The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1879-01-23
PENMANSHIP.
Lecture Delivered at the Jackson County
Teachers Institute, Dec. 81, 1878.
BY J. H. ROWLAND.

sadly neglected, and at the same time
one that should claim our attention a
an essential of good education. Pen
manship, during the past few years, ha
made immense strides in the advance il
this country, and the young are now
evincing more interest in the subject thar
ever before. But by observation alone
we may easily be convinced, that in nc
other common branch, except, perhaps
in drawing, are teachers generally sc
poorly qualified to teach, as writing
For this want of qualification, probably
uperintendents and Scool-examiners are
partly at fault, by not requiring any par
ticular standard of skill in writing, on
the part of the applicant for teaching
And if the law required US to be fully
qualified to teach penmanship from the
board, Systematically, it would not be
long before we would all qualify our
selves in this branch, both by theory and
practice and | am sure that no teacher,
who desires to meet the wants of his pu-
pills in the school-room, would complain
if examiners required this of him. But,
some of our teachers tell US that we have
the very best lithograped copy-books,
which is. or ought to be, sufficient. True
there are many excellent systems Of pen
manship in general use but how fre-
quently do we find that a system of pen
manshlp is considered as merely q series
of copy books, while the fact that copy
books are test books and should be thor
oughly understood, is seldom recognized.
Do our youth, by the study of these
become good penmen Have educators
realized what they expected from their
use? Do pupils learn from them the
correct method of holding the pen, and
proper position of the hand and arm ?
Hoe 0Al L. :
ever resulted from their use? The finger
movement alone, which is almost univer
sally the movement practiced in writing
copy-books, is not used or taught by any
noted teacher of penmanship, except for
small children to learn the formation of
letters. Hence, we wrong our pupils by
teaching them a movement which they
will never practice when they enter upon
the duties of active life.
We say, therefore, that Increment is the
foundt tion of all god penmanship. Then
the great difficulty with which pupils of
ordinary schools have to contend, is, that
too many rules are given in regard to the
mathematical form of letters, while too
little attention is paid to the 'naovement by
which these forms are produced. And
in his attempts to follow these rules he
loses all sight Of free and correct move
ment without which nothing is accom-
plished in securing an elegant and grace
full hand writing
No teacher, l am sure would expect his
pupils to become grammarians from mere
ly studying a textbook, or by copying
finished sentences, nor mathematicians
by copying wrought problems; so it is
with the teacher of penmanship; his su-
pervision and interest are elements of
success. Then we say that an easy prac-
tical hand writing is not to be learned
by patterning after printed copies of any
series of copy books alone; but it is learn
ed either by the skillful advice and in
struction of teacher who understands
the art, with thorough course of prac
tice on movement exercise, or through
long experience, either in the counting
room or in some Office. The teacher who
simply gives his pupils printed copy, or
spreads before them an engraved chart,
and lets them pattern after that fifteen
or twenty minutes per day, at random,
sitting in any position they choose, and
writing with whatever movement they
can, will never turn out any practical b.
Siness a0riters.
While it is indeed true that imitation
and practice are the chief means by which
penmanship is acquired, it is all import
ant for the learner to know hoO to imi-
tate and hoO to practice; and ten min
utes practice on the true philosophy mo-
tion, is of more benefit than ten weeks
constant practice on the finger move
ment.
But of course we do not expect that
our common schools will furnish any fin
ished penmen,-for / am well aware that
with the multiplicity of branches taught
teachers are unable to do this, even if
they were competent; but they ought to
do what teaching they do, right, and
teach each pupil under their charge at
least an easy, plain hand, or to lay the
foundation of good penmanship, so that
all may become finished penman who are
willing to give the necessary practice to
it. Perhaps the greatest difficulty the
way Of advancement in our public schools,
is the Indifference of many teachers who
do not seem to regard penmanship with
the Importance it deserves. Many have
an idea that it is an endowment; that a
person must be natural writer or it is
useless to attempt to acquire the art
Could we not say with as much propriety,
that a person ought to be a natural read
er or speller before attempting to read or
spell word ? Such ideas are too absurd
to have weight with any person of expe
rience. Some, of course have more apt
ness and taste than others; but is not
that the case in every branch of study ?
The principles of penmanship are few
and simple, the movement exercise are
many, and any person of ordinary intel
ligence can master them in short time.
A teachers accomplishment are precise
ly what he makes them his success de-
pends largely upon his tact and industry
What too many lack is tenacity of pur-
pose. They seem to think that they
Ioo \ 10 to- or loo L,
Jump, without labor, or they have not the
natural ability to acquire it.
1t has well been said that ''persever-
ance and k-to-it-ive-ness are the found
alton rocks which sustain all well direct
ed efforts in any calling; while the
drifting sands of indecision lead many |
teachers down to failure"
Another evident difficulty in properly
teaching writing in our public schools, is
the selection of poor material. Go with
me to the school-roonl,-or some of our
l will show you almost as
many different kinds of pens as there are
pupils-coarse, fine, smooth scratchy,
stumpy, rusty,-all kinds-teacher and
pupils alike Indifferent as to their quail
ty. bad pen and an unwieldly holder, |
are sufficient causes of failure in trying
learn to write, to say nothing of poor ink
ana Obner Hat6rlalS. ADOlner great
drawback is that some pupils get in the
habit of writing too fast; and this is one
of the very worst faults a teacher has to
contend against; but the cause is very
easily ascertained; if you will notice
closely, you will find that hardly one in
a dozen has the correct position at the
desk. The best plan, then. is to keep
them from contracting this habit, which
can be done easily. First select good
material; then show the proper position
at the desk, and take great pains in show
ing the correct manner of holding TIL
pen; then let your pupils practice easy