Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1882-01-26
BAD Handwriting.


but the ugly manuscript of the clumsy
listed struggler after form is usually
very clear Haste. uneasiness, excess
siye work, nervous preoccupation-
these are the chief causes of obscure
handwriting with most of us. But
when Il mans manuscript has once
made for itself fixed character of its
own, neither printers nor expert copy
It's would like il TO come round to tame
simplicity and correctness. 1t would
be, in another way, the case of the
lover with a sguint, who ruined his suit
bv going Ia the occulisi and getting his
eyes put straight; the lady could no
longer meet his eve in the old. alice
tomato way. and she dismissed him.
Still, there are faults of handwriting
which are inexcusable in themselves,
and which neither composi;or nor
copyisi can possibly like TO see. One
of the worst Of these is lax prac-
tiee in putting the strokes 10 such letters
as ~ and H. There is no harm in cut
ting down certain syllables, such rs mcm
aud ina, 10 mere lines or twirls, but
where an attempt i made TO express the
characters, the number of strokes ought
10 be uniform. Another practical OBJ
servation is ,hGi firrJcd handwriting
gains no time for the writer. A down
right lazy scrawl Is another matter, and
50 is that kind of bad writing in which
we can see IN the badness egolistic self
assertion or disregard of the eyes and
wits OF others. II may be laid down
fhai there is much cgotism associated,
II may he, with much kindness) in the
man who writes bad hand. tciich Rorer
Strircs 10 pick Itself mp. But, of course.
the rule must be applied with greater or
less strngoncy, according to the amount
of work that presses on the producer of
the manuscript, his health, his preoccu-
patton and the activity of his self-con-
seriousness.
The personal equation in these mat
tors is quite curious little study. Mr..
Cox. Of Nottingham. in his manly and
eYery-way beautiful preface Of Mr..
Lynch'S poSthumous Services tells us
that, in spite of what the preacher used
10 suffer from the pei,le forte Il dure
of his malady, and the Interruptions it
brought the whole service (sermon and
praycrsl was sometimes written in n
single day. ''ln copying them out for
;he press SAYS Mr.. Cox, . have
found that each of them furnishes, in
the mere penmanship, long and hard
day's work for a man in good health.
Well, supposing the service pretty well
composed beforehand, the preacher
might, of course, write il our more cas-
ily than any one could copy it, unless
the latter were a penman practised in
swift work. Such q copyist mot a mere
iaw-stationer's man) could do one OF
these services in i've hours; some could
do i; in four: and the copy would be per-
fecily fair and clear. Still. the majority
of copyists think they have done well
when they have got through fifteen folios
an hour "a folio is seventy-two worils).
and at that rate one of these services
would take about seven hours to write
out Charles Dickens would certainly
have found four hours enough, and we
have known clever reporters who We're
fully up to that. the copy being in every
way clear and good. Now. il would
take 4 great deal of over-work, worry
and confusion 10 break down into illegi-
biliiy handwriting which was capable
of that. 1t is. in good part. question
of physical energy, and something de-
ponds upon the question whether the
penman works more from the wrist or
more from the shoulder. However. in
course of time. under the pressure of
hard work. every handwriting will come
10 show sears Often the hand of n
strong. broad-shouldercd mAn will break
down before that of his slighter brother
80 long As the scars are honorable sears.
GOT in fair fight with the difficulties OF
the bureau. ihe study or the editor 5
room, the handwriting viii remain legi-
hle TO all hut dull or inattentive eyes.
hcransn fhr .,.haI.a linfisiic nnrfions of