The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-05-09

their handwriting.
Clerk in wholesale boot and shoe house in
St. Paul: Confusing, as the natural way is to
slant the letters. "- 49, ..s-. .r-
Wholesale druggist, St. Paul: More poor
penmen. g.
Price clerk in wholesale house in St, Paul:
The teaching Of vertical writing in the schools
has ruined a great many scholars hand
writing. 7..-.-S@.~
Heating and plumbing contractor in Mime
apolis: The teaching of vertical writing in
the schools is influential in destroying char
acteristic handwriting. .s....-.,.-- s-,s....,~.
Life insurance agent in minneapolis: can
not express an opinion that is Of any value.
I simply do not like vertical writing. ~
A prominent 1umberman In Minneapolis:
The teaching of vertical writing in the schools
makes slow writer's, and hastily written YER
teal in more illegible than hastily written
slant, 80. s@- =:
A bookkeeper in Red Wing: Teaching of
vertical in schools results in slow movement
irregular letters and finger movement. Of
course, one sees fine vertical wrok. just as
he sees good slant at times. ..- : - -
Manufacturer of cloaks and suits: We find
the effect to be that we cannot obtain clerks
who write a good hand. We did not expert
ence this difficulty twelve years ago, when
the Spencerian style was taught in public
schools. =. +:->... ...ss=.- ---
Manager of a cutlery house in Canton
Ohio: believe it will, If universally adopted.
| require a larger number Of people to do the
book work. ..s...s e.: s.>
A prominent scotsman in Chicago: prefer
a slight slant but above all let letters 9. r,
and be plain ~ -. ~. ss
A train dispatcher in Garrett, Ind: It seems
| to lessen the rapidity of script generally.
A chief train dispatcher in Wy,nore. Neb.:
Vertical writing makes slow penmen.
The following four opinions are from
registers of deeds in this state In
consider 1t a waste of time. When they
finish school they will be forced to go back to
slant. &C.. st- ~..-.ss ,r.G. .-.--
All vertical writing looks alike to me. There
is no individuality.
The teaching of vertical writing in the pub
lie schools will produce a race of youngsters
wholly unfit for a commercial career in which
penmanship is one of the requisites.
/ think it rudnation to penmanship. g.
A. prominent attorney in Winona: So far
| as vertical writing ds concerned. I have al
| ways objected to it for the reason that it is
not natural or easy in movement of the hand
or arm. and that it destroys all indd vidualty
| in writing. @ae.
Here are opinions Of some who take a
| more hopeful view Of the teaching of YER
tical writing:
| A prominent art dealer in Minneapolis: I
| think 1t is desirable to teach vertical writing
| in the schools. believe decidedly in the
| large writing which was taught in England
| twenty five years ago. I think the vertical
approximates that. dislike the Spencerian.
| 1t is thoroughly bad, and much of it is base.
A prominent real estate dealer in Mime
apolis: Good, df taught decently, but my ex-
perience Is that writing is shamefully ne
elected, at least in the Minneapolis schools.
! "A banker in Duluth: In the vertical the fig
| ures are not so inclined to trespass on space
| NV, md 1n1s Of
| figures are thus more easily added
| An editor in Milwaukee, Wis: Greater legi-
billty-more correct position Of pupils.
! Secretary of nursery in Lake City: 1 think
| it would have the effect of teaching greater
! care in the construction of the letters and to
| make plain letters in a small space.
| These replies, representing the expert
ence and views of practical business men
| from seventeen different states, are
varied, as one would naturally expect, but
they show clearly that the business men
| are not condemning any one system of
penmanship. All they ask is that they
be given legible writer's who have a. rea-
sonable degree Of rapidity. Furthermore,
they maintain that legibility is the most
| important quality in any system Of writ
| ing and that they have found the verti-
| cal to be more legible than the slant.
| On the whole, I regard the net results
| of this inquiry decidedly favorable to the
| verticalfsystem Of writing. This becomes
more apparent when we consider that the
system has only been introduced into the
schools since the present generation OF
business men had completed their educa-
tion, and that the only means they have
/ had of Judging on the merits of the sys-
| TEN have been the more or less imper-
feet results obtained while the vertical
| was passing through its period of proba-
tion in the schools. Under these circum-
| stances, it seems to me a much less ia
vorable verdict, for the vertical might
| have been interpreted as serious re-
Election upon the efficiency Of the slant
| system.