The New York herald., 1862-04-12


The Steel PEN Disease.
The New York Tribune of July Is contains the
following article copied from the Boston JouaiLdt:-
Some Of our readers will probably recollect notice
which appeared in the Journal last February relative 10
theory advanced by President FELTON,, OF Harvard tha
the debating and sometimes parayte affections OF tho
aud arm experienced by those accustomed TO wrto
much, attributed to the use Of steel pens snce
the appearance Of the notice in question there mas
good deai Of speculation regarding the theory "
aud many practical tests OF its reliability have oeeh IN
stituted President FELTON, has received great many
letters proving the efficiency Of resortng to the od goose
quill in curing PARTIAL and almost complete paralysis OF
the hand and arm caused by using steel pens One in
stance 10 very remarkable An eminent puonsner N ns
city some two years ago found himself unable "
was forced to employ amanuenss and such was ms
necessity only at very brief Intervals until he happened
to see description Of President Feltons thoery IN Inc
Journal He adopted the goose quill instead of the steel
pen and in month thereafter able to do his own
II may save parties the risk Of annoying FELTON,
with inquiries relative to the basis OF his theory when we
inform them that he has none TO explain.
The New York Commercial Advertiser of July 10
takes up the subject thus:-
President FELTON,, Of Harvard, is advancing new
theory that the continued OF steel pens not only
injurious the of the hand and arm, but some
times produces parayc affections Of those parts and
suggests their abandonment aud substitution Of Quill
pens rather strange, at this age Of the worlds
progress that We should rctraee our steps and
article Of daily use, one which has now become
almost obsolete Although quill very pleasant ior
pennan few persons afford 70 spend an hour after
6t,l
professional writer conveniently stop the current OF
his thoughts TO repair his worn pen nfbs ~ theTeore
steel pens are as injurious as President FELTON, alleges
and il becomes necessary TO give them up after using
them many years why return 70 qus winch nave SO
many disadvantages whom good Gold Pen IS 30 reaaiy
obtained against which Of these objections can
be chargedP good Gold Pen may. with care, be used
for months, years. II is always ready, never
corrodes seldom loses degree Of fsxbity and with
the improved Of manufacture may be pur
chased Of Mr. Morton at prices varying from twenty nve
TO ton dollars Let US advance then instead OF
retrogradng.
The Home Mission Record Baptist), says of
this disease, in its August NUMBER
Tho increasing prevalence among who have oc-
casion to write very constantly Of writers paray
sis affection Of the nerves OF the forearm and wrist
Of the right hand which entirely ncapacates the suf
ferer from the Of the pen has led to careful in
yesgaton Of the Of the disease; and eminent
pathologiss have become satisfied that il is due to the
the Steel Pen. President Fenon, Of Harvard Uni
versy months since addressed the students under
his caro- upon the subject and advised them to avoid
steel pens altogether and revert to the OF the quill
which he believed the only safe implement for the
writer. The manufacturers Of Gold Pens, however,
set that they not only initiate but surpass the quill
with their manufacture and there is the great obec
ton to the quill that pens have to be made and mended
can 40 So ey w NJ eSs sw Sn he
has boon for many years Of the most extensive
makers in the world has given special attention TO the
which will render the Gold Pen the successful rival Of
tho quill.
The New York Observer of September IL fol-
lows it up thus:-
Several articles have lately been Published calling the
attention Of the public to the injurious ELECT upon the
Of tho hand by the constant Of Steel Pens
We do not wsh to discuss merits or demerts steel
gold; but to those Of readers who wish
economical and the time good, useful Pen,
would recommend those Of A. Morton & Co., No. rs
Maiden lane, one Of which we are now using.
Gold Pens Versus steel Pens.
The July number of Black,rood says, in an arti-
Gle entitled THE Barbarism of Steel Pens:"-
am aware that Il may be very fairly said that if
is green enough to be induced, by any repre-
sentaons OF seller adve tiser 70 make his colee
with a windass and shave himself with stone the
only verdict he can expect from an intelligent
Jury is, "Servcd him right;' but look at another in
vention under the tyranny 9f which we all groan
or less but which very have the strength Of mind
to resist Has not tho curse OF steel pens swept over
the land until decent handwriting is almost unknown?
DO not ninety nine persons in hundred use stce pens
and has more than one out Of tho nineyn the ef
frontery to say he write with them Lord Palmer
ston quite rght-the handwriting Of this generation
is abominable and improvements in steel pens
go on, that of the next will be worse. The ne Roman
hand of the last century has died out the steel can't do
it, There is neither grace nor egbility in the angular
sc awl that prevails Open any parish register Of
fifty years back and see in what fine egblo hand, and
scholar like too in most cases. the Of that day
made his entries. Our present young parson though he
took first class at oxford, and O correct
wastcoat doesn't do it, and couldn't it, if his benent
Of clergy depended upon 1t.
Ex-Mayor Smith, of Boston, in letter to The
Freeman and Visitor written during the free ferry
agitation in Boston, says OF steel pens:--
one of your correspondents few weeks since closed
his communication with "I abominats steel pens.n He
is sensible man, and two circumstances confirm in
that opinonvz because he prays for return to goose
quis and takes your excellent paper Since the general
introduction Of steel pens poor penmau ship has multi
piled. If you compare tho chirogiaphy of the old
writer's OF hundred years ago, for example in the
record Offices Of Boston the towns oil New Eng
land the agreeable fact is nconrovertibly established
the people Of that remote period palmer
for seasy hand 10 read than the people Of
ghtened age Now, sir, steel pens are chargcable with
nf fha. NJ IL nnt
through the press few weeks ago with account
like ths-that the Rev. DR. Walker, the President Of
Harvard College, had a lame arm in consequence Of
using one Of these modern aboninat ons-a thousand
times inferior to quills. Wero your humble ser
want learned professor of philosophy. accom-
pany ing this communication would he prodig
ousy long dissertation on electricity in which the at
tempt would be made TO show how the steel pen, habtu
ally used, doctor OF divinity other studiouB
doctor would naturally make the ink fow might have
the electrical condition OF his body disturbed, and
poured tho nib Of steel pen. In that case lame
ness Of the arm would follow TO say nothing about the
draughts made directly upon the brain through the tee
graphic apparatus packed in the musc between
head and fingers. Possibly, Mr. Editor, much of tho
vapd matter Of the modern may bo due to ensee
bed brans exhausted OF their ordinary quanum and
literary energy by being drawn of through steel pens
Something has weakened a good many noodles. Who
heard of great poet who wrote with steel pen!
Where is the historian who has gent volume into the
world in any other way than by quir great
body for the life OF me can't reeoect who II was posi-
lively wrote ode to hs gray goose quill. Does
any body In these last days OF good, plain let
ter writing sing pnans TO steel pens9 No. sir
Well to proceed, few years since was the city Of
Birmingham, and among other curious and extraordinary
manufacturing establishments, was one for making steel
pens. The machinery beautiful, working as though
IL had an interior spirit OF intelligence methodcal
description the establishment would excite your sur.
prise, especially that part OF 1t which would include
six hundred pretty, tidily, dressed English girls.
They really constituted an interesting feature in the mul
tpled operations OF that pen making mill How many
and boys were also engaged IN the heavy mannr.
tons Of rolling bars Of steel into thin ribhy irorn
which fiat piece struck out by do after r,rd ~
be rolled into cylinder by the female aborers is bo
yond my ken. They informed me in that particular Bir.
mnghsm factory ven ens were made annually for every
human being on the globe The population being sup
posed TO be-eyer 30 many millions, idea Of the
activity Of pen makers may be imagined. Yet in that
same city there several other pen factories Immense
y large besides those in other parts of the kingdom.
Then there are those of France and lastly those
many a turning outsteel pens faster than awatch ticks
Since a the inhabitants or the globe do pot pens
OF which your humble correspondent who is writing this
fnInlllar