Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-02
BAD HANDWRITING.
scrawls Made by Noted People Cause
Amusing Incidents.
From London Tit-Bits.

From London Ilt-Blts
1--WE are much obliged to you for your
letter and should be the more were 1t
legible. have tried to read it from right
to left. and Mrs. Smith from left to right.
and neither of us can decpher a single
word Thus wrote Rev. Sydney Smith to
Lord Jeffrey. the distinguished critic, in re-
ply to an utterly inscrutable communica-
ton that he had Just received
Before now bad writing has been the oc-
casion of whimsical mistakes-awkward
ones, too. at times as was nearly the case
a short while back when, on Mr. Justice
Grantham dischargng a soldier who had
been on trial for manslaughter, he re-
marked that his difficulty in arriving at
this decision had only been removed by a
careful rereading of the dispositions, when
he had discovered that the prisoner, IN
stead of being a man of bad character.
was in reality of good record. the word
good having been so atrociously written
as to look like bad
Among his many attachments Dean Stan
ley could not number legibility in penman-
ship. His letters were more often than
not undecipherable and not infrequently
the cause of amusing Interpretations A.
servant whom for some grave fault he had
dismissed applied to hi": for a written
character. Angered at his mpudence the
dean snatched up his pen and dashed off
what he intended to be a definite deterrent
with this letter the fellow answered an adj
vertisement and remarking that he had
excellent credentials from Dean Stanley
presented his mystic scrawl. He was en-
gagged on the spot.
On another occasion the deans handwr.t-
ing almost cost an excellent servant n
place. DESTROYS Of change. he left his Ole
masters service and applied for a situa-
ton with a wealthy old bachelor, to whom
he handed letter that he fondly ina gined
would guarantee his engagement. LAS far
as | can make out from this letter." said
the gentleman, when he had perused II.
Dean Stanley gives you most excellent
character; but, knowing as / do that the
deans writing Is atrociously bad as in
variably to convey meaning directly OPP
posed TO its real purport, ! must regretfully
decline to take you into my service"
Greatly chagrined, the man applied TO his
old master. who. with hearty laugh over
the episode promised to see the gentleman
In person. This he did. and matters were
put right.
To back his application for employment
in the editorial Office of a New York paper
IA man gave Horace Greeley's name as ref
erence. at the same time presenting a let
ter written by that journalist. The editor.
who had already had much veXatiOus eX-
perence Of Greeley's writing. contented
himself with making out, at small Ia
Dor. the signature, took the rest on trust
and appointed the applicant to a confiden-
tal post. Some time afterward he met
Greeley and told him that his nominee had
on the strength OF his recommendation
been taken into the office.
WHY the fellows a scoundrel!' cried
Greeley, land | distinctly said so In my
letter that on no account was he to he
employed.
Sir Walter SCOTS writing was Mt times
not Internationally obscure. Taking ad-
vantage of this a cunning rascal by some
means obtained possession of a note of I'M
questionable eligibility written by the grea t
novelist. and presented II to Sir Walter s
tailor as an order for a couple of suits of
clothing. The tradesman. recognizing bis
patrons signature took the rest for grant
ed and executed the commission, only to
find. on asking for payment, that the note
was an answer to an invitation to dinner.
How the late laureate won the Newdi-
gate prize at oxford deserves to be re-
peated The last CT the three Examiners
to whom the poems were submitted. motto
ing that his colleagues had appended what
he took to be ''g' FOR good to several Of
the lines in Tennyson's '"rimbuctoo." af-
fixed a similar mark Of appreciation, thus
securing for the writer the coveted prize
That evening the three judges met. What
ever" cried ss who had first read the
poem, made you two think DO highly Of
young Tennyson's effort?' why" an
swered the Others. in undIsgu!sed surprise
we only followed your lead You were
forever marking his lines with, a g :"
CT" cried their confrere; that wasn't
a g. that was note of Interrogation. TO
signify that for the life of me / couldn't
make out what the fellow meant"