Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-08-23

or any considerable section of it, il
always welcome at this Office; and VIC
think this is true of newspaper Offices
genenerally. Such communication
are among the ways by which the
pulse beats of the public can be felt,
or their thoughts and wishes can be
learned. After assuming that the
writer has something to write about
that it would be well to lay before the
public, and that he or she is fairly
able to write it in ordinary English
and in fair temper, then a great essen
tial is that the communication shall
be written in q plain, easily readable
hand. This is very desirable for sew
eral reasons; first to save the time of
the editor, his eyes and his patience,
for all are severely taxed; second, to
help the compositors and proof read
ers, for their eyes and time are severely
taxed likewise; third, for the sake Of
the writer, for that person can hardly
feel comfortable unless his production
is reasonably free from blemishes and
looks well IN print" h''h gHhanltt
If what is written has meaning and
force the writer does not want its
force diminished, or its meaning OBJ.
secured or possibly reversed, To be
reasonably secure as to all these mat
tiers the writing should be plain-easy
to read. Otherwise, it may be hard
reading all round, and that kind of
writing is rarely welcome, either in
the newspaper Office or before the
public. 7.F q T. sAj q asf9
1t is not to be understood that ele.
CANT or ornamental penmanship is the
thing desired, for some Of that is most
difficult to deoipher, because of the
flourishes and labyrinthine tangles of
the letters. The desideratun is plain
ness, legibility, ready readibility-and
this comes most frequently from those
who are not elegant penmen. because
of the absence of whatare meant to
be decorative hourishes. The plainly
written communication (if acoompa-
MED by real name and residence) is
always read without much delay--the
other kind has to wait, and occasion
ally for long time; sit may be for.
ever" lnfa r
As to the practical writers who
"soribble few lines in hurry" they
are of sundry kinds; those who can
write legible hands il they choose, but
do not; those who think it mark of
genius to write as bad hand as Hor
ace Greeley; those who, in addition to
obscure penmanship, quote foreign
languages and write long, intricate
and involved sentences; and those
who assume that all will be put right
by the editors, printers and proof
readers anyhow. All these sin with
knowledge. 1t is not good practice in
any one who can write legibly to write
any other way, if somebody else's time
and labor are to be taxed to make out
what the writer means. 1t is not a
sign Of genius to write bad hand.
Some of the most brilliant writer's
have been perfectly plain in their pen
manship, even though their penman-
ship would not have got them employ
ment as bookkeepers in a bank. 1t
may happen that some one very
bright man, here and there, may be
scIambling penman, whose manuscript
will tax the ingenuity of the whole
force OF editors, compositors and proof
readers to make out; but these are ex,
ceptions, and their example affords no |
ground on which their imitators, in
that respect, can take stand as men
of genius. i
There is but one kind OF bad pen
manship for which the properly made
up editor has any patience. This is
what happens to come from the cor
respondents who have proper stories
to tell and who are unable to write
better. For these there is large toler-
ance, certainly it is SO in this Office.
No matter how obscure the penman-
ship.may be, or how improperly the
words may be spelled, a good deal of
care is bestowed upon the epistle to
make out its meaning, and to put it in
shape if it is proper and expedient for
publication. We have found many
good things, useful suggestions and
material for thought in "unlettered"
letters of this kind. ~
Finally, when the practiced writer
"scribbles," as he says, and has in
cluded in his or her jagged, jerky,
brokenbacked, sprawling manuscript,
the names of persons. OF places, or
technical terms, which the obscure
context does not help the reader to
make out--patience rebels; and so it
does also when French, German, Ital-
ian or Latin words and phrases are
written after the same sprawling
fashion. Writers who can write read,
able hands, and who would at once do
justice to themselves and the printing
Office should quit all the ways herein
pointed out as denominations.