The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1880-03-23
Character I'm Handwriting,

should write" And his manuscript is
'thoroughly cmblcmatic of his poetry" He
punctuatcs carefully, and his words are
neatly finished. "Wcrc his beautiful chiro-
graphy placed before us as that Of stranger
VIC should at once pronounce it not only
that of o distinguished man, but also of one
who never did anything carclcssly. Mr..
Bryant's writing is severely censurcd. For
young clerk seeking a situation, ''t might
prove recommendation, but for the poet
who wrote the lines Oh June, ''it is most
disappointing" Late in life it assumed 90
more manly and decided STYLE" but during
the larger part of his career, cit was sim
ply horrible, and did not intimate the
slightest scintillation of genius" The
letters sloping i'll different directions, the
array of tlourishcs, and the looping Of
words on to each other give his manuscript
''an exccrable appearance. Indeed, 'these
calligraphical fanfaronadcs in a literary man
arc hcart-rcnding and cast grave doubts on
his genius. Finally, 'thcrc is no beauty
and nothing but comn,onplaccncs about
every specimen of Bryant's correspondence
that has yet come under our KEN" Car
lyle's hand is not a very commcndable one,
although it is not conventional There is
"too much evident cffor, at effect for it to
pass current as pure inspiration" "Ec-
centric and spiteful-looking little flourishes
dart about his manuscript in various odd
ways" AS for the autograph, ''its
Grabbed look is not very significant of ami
ability. Charles Darwin's writing is 80 it,
lcgiblc that he has certainly never carried
out his idea of "Natural Selection and the
Survival of the Filtcst" in the choice of his
letters. They are without form, and void :"
The only inference the author draws from
them is ''immense labor that allows of no
leisure" Thcophilc Gautier's hand is zone
of the most singular to be met with"
Sometimes it was most cxquisitely fine,
again it was larger, after the manner of the
sixteenth century, ''but it was always
beautiful and most original" =" ''The author
of such hand could never by any posi-
bic chance be an ordinary person." In the
paragraph Oh Gauticr Edgar Poe is alluded
to. as ''the supreme prince of manuscript" !"
The introduction of postal cards has de-
moralized Mr.. Gadstonc's handwriting.
Previous to them, il was of the usual Par
liamentary type-ssclear, undcmonstrativc
and readable" 1t had, however, a chief
defect -, 'uncertainty.' But since the
postal innovation it has ''fallcn into
chaos" The ac-simile which Salamanca
gives us is from signature sprlor to that
lamentable descent" The writing of no
American pleases Salamanca so much as
that of Oliver Wendall Holmes. Like his
verse it is sometimes old. fashioned, but it
has the polish of man accustomed to good
society, and is indeed that of gentleman. {"
1t indicates "enough independence to pre-
serve kim from doing a shabby act, without
any trace of those flourishcs which bctokcn
offensive cgotism" AS for Victor Hugos,
no one could glance over it "without arriv-
ing at the conclusion, that it was the pro-
duction of an illustrious parsonage" Lo-
wells is far more slightly than that of Long
fellows, and would pronostigate greater
wealth of imagination, and more tcrscncss
Of style than it's author has yet given evil
dencc Of. 1t Is disfgurcd by no yainglo-
rious flourish, nor affected strain
ing afte, originality, but is just what one
would wish a poets to be-" George Sand
'indited more manly hand than did most
of her manly compatriots. Hers was "a
very lcgible and noble style, roplcte with
frankness and originality" Swnburnc
exercises the presumed prcrogative of
genius, and "writes wretchcd hand" 1t
has much picturesque vigor, but no beauty,
and "gives ono the idea of having been
written by pen that, having served
several generations of authors, its owner
deemed it sacrilege to cut" Something
of his originality might be derived from it.,
"but nothing of the voluptuous beauty and
unparalleled music of its authors verse. "
NJ. Zola's Is not very commendable. 1t
possesses a few negative virtues-bcing
legible and without flourisl-but lit is moi
free from vice." There Is "a general lack
of elegance and deficiency Of artistic taste. y
The signature is utterly prepostcrous.
Longfellow's hand is not very much to the
authors taste. In the signature the flourish
of the "L" is every unsightly, while the
''H" is "simply preposterous for man Of
gcnius-which tho author OF tlIawatha'
undoubtedly is. There is little natural
fuency about the hand; II is sicklied o'cl
with the pale cast Of thought and is' 6
manufactured style, moro significant Of thu
length of Art than the fleetness of Time.
Salamanca finds Whitter's manuscrip
"very vexatious,. 1t varies 90 wildly, ant
gives very slight indications Of any charac
! ter at all. 5isl'5S 5lsS