The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-03-27

any value at all, will soon come of
themselves. So strong, in spite of CEN
turtles of experience, is the belief in this
method, that machines for controlling
the fingers while writing have repeat
eddy been invented; and the author of
book before us, a professional, is in
clined to tie them up in some fashion
with ribbon.
We believe that the whole of this
method is mistake, that there is no
single system of nsecGasque for writing,
and that child belonging to the edu-
Gated classes would be taught much
better and more easily if, after being
once able to make and recognize writ
ten letters, 1t were let alone, and
praised or chidden, not for its method,
but for the result. Let the boy hold
his pen as he likes, and make his
strokes as he likes, and write at the
pace he Gkes-hurry, of course,
being discouraged-bu insist strenu-
ously and persistently that his copy
shall be legible, shall be clean, and
shall approach the good copy set be-
fore him-namely, a well written let
ter, not rubbishy text on single line,
written as nobody but writing-mas-
ter ever did or will write till the world S
end. He will make a muddle at first,
but he will soon make passable imi-
tation of his copy, and ultimately de-
velope characteristic and strong hand,
which may be good or bad, but will not
be either meaningless, undecided or IL
legible. This hand will alter, of course,
very greatly as he grows older. 1t may
alter at eleven, because it is at that age
J that the range of the eyes is fixed. and
:, the sh jrt-sight betrays itself; and it will
alter at seventeen, because then the
system of taking notes at lecture,
which ruins most hands; will have
cramped and temporarily spoiled the
writing; but the character will form it
self again, and will be never be deficient
in clearness or decision. The idea that
it is to be clear will have stamped it
self, and confidence will not have been
destroyed by worrying little rules about
attitude, angle and slope, which the
very irritation of the pupils ought to
convince the teachers are, from some
personal peculiarities, inapplicable.
The lad will write, as he does anything
else that he cares to do, as well as he
can and with a certain efficiency and
speed. Almost every letter he gets
will give him some assistance, and
the masters remonstrance on his il.
legibility will be attended to, like any
other caution given in the curriculum
AS it is, he simply thinks that he does
not write well, instead of thinking that
not to write well is to fall short in 8
very useful accomplishment and to be
pro tG1at0 failure.
We are not quite sure that another
process ought not to be gone through
before writing is taught at all. Sup.
pose our boys and girls were taught tc
read manuscript a little? They are
taught to read print, but manuscript is
not print, or very like it, and they are
left to pick up the power of reading
that the best way they can; they never
devote half an hour day for six
months to manuscript reading. If they
did, it would be easier to them all theil
lives, and they would learn to believe
in legibility as the greatest, or, at any
rate, the most useful, quality that writ.
ing can display-an immense improve
ment, if our experience can be trusted
in the usual youthful ideal on the sub
lject. The business of life, no doubt
soon teaches children to read manu-
script; but many of them never read il
easily, and retain through life an un'
conquerable aversion to the work, from
the fatigue and vexation which il
causes them. We have known men sc
conscious of this defect that they al
ways have important letters read aloud
to them, and others who would refuse
any work, however anxious on Other
grounds to accept it, if it involved the
frequent perusal of long manuscripts ii
varied handwritings. No doubt the
tendency to broad and coarse but beau
tifully legible handwriting, which has
conquered the upper class and is slowly
filtering downwards, is diminishing thi,
reluctance, but it would be more rapid
ly removed if a little trouble were taker
to teach children to read handwriting
They hardly see any till they begin t.
receive correspondence, and are nevel
compelled to read any, and consequent
ly learn to write what they cannot read
without intelligence and without pleas
ure. London Spectator.