Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-09-26
Written for The Evening Star.
UWELL, HE HAS COME BACK AND Is
w Mt IL auaiu -

Written for The EVENING Star.
UWELL, HE HAS COME BACK AND Is
w at it again.
who has come back and what il he at?"
The remark was made by Q gentleman in
Official life who is keen observer Of officials
and the question was asked by the writer for
TIE STAR.
why" was his answer, "ths President 10
back and 10 signing his name"
He docs other things besides that, doesn't
he?"
Yes. Of course; but he does more Of that
than anything else"
Inc writer then made an investigation and
FOUND out number Of interesting facts about
tne PRESIDENTS signature. The remarks quoted
ABOVE are about the tenth. Although Benja-
min Harrison shakes hands about az often as
any man in the world, it is probable that he
traces the characters that form his name
oitener. how many signatures he averages n
Gay IL Is hard to say, but it is probable that
sometimes the number would exceed a hundred
or more. From all the departments come piles
OF documents which are worthless until he has
put nus name to them, and besides this many
self
LIKE BENJAMIN OF OLD.
An old clerk who has made q speciality Of this
subject of presidential and other distinguished
official signatures says that President Harrison
writes hand somewhat like that Of his ances-
tor, benjamin Harrison of Virginia. Among
tne oid records OF the government are a num-
per OF the original Benjamin. He was an old
man when the revolution broke out, but he
was not SO old as to be useless. John Adams
did not like him, probably because he did not
T vi: Harrison's peculiar dry humor; but
Virginia thought well OF him and sent him to
fh'iadelphia to sign the Declaration of indie
pendence, and afterward made him come home
and be governor of the state. BENJAMIN of yir-
gihia signed his name just BENJAMIN of In
1iana signs his-thatis, BENZ. Harrison, and not
Dehlamin IT FULL, or the more usual Ben. The
virginia Harrison wrote an excellent letter, full
OF wit and humor, and his language was forci-
pie. VI course, like the other gentlemen of his
time, he tossed in his capital letters in most
reckless manner and his punctuation points
we're not to be deepen Jed or. His penmanship
was clear and his strokes were pretty heavy
Even now. after a century has dimmed the ink
and made the paper yellow, a page Of his
writing lie clear and easy to read.
THE PEN USED.
His descendant, now President, also has
heavy stroke and makes black sheet. Benia-
min OF 1776 used gull: pen, taken from
goose and sharpened with his own penknife.
ana Benjamin OF 1891 uses q stub-po.ited steel
pen or a soft black lead pencil. The "Siguer"
was shaky on his spelling, although he was
better educated than most of his coutemno-
raries, but our chief magistrate is man of the
Jay, ana nowadays people are able to spell-an
accompaniment that few people had ~ century
ago. Take page Of the elder Harrison's
and you will see family resemblance
very strong one. it is true, but still IA likeness
But u you should examine the handwriting of
the Harrison who came between the Beniamins
You Will find it entirely different.
WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON
was a man OF strong will and az brave as a
lion. but the hero OF Tppecanoe wrote weak
hand, not illeglble it is true, but not neat or
symmetrical. There were few fourishes in
It and they made it look scraggy. He signed
his name, taking the pen off the paper twice.
whereas his grandson signs at one stroke The
theory that mans character can be told by
his penmunship would hardly hold good in
William Henry Harrison's case for his writing
looks precisely the opposite from what the
to have gone back beyond ais grandfather and
to have taken after his more remote ancestor
III this particular. A.
CLEvELAND's SIGNATURE.
The officials who were with Grover Cleveland
say that he signed his name very quickly and
easily. His signature is written in characters
so small that it is more like q woman's hand
than mans The final d is followed by a
graceful under flourish. One would hardly
suppose, seeing page of his neat writing that
II came from a man weighing over 30 pounds
and whom his worst enemies have never
charged with effeminacy. Clevelands writing
is almost precise, and in this particular, al.
though in no other, it il like John Quincy
Adams.
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS pExMAysHrP
The writer was shown some of Adams pen
rnanship the other day. The signature looks
almost like print, SO perfectly formed are all
the letters. The rest Of the page is the same
way-quite perfect. The hand is thoroughly
characteristic of the writer. 1t is correct; you
cannot lind fault with it; you are forced to ad-
mire it; you wish you could write that way
yourself; but you feel all the time that the
writer must have been perfect and severe. The
characters are very small and round and there
is no relaxation or fourishing. To sign the
little time and would hardly be practicable in
the amount of business that President has to
perform at the present day.
THE RECORD IN THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT
OF signing feats there are none on record for
the White House, but the Treasury Department
hos the record OF the most remarkable exhibit
ton of human endurance Of its kind in the
wcrId. This was when Chittenden, register of
the treasury, managed to sign his name for an
issue OF bonds which were to 90 to England
diving the late war upward of II, 600 times be-
tween Friday and Sunday evening. He nearly
persisted in the attempt, but he accomplished
his task. No President could do this and much
less could man like Mr.. Arthur have accom-
plis,ed it.
PRESIDENT ARTHUR's SIGNATURE.
He wrote a rough hand, but he made q fine
signature. The name 10 q big one. Chester
makes you think of valor and Arthur sounds
sweet to female ears. Therefore it was that
President Arthur signed his name in large
characters, with q flourish upward at the end
to cross the last t. He knew it was q fine name
and he wanted people to see it.
wAsHINaroN's THE FINEST.
"What President made the finest signature9"
was asked the expert on this subject
"Georga Washington" was the reply, and he
proceeded at once to grow enthusiastic .over
the penmanship Of the father of his country
and the especial patron saint Of the city we
live in. q.
nature, and yet, as q matter of fact, this sigma
ture was the worst piece Of penmanship he per-
petrated. The rest OF his handwriting is model.
1t is a. easy 10 read as sign board, is neat and
symmetrical and at the same time il entirely
unlike the penmanship Of any other man.
Washington was not like the statesmen Of the
present day. With him ms did not do duty for
us or l's for is. There was no doubt OF his
punctuation points, either. Acomma was never
put where he did not intend it to be- although
he frequently put it where it had no business
n