Democratic messenger., 1894-12-15
WRITING WITH BOTH HANDS.
Vertical Writing aud How It Prevents tho
Evil of Writers Cramp.

We have all heard of the barber who
cuts hair with ambidextlous facility"
Here is Mr. Jackson of West Norwood,
writing to The Morning Post to urge
that we should all write in the same
bimanual fashion. IL is well known. he
says, that scrivener's palsy or writer's
cratlp is caused by excessive use of the
muscles engaged i'll the act of writing
1t is also generally known that the vic
Tins to this serious malady are drawn
almost exclusively from the ranks of the
obliqucly writing community. Whether
this results from the fact that the great
majority of our people were and are
sloping writers. or, as medical and 9TH
er authorities declare, from the injuri-
ous effects of slanting the writing at
all, it is not for us to say. but we do
surely know that vertical writing is ac
tually the only hygienic system. and
that it does not induce the disease above
referred to. rs witness the typical case
where a sufferer from the cramp fully
recovered after abandoning the sloping
style and adopting the upright.
One of the best known specialists in
nervous disorders writes just recently
on this very question and gives as his
opinion, founded on the observation and
treatment of a large number of cases,
that vertical writing must be used if
the disease is to be averted, or. as the
alternative. ambidexterity must be
taught and acquired. Since upright PEN
manship is the only method equally
adapted for both hands. this is tanta
mount TO saying. Write vertically with
one hand or both. but write vertically.
and writer's cramp will then become
matter of history. We have here an al
most irresistible argument for the uni
versal adoption of vertical writing. the
acquiring of which is so wonderfully
easy and simple. whatever the age or
ability of the writer.
After these preliminary observations
what about left handed penmanship? Is
it desirable or necessary? What are its
advantages or claims? Surely the atti-
tude of the The Lancet is sufficient re-
ply. For. first. is it not quite true that
thousands-nay, tens of thousands-of
persons write for very long periods
eight, ten. twelve or even fourteen
hours daily-and this often for years
together: Is it not also equally true that
many of these persons. quite n large
number in the aggregate of these cler-
ical machines. soon get out OF order and
work irreguiarly. while an alarmingly
large proportion of them cease working
altogether at n comparatively early stage
utterly disabled? Now, if these failures
result from ovcrworked muscles. and
they certainly do. it is obvious that they
could be avoided if the cause of them
were removed
Teach and practice left hand writing.
and the object is reached The clerk,
coypist or author tires his right hand.
arm. etc, wearies the muscles and de-
teriorates their powers. say, III the first
half of the day. He then has recourse
to his reserve set of muscles, and for
the remainder of his time the left side.
hand and arm are put into requisition,
the right hand thus obtaining that rest
which in no other condition could be
secured. Or. assuming for the time be-
ing that both hands wrote exactly the
same style. they could be alternately used
several times during the day. and thus
neither set of muscles would get strained
or fatigued at all. Thus the first great
advantage to be derived from left hand
writing is the avoidance of writer's
cramp-an affiiction that is becoming
more prevalent every year-and similar
troubles, and the second advantage is
reducing TO minimum the extreme
weariness consequent upon long hours
at the desk Ambidexterity i'll hand
writing should certainly be taught to
the rising generation. 1t could not do
harm, ald it certainly would do great
amount of good. 1t would not occupy
more time, and the results would be
widespread and in every way beneficial
Westminster Budget.