Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1864-12-02
C4LTGRAPHT IN ENGLAND.
rHR HANpwRrrINa or E,nsENr ,rEN.

THE HANDWRITING OF EMINENT MEN
The Saturday, Rerielo, in an article on handwri-
ting, says -:
IF any foolish lad, or stiIl more silly teacher,
should imagine that it is the sign Of a vulgar and
menial education TO write good hand the sooner
schoolb0y and pedagogue disabuse themselves OF
this mistaken idea the better The highest circles
Of English society cultivate penmanship with
care and success. The Queens handwriting is
beautiful-fowing, and elegant and femeDine. -
Prince Albert's biegrapher compares the Prince
70 Goethe, who would take inordinate pains even
in writing short note that it should be admira-
bly, written He did not understand the merit of
second best but everything that was to be done
must be done perfectly. The Prince Consort took
the greatest interest in the cagraphy of his chill
dren and few young people, we are assured, write
more elegantly, and at the same time distinctly,
than the Princes and Princesses of England
Our highest statesmen have notthoughtit beneath
them TO cultivate a clear and distinct penmanship
Lord PalInerston's handwriting is free, firm, and,
considering his great age, by no means obscure. -
Lord Derby writes capital hand--at once elegant
and legiblean aristocratic hand, if there be such
a thing Earl Russells is a smaller and more
feminine hand yet clear as his expeditions Of con
stitutonal law and as incsive in its style as some
Of his dispatches are biting, theugh rash, in
matter
The Lord Chancellor writes beautiful hand,
firm, solid and legol-sueh a hand as should
have drawn up the Bill of Rights Sir Hugh
Cairns smaller and perhaps, more 20 elega1nt.a
gentlemanly and clear hand Mr.. Golden hand
writing Ii round bold, and commercial-the hand
of one who began life as junior clerk in days
when good penmanship was perhaps the rule rath-
er than the exception among sehOOl-boys OF any
ambition Mr.. Bnght's Is somewhat smaller
hand, rapid and flowing, yet legible Mr. Glad
st0nd' is a hurrid and impetous hand-the Wri-
Il Il d Al. l.
fast that they outstrlp the pen. ct he holds
the quill in firm grasp, and his letters are large
&nd wcl-formed Lord Stanly's writing il by
no means elegant, yet it is as distinct as large
print.
The Duke Of Newcastle long, welI-informed,
and very distinct letters, would perhaps gain him
the prize for caligraphy among living statesmen
yet his penmaRship IS inferior to that of the late
Marquis of Wellesley, who wrote, perhaps, the
best hand of his day Considering how much
writing the GoYernor-Generals of India, during
the last half century, had to do, it has been for
tunate for East India Directors Board of Control,
and Indian Secretaries, that the yice-regal PEN
manship has been so uniformly good Lord w.
Bentnck' words and letters sometimes ran little
into each other yet his hand was fairly legible.-
Lord Mindo's was firm good hand. Lord Hast
ings and Lord Amherst each wrote somewhat
picturesque hand yet every letter Of both was as
clear as print Lord Auckland hand was singu-
larly round and legible Lord Ellenborough's
was too ladylike and fnicial to be very distinct
but his successor, Lord Dalhousie. wrote an admi-
rable model hand and Lord Canning was also an
example Of good penmanship. Every one re-
members how plain and distinct were the notes
beginning Z. VI. the Duke of Wellington pre-
sents his compliments, although every one may
not be aware that many of the communications so
highly priced by autograph aclleetere we're writ
ten by the Dukes secretary Mr.. GreVile, who
l.. i How oil tbaza
(and we might bring fifty others} our present
race of school boys can find no sanction of en-
couragement for indolent neglect of their pen
lnanship.' =