Morris tribune., 1885-07-15

his letters in bold, straight strokes.
Van Wyck, of Nebraska, has n sigma
turc like a green school-boy's ana MS
letters are shalt like capitals and hal1
like small letters; he puts his residence
in all his autographs, and gives the day
and date of his writing. Eli SALISBURY
writes on straight line across the page
and he evidently has mathematical
eye. Senator Tabor's signature Is the
best thing about. him. Senator Iar-
land. of Arkansas, writes like copper
plate. and Senator Call, of Florida, has
n whip-like flourish under his name
which looks rs though maiden's hana
had penned it. German, of Maryland,
writes a big, bold hand. 1t is the list
of baseball player, and a man IN
sound physical condition. Hill, OF Col
orado, writes well, but the autographs
of Beck and Joe Brown look as II they
were scrawled off with the wrong end
of n goOse-quill.
Take the senators all in all, and they
are as good set of penmen as you VIII
find in any body of the kind. They
write, as rule, palmer than the men,
bers of the house, some OF whom can
hardly read their own writing. Good
writing is by no means sign OF agreat
man. Indeed this has been shown true
in so many cases that some people have
come to think that 4 great man must
necessarily be bad writer. This has
not been the case in our history. All OF
our presidents have been good penmen.
Washington accounts were neatly
| kept; John Adams had signature
| which would have taken premium III
a writing school, and Thomas Jefferson
had legible script. James Madison
| wrote like an accomplished lady, ano
Munroe signed his name in angles, bu'
so plainly that he who ran could read
! 1t looks cold and reserved. 1t has moi
a flourish too much, and reminds me Of
that of Senator George Frisbie Hoar
Andrew jackson wrote bold, oper
hand, and punctuated his letter with
entire correctness. George Ticknol
Curtis says in his Life of Buchanan
lust published, "that Jackson's hand
writing was better than Webster s; thai
| he spelled correctly; that he wrote bet
ter English than Washington; and that
as to George ILL.,, Gen. jackson was al
/ AuulSOU III Soih pilliSou'
Martin Van Buren, wrote an exac
hand. large and round. He did not lik'
to write letters, and would, it is said
walk or ride twenty miles to see a maj
rather than put his ideas down in blacl
and white.
William Henry Harrison was one o
the best posted men on history OF hi
dav. and his handwriting is classic
TYLER wrote a clear, free open hand, al
curves and no angles. and he was mex
to Garfield the best writer who ever sa
in the presidential chair. AS to tn
| sioninr of his name when he came int
| power, his opponents wanted to max
him sign it as ''vice-president, actin!
president" but Tyler would have non
of this, and signed himself president.
Since then Fillmore, johnson, and Al
thur have followed his example.
| James X. Polk made signatur
which looks like copper-plate. Ever.
line of it is well made, and there is
flourish under it which would do homo
to writing teacher. Zach Taylo
wrote well. His pen was like himself
blunt, plain, and with few fourlshe
and little attempt at ornament
Frank Pierce was, perhaps, our poores
presidential scribe up to this date; bu
even his hand was not bad and it ca
be read with ease. Buchanan was yer
careful in his writing, and prided hin
self on his punctuation and spelling. ID
seldom made an interlineation and hat
an elegant style of composition.
President Lincoln had a small an
| careful hand Andrew Johnson's wa
| LARGER and less labored, Gen. Grants
, bold and easy to read, and Presider
HAYES writes one of the hardest hand
| in the world to counterfeit. Gen. Ca
fields handwriting is know to all by tn
Autographed letters published at tn
time of his death. 1t is plain and ope
with plenty of ink on the down stroke
and hairlines on the up ones. He wrot
perhaps better than any OF his Pred'
cessors. and more i'll accord with tn
present system OF penmanship.
Bad writers among great men al
numerous. Horace Greeley, whose dl
missals from service were often used a
recommendations, leads the list, an
George NJ. Bloss, of the Cincinnati En-
quirer, who had to have special print
er for his manuscript, comes next Tn
handwriting of Rufus Choate was a
most illegible, and it took specialists t
make out the manuscript of Caleb Cust
ing. Thaddcus Stevens was a very poo
penman, and Henry c. Carey, author
the political economy, writes han
which looks WELL but which is very har
to read. Thus it is seen our great me
write all sorts of hands, and take the1
all in all more of them are good pei
men than bad ones.