The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1840-11-17
HAND-WRITINGS

From the Fifth Vol. Of Mr.. UIsrdeh's Gu
riosities Of Literature.
The art of Judging of the character of persons
BY their handwriting, can only have any reality
when the pen, acting without constrant, becomes
an instrument guided by, and indicative OF the
natural disposition. But regulated as the pen i
now too often BY mechanical process, which
the present race of writing masters seem to have
contnved for their own convenience, whole
school exhibits a similar handwriting: the pu-
pills are forced in their automatic motions, as II
acted on BY the pressure of steam-engine; q
bevy Of beauties will now write such facsmiles
of each other, that in heap OF letters presented
TO the most sharp sighted lover he cannot select
that Of his mistress-though like Bassanio among
the caskets, his happiness should be risked on
the choice-he would despair Of fixing on the
right one, all appearing to have come from the
same rolling press Even brothers Of different
tempers have been taught by the same master
TO give the same form to their letters, the same
regularity to their line, and have made our hand
writings as monotonous as are our characters In
the present habits Of society. The true phys,og-
nomy Of writing will be lost among our rising
generation /; it is no longer face that we are
looking on, but beautiful mask of single pat
tern; and the fashionable writing Of our young
ladies is like the former tight-lacing of their
mothers youthful days, when every one alike
had what was supposed to be fine shape.
Assuredly Nature would prompt every indi-
vidual to have distinct sort of writing, as she
has given peculiar countenance, voice, and
manner. The hexibillty of the manner differs
with every individual, and the hand viii follow
the direction of the thoughts, and the emotions
and the habits of the writers The phlegmatic
will pourtray his words while the playful haste
of the volatile win scarcely sketch them; the
slovenly will blot, and efface, and scrawl, while
the neat and orderly minded will view them
selves in the paper before their eyes. The mer-
chants clerk will not write like the lawyer or
the poet. Even nations are distinguished by
their writing the vivacity and variousnsso Of
the Frenchman, the delicacy and suppleness OF
the Italian, are perceptibly distinct from the
slowness and strength Of pen discoverabe in the
phlegmatic German, Dane, and Swede. When
we are in grief, we do not write as we should in
Joy. The elegant and correct mind which has
acquired the fortunate habit Of fxity OF atten-
ton, will write with scarcely an erasion on the
page, as Fenelon, Gray and Gibbon; while we find
in Pope's manuscripts the perpetual struggles Of
correction, and eager and rapid interlineatons
struck off in heat. Lavater's notion of hand
writing is by no means chimerical; nor was
Gen. Paoli fanciful, when he told Mr.. Northcote,
that he had decided on the character and dispo-
sitons Of man from his letters, and the hand
writing.
Long before the days of Lavater, Shenstone
in one OF his letters said, II want to see Mrs.
lagos handwriting, that may judge of her
temper" One great truth, however, must be
conceded to the opponents of the physiognomy
Of priting- general rules only can be laid down.
Yet the vital principle must be true that the
handwriting bears an analogy to the character
Of the writer, as all voluntary actions are cha
racteristc of the individual But many causes
operate to counteract or obstruct this result. |
am intimately acquainted with the hand-writ-
ings of five of our great poets The first in early
life acquired among Scottish advocates a hand
writing which cannot be distinguished from that
Of his ordinary brothers the second, educated
in public schools, where writing is shamefuly
neglected, composes his sublime or sportlve
verses, in school-boy's rugged scrawl, as If he
had never finished his tasks with the writing
master; the third writes his highly wrought
poetry in the common hand Of merchants
clerk, from early commercial avocation; the
fourth has all that finished neatness which po-
fishes his verses while the fifth is specimen
of full mind not in the habit OF correction or
alteration so that he appears to be printing
down his thoughts without solitary erasure.
The hand writing Of the first and third poets,
not indicative of their character, we have &C
counted for the others are admirable specimens
of characteristic autographs.
Odys, in one of his curious notes, was struck
by the distinctness Of character in the hand
writings of several Of our kings. He observed
nothing further than the mere fact, and did not
extend his idea to the art of judging OF the natu
raj character by the writing Oldys has des-
cribed these handwriting with the utmost cor
rectness, as have often verified shall add a
few comments. Henry VIII. wrote strong
hand, but as if he had seldom a good PEN
The vehemence of his character conveyed itself
into his writing bold, hasty, and commanding.
I hayo doYb fha If 's ell
premacy and its triumphant destroyer, split ma
ny good quill.
Edward VI wrote fair legible hand.'-
We have this promising young princes diary,
written by his own hand in all respects he was
an assiduous pupil, and he had scarcely learned
to write and to reign when we lost him.
Queen Elizabeth writ upright hand like
the bastard Italian" She was indeed most
elegant caligrapher whom Roger Ascham had
taught all the elegancies of the pen. The
French editor of the little Autographed work
have noticed has given the autograph of her
name which she usually wrote in very large
tall character, and painfully elaborate. He &C
companied il with one of the Scottish Mary,
who, al times, wrote elegantly, though usually
in uneven lines when in haste and distress OF
mind in several letters during her imprisonment
which | have read, much the contrary The
French editor makes this observation: Who
could believe that these writings are OF the same
epoch2 The first denotes asperty and ostenta-
ton the second indicates simplicity, softness,
and nobleness. The one Is that Of Elizabeth,
Queen Of England, the other that of her cousin.
Mary Stuart The difference of these two hand
writings answers most evidently TO that of their
characters"
James |. writ a poor ungainly character, all
awry, and not in a straight line.n James GER
tanly wrote slovenly scrawl strongly indica
tive Of that personal negligence which he carried
into all the little things of life and Buchanan