The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-08-23
AUTHORS, HANDWRITING.
Peculiarities of Penmanship of Those Who
Do Not Use the Typewriter.


Peculiariries of Penmanship of Those Who
Do Not Use the Typewriter.
Philadelphia Press
Authors and actors have time-honored right
to be eccentric, and in way does an author dis
play his or her eccentricity more markedly than
in the preparation of the manuscript. OF late
years the typewriter is doing much to destroy
the individuality of an authors copy, but even
here the man will show himself. For instance.
Robert Grants stories are fastened at the corner
with legal rivet, his name and address with his
profession (lawyer) neatly printed in the corner.
and the title, in true conveyancers style, is
double underscored with red ink. while the
names of people in the dialogue have single red
ink line drawn under them The whole affair IS
neat and in perfect condition for publication.
Hjalmar FL. Boyesen, on the contrary, writes his
articles on the green, pink or blue rosters of
Columbia College, where he is professor, his
work, as he sends it for the press is evidently a
first draught. scratched and changed no END OF
times. Prof. Sophocles. the late professor Of
Greek at Harvard. wrote his entire Byzantine
dictionary on ribbon paper.
DIR. s. Weir Mitchell uses the typewriter, and
ties the unruled legal cap on which he writes
with red tape. May Agnes Thicker written neat
small hand, and, although her pages are I'M
ruled, the number of words will average 10
to the page with almost unfailing eXactness
Joaquin Miller writes diminutive hand. spells
badly. has noble disregard for punctuation,
and separates his syllables that 1t gives his
language.
Frank Dempster Sherman's work is as neat
and careful as his verse. Written small aud
highly glazed note paper, the writing is SO done
that it gives the effect of print and the blue ink
which he enhances the dainty appearance
of his written page
To turn to another popular poet and look at
Ella Wheeler Wilcox's poems before they appear
in print you will find uniformed hand,
scrawed over foolscap page and when the
poem does not reach full two pages the second
page is properly reduced to the requisite size
with commendable attention to economy.
Edith NJ. Thomas uses linen note and In a deli
cate hand writes her verses. never crowding and
yet always giving the impression OF condensa-
ton.
John Habberton, whom everyone knows as the
''Helen's Babies" man. uses large yellow paper
with green lines; the frat page or so is exquis-
itely neat, but soon the corrections become more
frequent until they reach perfect fortissimo of
scratches.
Brander Matthews writes flowing easy hand,
and if he has to erase no human being can tell
what it was that he changed, for he draws
square around the unfortunate intruder and
lines it over and over until it is literally blotted
out of existence
Sidney Luska Harry Harlandl does not need
to resort to any device TO cover up his mistakes.
From end to end his curious, forcible. jet-black
and heavy ink lines run without correction.
He uses common white paper with rough and
ragged edges. Henry Greville is just the oppo
site. One has TO pick out the part that is TO be
printed from the maze of alterations. Julian
Hawthorne writes small, legible hand, and
with commercial care marks on the outside of
his MSS the number of words it contains.
George Alfred Townsend utilizes the type
writer The matter is copied in lump, and
afterwards properly punctuated and Photographed
by the author in lead-pencil.
Edgar Fawcett writes on journalists paper In
lead pencil. An occasional smear indicates that
the rubber has been used, and on the outside of
his copy he usually places the price of the work.
Marchioness Clara LAMA uses large green pa
per with no lines Her handwriting is neat, and
her work is but little corrected
George Macdonald writes on thin, crossed.
French paper, a fine, almost feminine hand, and
if he needs to change a passage simply draws his
pen through it and writes
Sidney Lanier wrote on a highly glazed note
paper in blue ink, and corrected his copy in a
curious ink of a brown hue. His work is very
egible. Louise Chandler Moulton. as the aman-
uensis of Philip Bourke Marston, writes al
most masculine hand. 1t is naturally, being
dictated, not a little corrected.