Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1905-02-15
VERTICAL WRITING.

The merits of the vertical writing
system was given a hard blow in Chi
cago recently when more than thirty
business firms of that city pronounced
the method as unsuitable for CONNER
cial purposes. This information was
gained through a committee appointed
for the purpose by Superintendent
Cooley of the city schools.
| Some critics of the system went SO
far as to say an applicant using the
vertical system of writing taught in
the schools has very little chance OF
obtaining employment with them
One firm declared the system "is not
only inartistic, unnatural and slow,
but provokes profanity in the user and
reader"
The big firm of Marshall Field &
Co. are quoted as saying "as it now
| stands. nearly all of our employees
from public schools must learn to
write after beginning to work, which,
naturally retards their progress"
Another firm says: 1--WE believe
the system taught in the public
schools is virtually worthless for bus
mess purposes"
Business men have complained to
the committee on school management
of the board of education that the
system should be remodeled. The
Searle & Hereth company is quoted
as saying: 1--WE believe every bust
ness man in Chicago is in favor of a
radical change in the teaching of this
branch"
Notwithstanding the antagonistic
views expressed by the Chicago bus
mess men, the investigations made
by the committee showed the vertical
system to be in general use and in
"a majority Of the states it is found
to be satisfactory. Half of the prin-
cipals of the Chicago schools express
ed approval of it, while the others
dissented.
We believe the vertical system is
too much on the fad order, adopted
out of the desire to get something
new or different, tendency likely to
work great injury to the public
schools If care is not taken.
The majority of pupils of the male
persuasion. doubtless have business
career in view, and for their purpose
the slope system of penmanship
would be found the most practical and
useful as we'll as the most natural.
For a business career it would be
hard to find a better style than the
old Spencerian system for beginners
in writing. They may not find it en-
tirely practical in after years and
may abandon it in part, but from ii
they learned to form letters correctly
and write smoothly. In any event
some system should be adopted for the
young and faithfully adhered to.
Changing about works great injury
to the pupils. Some of the pupils of
the Lewistown schools write mix
ture of the vertical and the slant and
their penmanship is something to be
deplOred.
The committee appointed by Sup
erintendent Cooley recommended more
efficient instruction in the grammar
schools and advised that the teachers
should study writing. It also report.
ed. that the teaching of writing
should receive attention in the train
ing OF teachers at normal schools,
where, we find it is ignored. No stu
dent should be graduated from the
normal schools who is poor penman.
We further recommend that normal
extension courses be established for
teaching this subject to teachers now
in the schools
II is notorious fact that penman-
ship is not given the time or atten-
ton in our public schools that it de-
serves, not so much as was given it
a quarter of century ago. The nom
essentials should not crowd out the
and the views of the Chi.
cago business firms show how impor-
tant it is that young man seeking
should be a good pen
man.