The Republican journal., 1898-07-14
10000 Words on a Postal Card.
Ria Kittredge of Belfast Holds the Record
for Miniature Handwriting.

Ria Kittredge of Belfast Holds the Record
for Miniature Handwriting.
From time to time stories have appeared
in many papers telling of persons who had
written or engraved the Lords prayer in an
exceedingly small space or had crowded a
very large number OF words onto an ordinary
postal card While these have received the
full credit due them, there lives in Belfast,
Me-, an old gentleman, now in his Seth year,
who can, even at his advanced age discount
all of these works.
Rila Kittredge for the past 80 years has
carried on a crockery business in Belfast
Even at his advanced age he is bright,
active business man and can be found at his
place OF business every morning before some
of his competitors are out of bed
He was born in Brattleboro, Vt, in 1872,
going to Belfast in 1865, and has resided
there ever since.
| Mr., Kittredge's love for the practice of
miniature chirography commenced in his
early life; II or 10 years ago, postal card
was received by one of the local papers. on
| which some one had written 900 words and
detied its duplicate.
| This was when Mr.. Kttredge commenced
to diminish the size Of his writing. He put
| 1000 words on postal and gave it to the pa
per, but this was beaten, and he wrote an
! other with 5000 words.
/ This record stood unbeaten, but he con-
! tinued to crowd more and more words into
the smallest possible space. 60o0 10,0 DOC, 20,-
| 600, all these marks We're passed until his
very finest work, equal to 10000 words, en-
| our postal card of to-day was accomplished.
| This would be equal to putting all the words
i QS1 ,OOO) of the New Testament on four pos
/ tai cards.
| He has repeatedly written the Lord $
prayer light times in space no larger than
| a silver hve-cent piece.
| Whole messages of presidents and speech
| es of statesmen have been written by this
/ ma on I'd II
| them.
He once wrote one of W. f. Gladstone S
speeches, containing some 1000 words, on a
card and sent it to him, and from the Eng.
| lish statesman received most commenda.
| tory letter.
The Sullivan-Kilrain fight at New Or
| leans he put into a circle comprising the
centre of posta card, and as he did not be
| ieve IN prize fights he placed the Lords
prayer in each corner of the card This
work he showed to John L. Sullivan when
he was in the city, and 'the big fellow
could hardly believe that what took sc
many columns in the papers could be crowd
! ed into so small space, but there it was
and could not be disputed.
| The most wonderful part of his work is tina
it is all done with an ordinary steel pen and
| ink, and 18th the use of only ordinary specta
| cles, such as are worn by most men of his age
| with no magnlfying glass or instruments
| made for the purpose. 1t is impossible tC
read it with the naked eye. Every letter is
separate aud is perfect.
All his best work is mounted and framed
some of it was sent to the Paris exposition
where it attracted much attention.
Mr.. Kittredge enjoys the practice of his
art and works at it every day. He lays his
power to do this fine work to his steady
nerve and to the wonderful magnifying
| power in his eye.
"Why," says Mr. Kittredge, IAN ordinary
| q m fri q held before m r.
to widen to is of an inch, and it is to regu.
late the power of my eye that | wear the
glasses in performing my work" Boston
| Globe.