Touches of Sweet -- Isaac Pitman and Henry Sweet 05

Among the many prominent phoneticians of 19th century, Issac Pitman was very successful business-wise. The Pitman shorthand which he invented in 1837 (Touches of Sweet 03) was the most widely used shorthand system in the United Kingdom until 1996, and the second most popular shorthand in the United States.

Pitman was a sharp businessman, and Shaw writes about Pitman's triumph of business organization in the preface of "Pygmalion".

There was a weekly paper to persuade you to learn Pitman, there were cheap textbooks and exercise books and transcripts of speeches for you to copy, and schools where experienced teachers coached you up to necessary proficiency. (Bernard Shaw, "Pygmalion")

Now, how was our not-so-sweet Henry Sweet?

Henry Sweet also invented a new writing system called the Current Shorthand in 1884. The Pitman Shorthand was then already very known and used in the country. Henry Sweet showed great contempt towards the popular Pitman system which he called the 'Pitfall' system. Although Shaw highly praises Sweet's Current Shorthand system, Sweet's disposition and his no interest in business were the fatal flaws to the diffusion of the system. Sweet had no interest in advertising the system, and it never became popular like the Pitman system.

Academic scholars, not just your zeal towards your subjects, but sweet disposition and a touch of business mind just might help you sail into a wider ocean.