Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-01-28

shocked at the utter lack of principle
which these applicants made manifest.
will you kindly analyze my writing?
said one of these. I generally read
your paper. I borrow it from one of
my neighbors.' analysed that mans
handwriting very quickly. [ discoy-
cred that he was unreliable, egotisti
cal, selfish to degree, and utterly
lacking in business skill and ability to
push his way through the world.
Ah," said the professor, signing, ST
remember now that / wrote that an
alysis while [ was very angry. I
never stopped to ask myself why I
was angry. It surely ought not to
have made any difference to me
whether the applicant was honorable
or the contrary. However, [ never
asked my self if were partial or i'm
partial"
The ambitious boy smiled. He
fancied ne saw smile on the profess
sor's face He was mistaken. 1t was
an embroyo frown, and he lost no
time in putting a similar expression
into his own cOuntenance.
my correspondence continued to
increase, resumed the professor, Gin
distinctly energetic manner. But
in less than a week [ knew that no
more read the character of applicants
from their handwritings than I did
from the manner in which they stuck
on their postage stamps. [ became
shrewd and crafty. / had received
several complaints from cOrrespon-
dents. They were mostly from yearly
subscribers, who accused me of giving
them too much 'taffy.' While, of
course, they were delighted to receive
such satisfactory characters, it seem
ed to them, they said, that the praise
accorded was a trife too unqualified
to be true, so I adopted other methods.
[ knew very we'll that, though these
gentlemen professed to be displeased
at my unqualified praise, if [ were to
venture any very unpleasant remark
they would still be more irate. Oh!I
knew and I know still the inwardness
of human nature. Ny method for the
future was to be less lavish of praise,
with a trife of non-compromIsipg
censure. Here is one of the analyses
[ sent:
'"There is energy in this handwrit-
ing, but the writer is to prone to rely
upon his own brilliancy. This has
produced laziness. No one could fail
to feel anything but pleasure at such
censure as that. Another ran some
thing in this style: This is ladys
hand. She is to ELUSIVE and demon
strative, which is the result Of kind
ly, loving disposition not properly con-
trolled. She is much admired by the
gentlemen, however, who-perhaps
wrongly-foster the ELUSIVE and de-
monstrative features 7 have mention
ed. Nine out of ten girls would
chuckle with glee at the receipt of
such an analysis as that. Then again i:
The writer might with advantage curb
the lavish generosity which detect
In his writing. He makes friends Ia
this manner, but he also makes enc
mics. His heart is in the right place,
bat he lacks judgment. Would you
object to such a character as that?'
mo, indeed" said the ambitious
boy, 'lavish generosity Implies that
you have something of which you can
be lavishly generous. | would that
such condition of things were mine"
''Well." continued the professor,
unheeding the fippancy of the last
remark. my twelve months subscri-
bers enjoy this thing very much, and
[ managed the six months crowd in
the same manner. Numerous COM
plants, however, reach me from three
months subscribers, while those who
merely sent the unaceompanied speci-
mems of handwriting, which I so hat
ed to see, openly attacked me IN the
newspapers as charlatan. Even my
wife turned upon me in a most I'M
wifeIY manner. One morning as
was seated at my desk the servant
brought me letter. It was written
in strange handwriting-I mean to
say in a handwriting which was some
thing far from ordinary. It ran as
follows:
81 incIose you So as subscription to
your papers for two years. Kindly
analyze this handwriting I had new
er received two years subscription
before. Send this letter to <. 7. T.,
box 1922 general postoffce,' were the
directions. I was very pleased. 1t
seemed to me the owner of the hand
writing must be charming. In fact,
it struck me that the handwriting it.
self was particularly interesting. I
wrote the following analysis: This
is a gentlemnn's handwriting. The
writer is frank, original, courteous,
clever, thoughtful and refined. He
is SO general favorite that his new
enemies are traced to that fact alone.
You see I said he had few enemies,
so that the praise should not be too
unqualified. sent the letter to x 7
z, box No. 1922 general postoffce.
Then thought no more about the
matter. The next day went TO pay
a bill amounting to $50. I had put
bills 10 that amount in my pocket
book. When I reached the store I
discovered that ] had only s47 with
me. So of coarse supposed that |
had made a mistake when ] counted
the bills previous to placing them In
the book, and set the matter right by
returning for more money. l also
forget that occurrence. A few days
later, while 7 was working, my wife