Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1872-12-26
MEMPHIS. TENN: THURSDAY EVENING DECEMBER 2s lsn

Moore, an easy, running hand; Shake
| speare.s HANDWRITING, like his poetry, IS
the most remarkable the world has ever
seen; Wadsworth wrote a. very extraor-
dina-y hand (it has long been my priyate
opinion that he wrote very ordinary
poetry-this opinion ! now take the lib
erty Of making publicly Walter Savage
Landor wrote bold and vigorous hand
(his middle name indicated his nature) |;
Edgar A. Poe's handwriting was strik-
ingly beautiful. and as clear regular and
legible as print Ito his handsome pen
manship was indebted for first success in
literature, the prize offered by Balti-
more literary paper for the best tale
having been awarded to him" the first
of geniuses who had written legibly "D;
7. Buchanan Reid wrote picturesque
and pleasing hand, combining the grace
of the poet with the freedom of the
painter; N. p. Willis wrote careless,
dashing hand Keats handwriting was
bold, but rather clerky, and neither
beautiful nor picturesque, as we might
expect from the author Of the exquisite
|" Eve Of st. Agnes" the chirography Of
Sir Walter Scott will disappoint all lovers
of his delightful compositions-it is ut-
terly devoid of character, being formed
in early manhood by copying law papers.
OF living poets, Alfred Tennyson is
universally regarded as the first. His
handwriting is chaste and classic, exhib-
iting the same elaborate finish that is so
characteristic of his poetry. Longfel-
lows handwriting displays vigor and
poetical beauty; Bryant's penmanship
would make the fortune of merchants
clerk, but It is not the graceful hand we
would look for in so fine poet; Aubrey
de We're writes a very gentlemanly hand,
neat and elegant, but wanting in vigor
and strength; Paul a. Haynes writes a
most dainty hand, with many quaint and
curious little fourishes; Father Ryan,
author of the Conquered Banner"
writes eharmingly graceful hand, most
pleasing to read; Ralph Waldo Emer-
sons handwriting is sprawling, illegible,
decidedly bad that of Oliver Wendell
Holmes, the genial autocrat," is re-
markably finished, with graceful and
picturesque quaintness.
Some handwritings are ineffably bad.
Among these I will mention that Of ].
Fenimore Cooper-it looks as if written
with blunt pen; that of Reverdy John
son, which is an illegible, uniformed
scratch, rivalling Napoleon's in badness;
that of Horace Greeley, which is re-
markable for its illegibility. In the pre-
eminence for bad handwriting, James
Hogg, the Ettrick Shepherd, must not
be forgotten; he wrote like one more
familiar with the shears than the pen
in truth, vile hand. Dickens wrote
very poor hand, extremely illegible-
what printers call bad copy" i
Washington wrote a firm, dignified,
manly, hand. Franklin's handwriting
was large and bold. Edward Everett's
was exceedingly beautiful; it blended
the deliberation of the statesman with
the grace and cultivation of the scholar.
Washington Allston wrote legible and
picturesque hand of remarkable beauty; |
it has, of late years, lost something of
its original force and grace. With him,
good handwriting, as Chesterfield said
of good manners, is the best letter of
recommendation. Iknow Of young
man who was appointed private secre-
tary to the chief justice on account of
the excellence Of his handwriting. For
tunately he possessed all the other re-
quirements for the position. Gen. r. T. |
Lee wrote an open, frank and noble hand,
Feminine handwriting displays little
or no individuality; painful uniformity |
of style has long been the prevailing |
characteristic Of female chirographs. |
The elder Disraeli, in paper on "Aute-
graphs, in the 'Curiosities of Lit@ra-
ture," says. "a bevy of beauties will |
now write such fac-similies of each other
that in a heap Of letters presented to
the most sharp-sighted lover to select
that of his mistress-though, like Bas-
sanio among the caskets, his happiness
should be risked on the choice-he
would despair Of fixing on the right one,
all appearing to have come from the
same rolling press" There are, how
ever, few brilliant exceptions to this
general rule. l.. E. l.. and Hon. Mrs.
Norton are remarkable for the beauty as
well as the originality Of their hand
writing; that Of Charlotte Rronte, though
small, was very legible and exquisitely |
neat. Mrs. Hemans wrote q careful |
running hand. Augusta j. Evans writes
a bold, strong hand. like man.