Frequently a large part of the day's correspondence can be handled with form paragraphs, and through constant use the stenographer will become so familiar with them that he will be in a position to answer many letters without dictation. The really efficient stenographer--one of the kind who expects to advance to the position of private secretary--will make a careful study of form paragraphs, fitting himself to handle the minor correspondence, thereby saving the more valuable time of the correspondent. =Talking Machines for Dictation.= Every year sees an increase in the use of the talking machine for dictation. These machines have now been brought to a state of perfection which makes their use feasible, and in many large offices they are used to the almost complete exclusion of shorthand writers. An outfit for correspondence work consists, usually, of two machines--one for recording and one for reproducing dictation. The correspondent dictates his letters to the recording machine and passes the cylinders on which the record has been made to the stenographer, who transcribes on the typewriter direct from the reproducing machine. In small offices, one machine is made to answer every purpose, as it can be changed instantly from a recorder to a producer. After the dictation on a cylinder has been transcribed it is shaved, and is then ready for a new record. This permits of the use of the cylinders until they are worn thin, and reduces the expense to a minimum. [Illustration: Fig. 2. The Dictaphone _Columbia Phonograph Co._] The principal advantages claimed for this machine are that it saves all of the time of the stenographer usually required for taking dictation; the correspondent can dictate at any time without waiting for a stenographer; the work is more evenly distributed, and consequently finished earlier in the day. In the opinion of the writer, the chief advantage lies in having the machine at hand ready for dictation day or night. While in some offices the shorthand writer has been almost entirely supplanted, the machine is more likely to be used as an auxiliary. It can never supply the brains of the human machine, and is not likely to lessen the demand for competent stenographers. Fig. 2 is an illustration of one of the well-known makes of correspondence machines. =Correspondence Requisitions.= A considerable per cent of the letters to be answered in a business office are of such a nature that former correspondence must be referred to before an intelligent reply can be given. The unsatisfactory character of the replies to many letters can be traced to the fact that the correspondent did not take the trouble to first find out what had been written before.