The Portland daily press., 1893-11-03

but could usually be cajolcd into grant
ing the favor. Mr.. Edmunds' autograph
sold better on a card than that of any
other member of the senatorial body.
In that shape it was worth So. In one
respect it is most remarkable, inasmuch
as when looked at upside down it resem-
bleS a skeleton.
One of the finest collections of auto
graphs of American statesmen is owned
by Arthur Simmons, who is doorkeeper
for Mr.. Thurber at the White House. He
VS. slave before the war. After being
liberated he wrote to Mr.. Lincoln offering
his services. He was employed in the
Union army and afterward in the Execu-
tive Mansion under President Johnson.
He has been there ever since, and for
many years has been guarding the private
secretary's portal Acting in this ca
pacity his opportunities to meet great
men have been unsurpassed. Few OF
them have been unwilling to give up
their signatures as toll at the door. Col.
Crook, the cashier of the White House,
who has been there since Lincoln's time,
also has most valuable autographs col
lection, including letters from nearly
every President of the United States.
The Type writer in Letter Writing.
The introduction of the typewriter is
going to have serious effect on the au-
tograph business. Statesmen ofthe past,
down to period so recent as that of
Roscoe Conkling, for example, wrote
many epistles with their own hands;
now they dictate them to the machine.
Such missives have no individuality of
course. They are not received in court
as evidence on the same basis with hand
writing.
The. question of courtesy, as to how far
the typewriter should be employed in
private correspondence has not been set
tied satisfactorily Chalres Eliot Norton
OF Cam bridge, Mass, who is a famous
authority on all matters which have to
do with culture and propriety, will not
deign to reply to letter in typescript
He carries his ideas in this direction SO
far that he will not confer upon anyone
a. gift which is made by machine. gift
should always be something made by
hand, he says, because the hand is the
instrument of the SOUL" The case may
be recalled of the young lady who was
content to receive typewriter love letters
from her fiance, but drew the line when
they showed signs of manifolding. But
the line of convention as to this subject
in general has not been clearly drawn
yet
Handwriting seemingly has relation
TO geography. Cultured people in the
neigh borhood of Cambridge and Boston
almost invariably affect the clear and
print-like up-and-down style of penman-
ship. Examples of this may be observed
in the pen work of Gov. Russell, Josiah
Quincy and Edward Atkinson. In libra
ries, banks, insurance offices and other
establishments where written documents
are kept ON file for reference, the use of
this method nowadays is insisted on,
simply because it is easier to read Ow-
ing to this business requirement there is
likely to be revolution in the system
of penmanship taught in the schools
The day of the Spencerian script is
drawing to close.
1t is even possible to tell nowadays the
age of a person by his or her handwrit-
ing-at all events to some extent Ger
tain forms of penmanship have come in
during thu last two years and have been
adopted by the younger generation, such
as the IS" and &c" like the same letters
in print. They have the advantage of
greater clearness over the "en formed of
single loop and the old script S." AS
a rule only very elderly people any long
er employ the :" S" that looks like an #"
without cross mark. That in practi-
ra11U Ohs0Iatp