Daily Republican., 1883-11-07
Ponmanship In the Pabs1c
ErhOOlA

TODuAoobUsR sss~
Schools.
The Board of Education would be do
ing a great benefit to the children who
attend the public schools by employing
for a teacher of penmanship such a
competent teacher az Professor j. j.
Pierce. Mr.. Pierce is willing to serve
the public schools for a moderate com
pensation, and the schools need a
competent teacher OF writing We
would not for a moment reflect upon the
ability of our regularly eInploy ed
teachers to teach what is needed in pri-
mary branches, but writing is IA branch
peculiar in itself because 1t requires
more of mechanical than a mental
training to made a good pensman. We
have known some of the best educated
scholars of their day to be the most in
different pensmen, and because per-
son should lack this accomplishment
and yet ne good scholar in every
other respect, is no reflection upon their
Llctlthl VI SACiA
The late Hon. Thaddeus Stephens
was one of the most accomplished and
thorough scholars of the day in which
he lived, and with him may bb classed
the late Rufus Choate, neither of whom
could " rite hand that could be deci.
phered readily but by experts They
h.t lad ~, hAi
own writing especially after tn sub
stance OF it had escaped their memory.
As general thing most people have a
disfaste for writing an do as little of it
as possible, never improving because 1t
is labor task and is hurriedly gone
over to get it out of the way. To be al
accurate, int Eligible and swift writer
is what is needed Some people can
write beautiful hand if they have
their own time to do it in. Others hurry
over it to get done and when it is one
their chiIography at casual glance
somewhat resembles the traces of a long
legged spider that had fallen into an
inkstaud. Carelessness in writing leads
to many mistakes that are very annoy.
ing and cause much trouble More
pains to write better would be- taken if
the writer was good penSman They
would take pleasure In looking upon a
well writ en- document, with its well
proportional, well rounded letters and
gracefully curved lines fully brought
out and the natural instinct would
be to improve all the time. II requires
no unusually bright mind nor gigantic
intellect to b come an accomplished
pensman. Some who are rather indif-
ferenti in other scholastic attainments ex-
Gel when they take hold of a pen, be
cause they are complete masters of their
nerves and can control the movements
of their hands and fingers. To teach
chillran this mechanical requirement
is what is needed in our public schools.
Taught to write better they would take
more deight in writing, and writing
even letters will engenier and bring
our fresh thoughts that lead to an ex
pansion Of intellectual training.
Pen'nanship has been too much ne.
elected because to most children and to
many teachers it is looked upon rs !,
lahOiious task and Is hurried over to get
II out Of the wav. To correct this prac-
ti"e and to inclte a desire TO write better
is why teacher Of penmanship is re-
quired in our publlc schools. To teach
penmansh p AMI to create desire to
write more and better, none are better
qualified for tie duty than Professor
Pierce, Mr., Pierce, who is practical
scholar in every sense, can have but few
II any sup.rprS IN the art Of pennan
ship. We knew him when he was :,
boy, when in public school III Brandy
wine Hundred his talent for writing
exhibited itself, and being encouraged
il gradually unfoldpd into the accom-
plished prnman he now is. He has
made appIica'on to the Board of Educa.
ton TO teach penmanship in the public
schools, The Poard will be doing it.
self credit and the children a great
benefit by considering tavOrably the
application Of Professor Pierce.