The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1886-07-24
Some Good Advice.
Quincy Herald.

An item going the rounds of the press
says: 'Dean Stanley was a miserable
penman-worse, even, than Horace
Greeley or Rufus Choate.'
What world of mischief an item like
this is responsible for. 1t is just such
items as this that have done so much to
ruin the handwriting of the people of
this country. We say this country
because we believe it to be a fact that
the handwriting of educated Americans
is very much poorer than that of the ed
ucated people of other countries. The
professional men of England, for in
stance, exercise some care over their
writing, and as consequence write very
legibly.
There isn't shallow pate in America
who will read the item quoted above,
but will go to work at once to ruin his
handwriting, if it is good, or to make
it worse if it is bad. And, indeed, some
people of fair intelligence seem to think
that there is something about illegible
writing to be proud of. No greater
mistake can be made.
Lawyers, especially, seem to be cursed
with this weakness. In the legal pro-
fession we have noticed that this rule
holds good: The more worthless the
lawyer, and the less he has to do, the
poorer is his handwriting. And the
better the lawyer, and the buster he is,
the surer is he to write decent hand.
We hold that every man can write
legibly if he will. There may be ner-
vous man once in while, like Choate
or Greeley, who has great deal of writ
ing to do, who may find difficulty in
writing as plainly as he should. But
such men as these are the wide excep-
tions. 1t is fair to say that every man
can write plainly if he will and when
he will not we say that his written pro-
duct is entitled to no respect whatever.
1t is an insult for man to write to
another in hand that can scarcely be
read. 1t is robbing the man who has
the reading to do Of much precious time
and causing a great deal of unnecessary
annoyance. And no conscientious man
will steal another's time or needlessly
annoy him. -,
No excuse can be made for illegible
handwriting. The average newspaper
man does more writing in week than
other professional men do in a month
or two; and yet newspaper men almost
invariably write plainly. TLey have
learned to know the value of plain writ
ing. Nothing is more annoying in
newspaper office than mean manuscript;
and nothing is more pleasant than
nice, clean hand writing. Printers
don't care a continental how the words
are spelled-it is their business to spell;
but they do greatly care how an article
is penned.
| And now, reader, take our advice.
Write we'll. Nothing more becomes a
man of good sense than good plain
hand. Don't make the too common
but terrible mistake of supposing you are
man great because you have just sense
and ability enough to copy the vices of
great men. Many fair man has made
nuisance of himself thro' whole life
time, by being carried away by this
fool notion.
BgThe manner of calling swine is as
varied as the number of states. The
Pennsylvania requests the presence of
his herd with 'Pig-pig, pig, pig-gie,
pig-gie.' The North Carolinian halloos,
'Pig-i, pig-i,' dwelling on the Il each
time. The Hoosier calls, 'Whoo-ee,
whoo,ee,' and his pigs come on the
jump from every direction. A Buckeye
farmer reasons with his big, easy-going,
well-fed porker, and coaxingly cries,
500, soo-soo, 500, soo.' The Kentucky
farmer causes the hills to reverberate
with his heavy bass voice, 'Poohe,
poohe.' A Dakotian brings his pigs
with a shrill whistle. And thus each
state has its own peculiar manner o.
calling the swine.
Ba@A physician, passing by grave
stone cutters shop called out-"GooC
morning, neighbor hard at work see
You finish your gravestones as far a
'In memory of, and then wait, sup
pose, to see who wants monumen
next" "Why, yes" replied the oil
joker, "unless somebody's sick, ant
you are doctoring' EN-, then | keel
right on"
n9He. that does good for good
sake seeks neither praise nor reward