The Arkansaw traveler., 1884-05-24
A FOOLISH MANIA.
New York worid.i

New York Worid-j
 "No, can't 20 with you this af., noon" explained fashionably dressed lady as she stood on the stcop of b., residence n Fis;h avenue, bidding fare. well to the lady about to leave her. Il have my regular lesson in an hour. and after that shall be engaged"
 Your lesson :! queried the friend. Yes, my writing lesson. am learn. ing to write English
 Why, who wrote your notes to me r,
 -l did, but they were not EnFlis1 The writing was American And xi,b friendly goodbye nod the lady turned to go, She was middle-aged, richly dressed. spoke correctly, with an affec. 'ation of English pronunciation, and seemed hardly the person to begin ,b. study of penmanship so late in life. StoD- ping on the second step she lowered her Parasol and, leaning forward, said You see there are SIX or eight ladies in our set "ho are heartily ashamed of the, round American style of writing. so V, formed litle club to learn the anpul.r English s,yie.9 We mee, once a week is the Century building and spend an hour like sohool-children over our conv. books And she smiled as she recalled the picture of half dozcn society lad,es in white bibs industriously learning 10 write.
 But this angular style is not nearlv so iegible as the neat round hand VOL used to write" commented her friend.
 Well, perhaps not. But it is the thing thoroughly English, you know. and one mus, learn 1t. It's like the opera. sometimes not always pleasant, but d. ways popular. But won't you come with us-Join our class ? The friend de. clined, said she had done with the thre- Ks (reading, 'riting and 'rithmetIc. twenty years ago, and moved down in. street as the other lady disappeared ln the house.
 A Avisitto the Century building showed Prettliy furnished room occupied by score of desks. Over half the desk were bent as many ladies, each with little white apron or bib tucked under her chin, as elderly gentlemen some tunes tuck Tn their napkins at dinner. Each pretty face was bent close to the l paper, and as each fair hand followed the teachers, the plumes on the lowered oonnets waved Tn unison like a field of wheat waved by the wind. The bare arms and hands laid across the note paper were whiter than the cream-colored texture and the black-moustached teacher as he turned from the black board to smile approyingly at his pupils. seemed immensely proud of his class. All were so eager to learn that his task was an easy one
 MT. Abercombie, the teacher. was en- thusiastic over the success he is meeting with Ladies at the Victoria hotel. two from the Windsor and many ofthose "in the swim ' were only too glad to learn rom him. The lessons were given prin- cipaily by mail. In a circular he tells why every lady-every real lady-should write angular English" lie says:
 A iadys attire, speech, manner-these are eioquently expressive of herself: ordinarily. they indicate her social status. 50 should her handwriting express beauty and elegance. Above all should 1t express pervading charm of woman liness, to cultivate which is the purpose of my undertaking.
 The general plan is based upon the old Italian style. which to-day is recog- nized and understood as pre-eminently an English" style for ladies. Com mending itself always to refined popu. lar taste, Its introduction is meeting with gratifying success at the present time. when to be livery English is to be wholly fashionable.
 But why" ventured the visitor. should this style be considered more desirableH'
 suppose because it is English. as ii really is. Take one hundred English ladies born in the same circles-that is, the upper eiroles-and ninety-nine oi them will write alike; this angular hand. Take one hundred American ladies and no two of them will write in the same way. Why can hardly say. It has al- ways been thought good form in England to write this way, and so all have been taught alike, and the round. old-fashicn- ed handwriting has disappeared. At the present rate of progress 1t is only a question of short time when the curved line-not the line of beauty in penman- ship-will be relegated 10 the use of clerks and shop girls
 Then you do not have many shop girls as pupils:" .8
 Hardly with a quiet smile al the innocent question. Ina, is hardly the
  class oi-of-of-er-persons we desire to teach. Angular writing is essentially a lady-like accomplishment. and fitted only fsr the better classes. Who cares whether shop girl writes an up-and- down or regular hand :" and the teacher waved the despised classes into obscurity with a magnificent flourish. What they want is to learn short-hand.'
 And your gentlemen pupils v
 We have none. Business men, as a rule, mus, write plainly and the few that do attempt anything ou, of the ordinary learn at their own convenience and in the privacy of their clubs. Besides the chirograPhy of men betray an individu- ality which is not often seen in the hand writing of ladies and they do not care to give this up. After all, the writing in an Englshy way is one of those little ac- ecmplishmen;s Ina; be,ray the lady, like the selection Of costumes or the use of nayf,,r,~<