Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1884-07-16
WRITING "ENGLISH."
Angular Chirography the Only Kind
in "Good Form"
Round, Old-Fashi0ned Penmanshlp
RELOCATED to the Use OF
Shop Girls and
Clerks.
New York Xorld1


NNo, can't 20 with you this afternoon
explained fashionably dressed lady as she
stood Ola the stoop of her residence in Fifth
avenue, bidding farewell to the lady about
to leave her. II have my regular lesson in
an hour, and after that shall be engaged"
your lesson." queriei the friend
YES. my writing lesson am learning to
write English
"Why, wh0 wrote your notes to mer
Il did, but they were not English. The
writing was American" And with
friendly good-by nod the lady turned
to go. She was middle-aged, richly
dressed, spoke correctly, with an affec-
tation Of English pronunciation, and seemed
hardly the person to begin the study Of pen
manship SO late in life. Stopping on the
second step she lowered her parasol and,
leaning forward, said: "You see there are
six or eight ladies in our set who are heartily
ashamed II their round American style of
writing, 50 ve formed little club to learn
the angular English style We meet once a
week in The Century building and spend an
hour like school-children over our copy
books" And she smiled as she recalled the
picture Of half dozen society ladies in white
bibs industriously learning to write.
DUt Ills sttit IS uOL 30
legible as the neat, round hand you used to
write,n commented her friend
swell, perhaps not. But it is the thing
thoroughly English, you know, and one must
learn it. It's like the opera, 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 Teaiing, 'riting and 'rithme-
tic) twenty years ago, and moved down the
street as the other LADY disappeared in the
house.
A vis. to The Century 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 her chin, as elderly
gentlemen sometimes tuck in their napkins
at dinner. Each pretty face wa, bent close
to the paper, and as each fan hand followed
ihs teachers, the plunes Oh the lowered
bonnets waved in unison like field of wheat
waved by the wind The bare arms and
hands laid across the note paper were winter
than the crealn-colore1 texture, and the
black-moustached teacher, as he turned from
the blackboard to smile approvingly at his
pupils, seemed immensely proud of his class.
All were so eager TO learn that his task was
an easy one.
Mr.. Abercombie, the teacher, was enthusi-
astic over the success 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
a circular he tells why every lady-every
real lady-should write angular English
a lady's attire, speech, n,anner-these are
eloquently expressive Of herself; ordinarily,
they indicate her social status. So should her
hand writing express beauty and elegance.
Above all should it express n 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 recognized and
understood as prominently an English
style for ladies. Commenting itself always
to n refined popular taste, its introduction is
meeting with gratifyn. success at the pres
ent time, when to be- very English" is TO be
wholly fashionable.
"But why" ventured the visitor, should
this style be considered more desirables'
Il suppose because it is English, as it really
is Take 100 English ladies born in the same
circles-that is, the upper circles-and
ninety nine of them will write alike this AN.
gular hand. Take 100 American ladies and
no two Of them viii write in the same way
Why. l can hardly say. 1t has always been
thought good form in England to write this
way, and so all have been taught alike, and
the round, old-fashionei handwriting has
disappeared. At the present rate Of progress
it is only question of a short time when the
curved lne-not the line of beauty in pen
manship-will be relegared to the use Of
clerks and shop girls"
"Then you do not have many shop-girls as
pupilsr
"Hnrdly," with quiet smile at the limo
cent question. "That is hardly the class Of
of-er-persons we desire to teach. Angular
writing is essentially lady-like accomplish
ment, and fitted only for the better classes.
Who cares whether shop girl writes an up
and-down Or a regular handF AMI the teacher
waved the despisei classes into obscurity
with a magnificent flourish. "What they
want is to learn shorthand"
"And your gentlemen pupils!"
ave have none Business men, as rule,
must write plainly, and the few that do at
tempt anything out of the ordinary, learn at
their own convenience and in the privacy
Of their CLUBS Besides the chrography of
men betray an individuality which is not
often seen in the handwriting Of ladies, and
they do not care TO give this up. After all,
the writing in an 'Engishy' way is one OF
those little accomplishments that betray the
lady, like the selection Of costume or the