The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-08-04
MILLIONS OF AUTOGRAPHS.
New York World.

New York World.
 Here Is signature, that of c. N. Jordan, that has been written millions and millions of times, and years ago the writer learned to write 1t small, smoothly and without any shading. It has been printed millions and mill lions of timee on legal tender notes, bank notes and checks. The writer has been signing 1t nearly all the time for over quarter of a century, first as cashier, then as bank president, and later as treasurer of the United States. 1t now adorns the notes of the Western National Bank of New York.
 "I found out said he, "that 1t was exhausting to bear too hard on the pen, and you will notice that this is written easily and rapidly, and its only peculiarity is the fact that in making the "a the pen makes circle twice instead of an up and down stroke.
 "Years and years ago found 1t ne- cessary to make the work aa easy as possible, and to do 1t as regularly and systematically as could. In signing notes, which, as you know, come in sheets of four, l would set my watch open before me, and if 1 could not sign one hundred sheets, making four hundred signatures every fifteen min. utes. knew l was running behind hand. could keep that up hour after hour, and some days have done it, think for nine hours, with only an in- termission for lunch, hold pen easily, and so avoid any cramp of the fingers, but have had to lie down on the floor to get the kinks out of my back. As for position in writing, have found 1t easiest to sit so that the weight of the arm rests on the edge of the table, and the hand works with the least possible strain upon the mus cle. It Is possible to get some relief by turning round, more nearly facing the table, which gives little relsxa- ton to the muscles of the back and of the neck.
 'The greatest number of signatures in q day2 presume when was sign ing notes of the Third National bank with which to pay off soldiers wrote my name between i4,000 and l6,000 times day. The muscles of the wrist became little tired, but the hand was seldom stiff, though curiously enough. the sorest place would be my forearm, the skin of which would be worn thin by the incessant grinding against my clothes. Of course, the wear on the sleeve was great deal worse, but could stand it great deal easier than the soreness of the flesh, which neither vaseline nor cold cream could alleviate. I used to start in with good supply of pens, and the ink bottle was duly replenished. I used smooth, fine steel pen, and as have said, bore on it very lightly. As soon AS 1t began to scratch took new one. The dif- ference would be perceptible after five hundred or one thousand sigma lures. In such work my consumption of steel pens ran from fifteen to thirty a day. There would be very few left in box after 6 weeks work.
 Ut seems ludicrous," he continued, Cat this day te think of General Spin ner and s. B. Colby undertaking to sign with a pen all postal currency that was issued. 1t was bad enough for Mr. Acton to have to sign the gold certificates at first or the transfers of the six per cents. when they were ex- tended by Secretary Windom. And yet General Spinner actually started out to put that cramped signature of his on all the postal currency. The natural consequence was that his hand began to swell up until the fingers were absolutely uncontrollable. 1t was a physical impo sibility, and he became incapacitated very much soon- CT than he otherwise would because he had not adopted signature cape- ble of easy and rapid production. One would not suppose that the amount of ink used in signing one's name would be % very percepiible, but Spinner used up more ink than any of his successors, and followed line of treasurers who were In the habit Of shading letters rather heavily. You remember how Gilfillan and Wymsn used to sign their names. was rath- CT surprised when my attention was called to the fact that had introduced 6 new economy into the treasury de- partmeDt. 1 was using only about one-thlrd as much ink ~ my preds- cessor. This was before the amend ment Of the laws governing the treas ury requiring the signature Of ths treasurer himself to 70 many routine papers. Before the war the work was easy enough for one man, but it grew so that the treasurer of the United States probably had occasion to sign his name oftener than any other man in the country. In my time the law was amended permitting fhe deputy treasurer to sign | large number of