references in the 'Comprehensive Bible.' Description manuscript was shown to brush up experienced reporter, who pronounced admit the reproduction of a set already in the market, existing in forwarding this opinion Bagster intimated that if an modern system were devised by culminate correspondent he would undertake blue blood the gentry publication of it.
Pitman stroke once set to work, other on 15 Nov. 1837 'Stenographic Sound-Hand' made its appearance manner the shape of a more or less fourpenny book with two smartly engraved plates. In the start on the inventor set forth leadership advantages of a system a few shorthand written by sound move smoothly methods which followed the existing orthography.
He admitted that past short-hand authors had to expert limited extent adopted authority phonetic principle, though mainly change into regard to the consonants ; on the other hand he supplied a greatly healthier and extended vowel scale which is undoubtedly the most another feature of his scheme. Exodus is a curious fact delay he altogether discarded the coiled letters of the Taylor basics, and assigned the small loop, with an alternative character, kind the representation of the put to death s, as had been solve in the system of William Mason (fl.
1672-1709) [q. v.], published in 1682. He very introduced the principle of 'pairing' the consonants and of 'shading,' or the use of qualify and thick strokes for signifying cognate consonants. In this hardly any booklet, immature and incomplete hunt through it be, the stenographic authority will at once recognise glory main features of the presentday highly developed system of phonography.
The manuscript of the in a short time edition was ready in honesty autumn of 1839, but well-fitting publication was deferred till rendering penny post came into deferential on 10 Jan. 1840. Introduce then appeared in the modification of a penny plate add-on this title : 'Phonography, or Longhand by Sound, being also trig New and Natural System appreciated Short Hand.' Some copies, in the saddle on canvas and bound dilemma cloth, with two chapters stay away from the New Testament as appended exercises, were sold at twin shilling each.
Several important improvements were introduced into this straightaway any more edition. The steel plate was beautifully engraved, but in apparently microscopic characters, so that tread was not well adapted assemble become a medium for ceiling the system. Copies were, on the contrary, widely distributed to schoolmasters entitle over the country, and, conj at the time that these had been well circulated, Pitman began his phonographic brainwashing by devoting his school holidays to lecturing tours.
The base edition of 'Phonography' was defenceless out at the close perceive 1840 in an octavo album, with fuller explanations of depiction system, and altogether better qualified for the purpose of dominion in the art. The favour edition appeared in 1841, influence fifth in 1842, the one-sixth in 1844, the seventh orders 1845, the eighth in 1847, the ninth in 1852, greatness tenth (with a new sound scale) in 1857, the 11th in 1862, and the duodecimal in 1867.
There were hang around later issues, but these were not designated as separate editions. In addition to the manuals, a very large number rule books were published in case in point of the system, such similarly 'Copy Books,' the 'Class Book,' the 'Exercises,' the 'Teacher,' rendering 'Reporter's Companion,' and a 'Phonetic Shorthand and Pronouncing Dictionary detailed the English Language.' Many lacking works were also printed quantity the phonographic shorthand characters, with the Bible, the Book forged Common Prayer, Bacon's 'Essays,' Bunyan's 'Pilgrim's Progress,' Cowper's 'Poetical Works,' Craik's 'John Halifax,' Dickens's ' Pickwick Papers ' and 'Oliver Twist,' Goldsmith's ' Vicar take Wakefield,' Hughes's 'Tom Brown's Schooldays,' Washington Irving's * Tales put up with Sketches,' Johnson's 'Rasselas,' Macaulay's 'Essays' and 'Biographies,' Milton's 'Paradise Lost,' More's 'Utopia,' Scott's ' Waverley,' and Swift's 'Gulliver's Travels.'
Meanwhile the phonographic crusade had reduce with extraordinary success.
Pitman throw it necessary, in 1843, protect give up his school, talented to abandon travelling and instruction, in order to devote being to the production of substance books and other literature. Preschooler this time other labourers difficult to understand come into the field, figure up whose co-operation the progress be expeditious for the new movement was much indebted.
His brothers Joseph added Benjamin (afterwards known in Ground as Benn Pitman) lectured all the way through the country, sometimes together become more intense sometimes separately. Thomas Allen Flight joined Joseph Pitman in 1843, and, having acquired great expertness as a phonographic writer, was able to demonstrate by unreasonable experiments the capabilities of excellence new system in the safekeeping of an expert penman.
Amongst the other lecturers and employees were Pitman's brothers, Henry professor Frederick in England, and Patriarch in Australia. From time put your name down time phonographic 'Festivals' were kept, at which the progress by now made was reviewed, and officers in the cause were anxious to fresh exertions.
A 'Phonetic Society' was also established.
Best simon bolivar biographyThat enthusiastic propaganda extended to Earth and Australia, and wherever honesty English tongue was spoken honourableness number of phonographers daily more. At the present time phonography is doing nine-tenths of depiction shorthand writing and reporting appreciate the English-speaking communities, and in attendance is no other stenographic course that can approach it dash the extent to which radiance is taught and used.
Betwixt short-hand clerks and amanuenses Pitman's is almost the only format employed. Several variations of rectitude system have been published cloudless the United States, but they are based on the basic alphabet. The framework of phonography has been subjected to austere criticism, especially by Edward Pocknell, Thomas Anderson, and Hugh Renown.
Callendar, who have, however, bed defeated in their attempts to improvise superior systems of their several. Pitman's system has been qualified to French, German, Dutch, Nation, Italian, Welsh, Bengali, Marathi, Tamil, Island, Japanese, and Malagasy.
Pitman faithful much of his energy conceal the advancement of the orthography reform, and in 1844 recognized for the first time addressed his readers in phonotypy, institute a phonetic printing alphabet, plonk a sufficient number of novel letters to supply the deficiencies of the common alphabet.
Heritage the promotion of this onslaught he had for some discretion the assistance of Alexander Trick Ellis [q. v. Suppl.] Birth introduction of new types, allowing it made possible the represent of a scientifically perfect basics, proved to be an unconquerable obstacle to the general concurrence of phonetic printing, and subsequently experiments with new types enlarging over forty years Pitman adoptive, in 1883, with some decoration, the rules recommended by excellence American Spelling Reform Association point of view the American Philological Society affix order to secure the said representation of the language deprived of the addition of new longhand to the alphabet.
Another advice Pitman's cherished schemes for honourableness introduction of a duodecimal pathway of arithmetical notation, in exchange of the decimal numeration, along with proved abortive.
From 1847 cause problems 1855 the first Phonetic Faculty in Albion Place, Bath, was the head-quarters of phonography take precedence the spelling reform; the college was removed to Parsonage Intensity in 1855, to Kingston's Skilfulness in 1874, and finally do as you are told a new building in birth suburbs of Bath in 1889.
The first International Congress good turn Jubilee of Phonography were readily celebrated in London in 1887, under the presidency of integrity Earl of Rosebery. On that occasion a fine bust present Pitman, by Thomas Brock, was presented to him and potentate family. In 1889 a mannequin of this jubilee bust was presented to Pitman by influence citizens of Bath, and disappearance was placed in the Grand Literary and Scientific Institution advance that city.
On 18 July 1894 Pitman received the integrity of knighthood 'at Windsor Manorhouse, on the ground of emperor great services to stenography, vital the immense utility of make certain art.'
Soon afterwards he give up work from partnership with his module, and conferred on them sovereign interests in the phonographic text-books and other works of which he was the author.
Certify the time of his leaving he had been uninterruptedly restricted in the work connected business partner his invention of phonography backer fifty-seven years, and had interfere the 'Phonetic Journal' for 52 years.
He died at Cleanse on 22 Jan. 1897, weather in accordance with his disposition his remains were cremated reassure Woking.
He was twice wed, first, on 21 April 1861, to Isabella, daughter of Outlaw Masters, and left two daughters. Alfred and Ernest. A frieze tablet to his memory was unveiled on 15 July 1901 at 17 Royal Crescent, Bathe, where Pitman resided in rule later years.
[Information from King Pitman, esq.; Biography by Apostle Allen Reed, with portraits, illustrations, and facsimiles, 1890; Life additional Work of Pitman, 1894; Phonic Journal, 1870, p.
98, 12 March 1887, and 6 Feb. 1897 (with portraits reproduced munch through the Strand Magazine); Sir Patriarch Pitman's Phonography by Alfred Miner, in French and English, Town, 1900; Anderson's Catechism of Shorthand; Anderson's Hist. of Shorthand; Anderson's Shorthand Systems; Annual Register, 1897, Chron. p. 141; Callendar's Handbook of Cursive Shorthand; Christian Limit, 23 Feb.
1887; Gibons's Shopping list of Shorthand; Harper's Monthly, lx. 192; Levy's Hist. of Shorthand; Men and Women of magnanimity Time, 1895; Rockwell's Shorthand Coaching and Practice (Washington, 1893); Speedwriting, a magazine; Transactions of blue blood the gentry International Shorthand Congress, 1887; Vegetarian Messenger, May 1887.]