The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1872-06-08
About Steel Pens.


a worthy old gentleman has just
died at Birmingham, Eng gland, of whom
while his name is famous to the ends
of the earth, probably as little is gen
orally known as OF the obscurist of New
York newsboys. lie, more than any
other man of his generation, had prac-
teal experience Of the fact that 'sthc
pen is mightier than the sword"--at
least, mighticr rs the instrument by
which to achieve great fortune His
name was Joseph elliott. What au-
thor, book-keeper, clerk, or even wri-
ter Of friendly lettcrs-what schooiboy,
what sailor laundering over Il logbooiS,
or country grocer making out bills
has not read it on his pen, as lie wrote:
elliott, from being Sheffield grinder
and rumor has it that he was Il very
"charitable grinder" because the great
est manufacture of pens i'll the world
and in his old age was a patron OF art,
a lover of rare old books, and a hospi-
table gentleman, keeping an open
house and Il well stocked cupboard.
The pen trade in England is one OF the
most sharply competitive oftrades but
the grinder from Sheffield long ago
took the lead, and has kept it ever
since-excelling in all grades, it APP
pears, from the wee nibs, that makes
hair strokes, to the stout-bodied Hmag-
mum bOnun1s, - ostrichcs,' and
sswans." Indeed, Mr.. Gillott's history
is almost the history of the rise and
progress Of steel pens; when he began
to make them, quilts were universal, as
they are still aristocratic. 1t is odd to
observe how the aggregate handwriting
has shriveled within the past forty
years. The manuscripts Of our grand
fathers We're in large, bold characters,
because such characters could be made
with IL quill, with the expenditure of
as little force as is now used in making
the smaller and lighter characters with
steel nibs. At first the innovation was
stoutly resisted, much as gas railways
and telegraph We're resisted by Tory
colored souls; but the great advantages
of steel over quill pens were too appa-
rent not to make rapid progress in pop
ular favor. It is said that, in the pri-
waite schools of England there We're,
for many years after Gillott's factory
was started, strict rules forbidding the
scholars to use them; and even at this
day there are ;,ristocratic mansions
where quilts are to be found and used.
photographers seized upon steel pens
as a most valuable implement for their
art; the cheapness of steel pens caused
their adoption among the lower and
middle classes; and mankind ever
prone to incidence, and SO indulgent to
inventions, We're not long in finding
out that steel pens We're less trouble
some than quilts, and that the current
of thought might now flow on, with
out being checked therein by the ne
cessity Of pen mending. 1t would be
interesting to inquire how far the sub
stitutiOn of steel pens for quilts has
been responsible for quilts has been
responsible for the deterioration of
handwriting for it is certain that the
general handwriting Of our day is less
Ineligible, as we'll as less pleasing to
the eye, than that of the quill era. Some
of the French public offices compel the
clerks to use quilts for this reason. 1t
is a common saying that great men
write abomnably, but this could not be
said of Washington, Jefferson, or La
fayette, or Goethe, or Schiller, or of the
signers Of our Declaration Of Indepen-
dence-uscrs of quilts, one and all. On
the other hand, Byron Wellington and
Napoleon wrote badly, while among
modern writer's many are found dis
tinguislcd for their skill in ca1igraphy.
An Augusta dispatch, of May 18th,
says:
a large meeting of the Democrats of
Richmond county was held, this even
ing, to nominate delegates to the State
Convention at Atlanta, on the Goth of
June. Judge Linton Stephens advo-
Gated the nomination of 4 Democratic
candidate for President, as he saw no
choice between Grant and Greeley.
Gen. Wright would abide the action of
the National Convention; but, in any
event, he would support Greeley in
preference to Grant. Hon. IT. w.
Hilliard Endorsed the Liberal platform.
and favored the nomination of Greeley.
Other speakers Endorsed the Liberal
movement.
Resolutions We're unanimously adopt-
ed favoring an alliance with any par
ty which will secure local self-govern-
ment, the subordination of military to
civil authority, preservation unimpair-
eel OF habeas corpus, and checking of
centralizing tendencies of the Federal
Government, that all other subjects
of political contention are insignificant