Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1884-06-26

s
ssNo, Ican't 90 with you this after
noon,'' explained q fashionably dressed
lady as she stood on the stoop Of hel
residences in Fifth avenue bidding fare.
well to the Lady about to leave her. 81
have my regular lesson in an hour. and
i after that shall be engaged. =
/ s.Your lesson?' querieu the friend.
| .sYes, any writing lesson. am
learning to write Engli sh.
| why, who wrote your notes to me?''
| did, but they were not English.
The writing was American. And
with q friendly good-by nod the lady
turned togo. She was midd1e-aged,
richly dressed, spoke correctly, with an
affectatiOn S of English pronunciation,
and seemed hardly the person to begin
| the study of penmanship, so late in life.
Stopping ON the second step she lowered
her parasol and, leaning forward, said:
s.You see, there are six or eight ladies
in our set who are heartily ashamed of
their round American style OF writing,
so we formed little club to learn the
angular English style. We meet once
q week in the Century Building, and
spend an hour Like school-children over
our copy-books. - !. And she smiled as
she recalled. the pictures of half . dozen
society ladies in white bibs industriOusly
learning to write. ss8a
s. .,sBut this angular style is not nearly
SO legibfe as the neat round hand you
used to WRITE" commented her friend.
s'Well, perhaps not But it Is the
th-ng-thoroughly English, you know,
and one must learn it. It's like the OPP
EZRA, sometimes; not always pleasant,
but always popular. But won't you
come with us-join our classp"
The friend declined, said she had
done with the three RS reading,
'riting and 'r.thmetie) twenty years
ago, and moved to go down the street as
the other lady disappeared In the
house.
A visit to the Cenatry building showed
a prettily furnished room occupied by a
score of desks. Over half the desks
were bent as many ladies each with a
little white apron or, bib tucked under
their chin, as elderly gentlemen some
times tuck in their napkins at dinner.
Each pretty face was bent close to the
paper, and as each fair hand followed
the teachers the plumes on the lowered
bonnets waved in unison like field of
wheat swept by the wind. The bare
arms and hands laid across the note-1pa.
per were whittier than the cream-:oiored
texture, and the black. s1ustached
teacher, as he turned from the black.
board 10 smile approv;sigly at his pu-
pills, seemed imrliensely proud of his
class. All were so eager to learn that
his task was an easy one.
Another professor of English pen
manship teaches half the fifth avenue
residents by mail.
a Mr.. A was enthusiastic over the sue
cess he IS meeting with. Ladies at the
Victoria Hotel, two from the Windsor,
and many of those ''in the swim" were
only too glad to learn from him. The |
lessons were given principally. BY mail. |
In circular he tells why every lady
every real lady--should write angular |
'.English " He says:
ga lady's attire, speech. manner
these are eloquentlv expressive of her |
self; ordinarily, they indicate her social |
status. So should her handwriting ex
press beauty and elegance. Above all |
should it express a pervading charm of /
womanliness, 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
itself always to . refined
taste, it's Introduction is meet
ing with gratifying success at the pres
ent time, when, to be very English,
is to be wholly fashion able.
"But why ventnred the visitor,
"should this style be considered more
desirable?'' s.;?-7a s. f..,5s
81 suppose, because it is English, as
it really is. Take one hundred English
ladies born in the same circles that
is. the upper circles and ninety
nine of them will write alike, this
angular hand. lake one hundred
American ladies and no two of them
will write in the same way Why can
hardly say. 1t has always been thought
good form in I England to write
his way. and so all have been taught
alike, and the round, old-fashioned
handwriting has disappeared. AT the
present rate of progress it is only
question of short time when the curve
ine-not the line of beauty in penman-
'hip-will be relegated TO the use Of
clerks and shop-girIs. !" SO
Then you do not have many shop
sirls as pupils.9''
Hardly" with quiet smile at the
innocent question. aa'''Ilat is hardly a
lass of--of er-persons we desire to
EACH Angular writing is essentially q
ady-like accomplishments, and fitted
'nly for the best classes. no cares
whether shop-girl writes. an up-and-
Town or a regular hand and the
eacher waved the despised classes into
,bscurity with a magnificent flourish.
What they want to learn Is short
land.' sz3s hs.ss
and your gentlemen pupils?'
ave have none. Business men, as q
ule. must write plainly, and the few
hat do attempt anything out OF the or
inary learn at their own convenience
nd in the privacy of their clubs. Be-
ides, the chirography of men betrays
n individuality which is not often seen
q the handwriting of ladies, and they
o not care to give this up. After all,
be writing in an t.Englishy way is one
t those little accom- pfishnents that be-
raw the lady like The selection OF cos