The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1865-10-27
Bad flirting by Good People.

! Bad flirting 6y Good People.
/ There is a surprising deal of bad pen
manship perpetrated in this age and coun-
try, by all kinds of people who put pens to
paper. The editor of a newspaper and the
printer, who are obliged to decipher the
hieroslyphics Of literary men and women.
as well as OF politicians, lawyers, business
men and correspondents, have perhaps a
more realizing sense Of the fact than other
people, Imperfect chirography is their con-
stant trouble-the cause of daily and hour
ly annoyance, vexation, eye-ache and head
ache-and is not unfrequently-(must we
confess the fact 9)-the occasion of much
harsh comment and violent execration i'm
the printers room.
We believe that it is Iust as easy for a
man or a woman who knows how to write
at all, to write plainly and distinctly as to
push pen >lip->hod over sheet and leave
only sloven!y goosc-tracks behind. that
have merely Il remote sembancc to letters
and words. A writer ought to have a
sufficient respect for his ideas, when he ex-
presses them on paper, TO clothe them in
something like Il comeiy and refined >tyle
OF appearance. \ word well written.
like 4 man well dressed. commcndS itself
70 our respect, while shabby writing. like
SLabblne>s OF manners, Is repul>ive to our
sight, and our first impulse is to turn away
from il in disgust.
There is the writing of the shittlcS<. ncr-
vous mall-wc know he Is ~hifilr>> and
! slipshod Is soon rs we see his penman-
ship, for it looks just Is he iS-li,Igetv. IL
regular, and like the work of darkness.
recklc>>ne>S or purblinlne<S. There is no
comelineSs in the formation of one word in
dozen. and it is often almost as hard 10
read the >crawl "a it Is to solve riddle or
Il rcbu>. lie makes his am look like ad.
al. ~ Il pigs head with nothing but IL
curl tail 10 it. His w, looks like are. ne.
one. or a poSSm asleep on crooked rail
fence.
His ~dy is may, nay Nary or nary.
His d,'u,r looks like uro,c. dram or
that protanc word that refined pee
Iple never like to hear or Gee. His
recrye may be read ,thcre, dcceut. oa71re. or
ii may be mistaken for an unsuccessful at
tempt to makca running mraSlirinL-worm.
When he thinks he Is writing the word
sun. he contI>c~ the reader hv making
If look for all the world like r1u. .uyl.
rum. sam. or almost anythin" else that
has Il little hook terminating with tail
YOU can even with perfect safety make tui,
OF it. Now. AL We have to say in respect
to such 4 murderer "i' the simple and con-
vcnlcnt art Is. that if his school teachers
taught him to write rs he now writes. the
teacher, and himself ought to be sent to
school for Il year or more longer, Ia lc:ilna
very important part of their education that
has brccn dcplorabv n,'glrrtcd
And there is the ,laSling Scribhlinr OF The
pompou, order-thc tracer of Il bold. an
gular hand. that looks we'll. bu.. on trying
TO read it. puzzles one at very other word.
1t is a mere up and down movement with
him. He write, the word Led. for rxam-
! pie, 50 that Won cannot distinguish it from
Il we'll written but. to do your best; ami
he writes the authorizations jos. and jas.
"much alike IL two pms lile yoq,u!
Is 'o""t, his mound Is woand. and his ti1easd
Il .fnM. Pray. >ir. learn how 10 make
your letters, if YOU do not wish the prin-
ter to make you ridiculous without intcn-
ton or malice on his part. but because OF
this grave fault Of your own.
There are many people who write well.
but neglect the proper placing of their
crosses for the / and their dottingS of the t.
| This Is sheer carccS>ncSS. and IS utterly III
cXcuslblt.
In conclusion. We have oniv this little
suggestion to make for the benefit of all
who write. Let your pclimaiI>hip not aim
so much at beauty or peculiaritv. rs at DIS
tact1c$s. Make all your letters plainly
punctuate carctullv-and write. not * ii
You wished To puzzle the reader. whether
ne De printer or correspondent. but so
that he cannot fail to readily and i'm
medlately see and understand each word
liuSt as you would have ii printed. without
having your meaning either miS-appre-
hended or destroyed The greatest annoy
ance OF the printing office is badly writ
ten manuscript. We have ii in the form
of communications. advertisements. and
even announcements OF deaths and mar
rIage>. If John Smith sends a notice of
lis marriage into our office. anI writes
tie name OF his bride, Miss Alelina Wig
gins. 50 that il will he printed .Nugrius. he
or she cannot in fairness blame ANYBODY
but the careless John himself. Chiuqo
Journal.