Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1868-10-22
s'HHaMsa VNritiKag."

The National Inteligenoer has very excel
lent article on this sutjact, which VIC copy
and hope, all may read it, and govern then
selves accordingly, as far as the use Of the pen
is concerned ~ i,a-~.. ,;.;.,, r. -
RI is not mark Of greatness. as some youths
snnpose, to write an ilegible hand. Lord
Byron, whose typography was zigzag, like the
Iirhtning that fed his muse, was iOnd OF saying
that no folly could be greater than that OF
''charactering what is incomprehensible to the
nlainest eye -: and it was complained OF by
him, as personal mis- fortune, that his thoughts
came with such flow that they sometimes
punbed, and oftener bewildered his pen. Ru-
tus Choae the lawyer gand statesman, wrote
such shocking bad hand an expert was posi-
lively required to translate it. His manuscripts,
to the common reader, were In am unknown
language. Z SO of that remarkable kentucklan,
= known as 'tBcu Hardin, whose private cor
respondence generally awaited his own c ucida-
ton: and it is recorded of him that he declar-
cd that he could not read his own writing"
after it had become 'quite cold. y re-
Bad handwriting is an unmitigated curse,
and cannot redeem itself by any appeal to Illus
trious precedent Good writing is tasteful
and profitable accomplishment, and it would be
we'll, indeed, if the majority Of clerks could re
alize what available letter OF Introduction a
neat, plain hand"- is to their supcriors, who
have their promotion, OF neglect, or discharge
in the breath Of their months. TO many clerk,
for example, chirograpby is absolutely chiro-
nancy, because from 1t fortunes may be jud-
ged A neat and careful copy, sent to the
scruinizing and appreeiatiVe eye of an honest
secretary, or head ,ot bureau, or Of a mercan-
tile house, 1giyes'eVidenee ofcare, of good train
ing 1T pleases the funetionary, and has the
same tranquil effect upon his nervous system
that weltcoeked, dinner has upon his appe-
tite. A blurred, cramped, illegible manuscript
on the contrary is filled with disgusting sug
gestious; in young man it looks like ideness,
like ignorance, ike disrcspcct 1t cxcites pre-
judicc, and blinds one to any further invcstiga-
ton Of his merits or demcrits. -
ID Henry Clay was distinguished all his life for
: an admirable chirography; and is a remark
able fact in his career that this merit IN him
first attracted the notice of the eminent Chan
cellor Wythe, whose amenuansis he became,
and under whose fostering tuition he laid the
foundation for his future solid fame. III
AS to an editor, or an author, or 4 lawyer,
this class of people seldom write with exem-
plsry care. D Printers arc supposed to be able to
read anything, and an advocate in large prac-
tice relies on the copies Of such of his papers
as are intended for outside perusal. But the
whole thing is an evil that needs remodelllng.
The model of a good chirography should come
writes like the blurred side Of a freshly scrib-
bled sheet looks when the blottng paper mars
it, and so of the Mr. James Brooks. of the
Express who is even worse. AT any rate, let
all such as these bear testimony to the weak
ness and folly nof miserable chirography,
which neither of them, nor any like them,
would tolerate in schoolboy: " On as
The fact is, and we see 1t every day demon
strated, that much useful education is unlearn-
edas We 60 along inthe world Bad spelling,
bad grammar 9 neglected classics, ooscured
mathematics is an epidemic disease eve
among men of mark and early culture. at
THE EXACT Truth. Two young masons
we're building a brick wa!l-the front wall .sof a
high house. One ofthem, 10 placing brick,
discovered that>itSwas a little thicker on one
side than on the other,r y E-,......,-.....3.e @
His companion advised him to throw it out.
1T will make your wall untrue, Ben" said
he. s-.. ...,...E;u.-y,,- ...q, -
Pooh y answered MS ad Ben, "what difference
will such atriAe as that. make BIZ ou're too
? particular''la asa3& agi2&lL .Gaas9lt@94} 21
,..s M "My mother, pot replied his companion,
fought me truth, and ever 50 little an untruth
sa lie, and lie is no trifle 49, ~ " y
!1as.sO said Ben that's all very well; but
am not lyng,1 and have no Intention OF dong
Very true, but you make your wall tell a
lie: and l have somewhere read that a lie In
ones work, like lie in his character, will show
&c Iripc /, 1f not
ruin 5.-~5 ,1.Is(.5 ds,e.q1
I'll risk it. in this case answered Ben;
and he worked away, laying more bricks, and
carrying the; wall up higher till the close of
the day, when they quit work and went home.s
- The next morning they went to resume their
work, when behold, the lie had wrought out
The result OF all liesl The wall, getting a little
slant from the untrue brick, had become more
and moro untrue as it got higher, and at last,
10 the night toppledy over, obliging the masons
10 90 all their work over again. 80
5i, Justt so with ever so little an untruthln your
!. chafaeter--it grows more and more, and more
untrue, ifyou permit it to remain, till it brings
SqlroW and ruin. -. >, go @ :, a 90 4 sS
Tell, act, and live the exact truth, always
b. PAINTING "BEaAUtyTEIIFVUL HAIR. "A young
artist at the Tenth street studio building be-
: came very, much enamored with a beautiful
:. = !ady who sat at window on thesoppositc side
1 OF the street. % He sent most thrilling eye
!slaoces up at her window whenever he passed
IN Or out Of his studio At length one day he
saw her .on1 the street, and running. gin
oreathess haste he reached. her, all painting,
ana an? gasped out "oh, miss, your lovely blonde
nalr. ! am dying to paint it. Z The lady, with
? la.quek movement, put her hand to herahead
and then. holding it.out With her bair at arm s
;eength, exclaimed: sHsTake it there it is send
back when you are through with it, and stop
sa,lI! asa5lins at my window my husband is dread
,uay jealous, and will thrash you for your inn
4 tpflaence The poor artist took the lovely
1;onde 1;o hafr braids curls and 70 is stu
III ana next day septsthe to their owner