The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-02-04
HARD To DEC|PHER
HIS SIGNATURE
frenchman Adds FIourishes
AImost<Without Number
IN SIGNING HIS NAME
Looks Like Hideous Hindoo Puzzle
to Which Penman Holds the
Only key-Bad Copy For
Printers.
IN SIGNING HIS NAME
From the London Globe.

FROM the London GlODe.
Did you ever see a Frenchmans sig
nature? Some one once said that Ian
guage was given to us to conceal our
thoughts. On the same principle the
Frenchman must argue that sigma
lures were intended to conceal our
names. If you receive a letter from a
French correspondent, 1t may be pos
sible to read the text with no more
difficulty than you would encounter in a
letter written by an Englishman, perhaps
with less. for Engishmen are by no
means ideal penmen. But, having got to
the end of the letter, when you attempt
to decipher the name of your correspond
ent, it Is usually a heartbresking opera
ton. There is no attempt on the part of
the signatory to make his name legible
1t does not seem to occur to him that the
signature is a part of the letter that
should be as easy to read as the text
which precedes it. In France a mans
signature has the appearance of some
thing that he has invented, sort Of per-
sonal cipher to which he alone holds the
key. 1t must be taken as it stands, as a
whole, and not letter by letter.
Full of FIourishes.
1t commences with fourishing initial,
the tail end of which runs half way across
the page and sometimes describes an elon-
gated loop, inside of which the remainder
of the signature is accommodated. When
the last letter is reached the writer some-
times makes a backward dash through all
the letters ne has written, and ends with
whirl which adds the final touch of IL
| legality to the unreliable signature II
one does not know the writer, one is apt
to be angry, and II a reply to the Letter
is. imperative, the only way out of the
difficulty is that which / have seen en-
ployed by an English confrere, who, when
he cannot possibly make out his CORE
spondent's name, cuts his signature from
the letter and pastes it on the envelope.
Then he writes the word Monsieur be-
fore IT., adds the address, and posts 1t like
that | presume that when the postman
leaves the letter at the house, to which
1t Is addressed, the concierge peing quite
unable to guness who the missive Is for,
takes 1t around to all the tenants until
one of them proudly exelaims: "Mais oui,
Madame -; that's my signature"
I don't think Frenchmen are half SO
much annoyed as Englishmen when they
fail to make out the signature of a cor
respondent. Tbey are never In a hurry
| to answer letters, and / suppose they
| simply ignore the letter or wait till an
other one comes with the name written
more plainly. 1t should also be added, In
fairness to the more practical inhabitants
Of this country, that those who are too
proud OF their picturesque and illegible
signature to sacrifice 1t for the benefit of
their correspondents are in the habit of
rewriting their names quite plainly at
the top or bottom of the letter So that
|, one now and again receives q lester In
which there are two signatures; deco
rative one which IL only meant to be adj
mired--not read--and another which you
have no difficulty in making out as the
name of your correspondent.
A Good Printer.
One would imagine that people who
are in the habit of writing letters would
not be long In realizing that the word
which ought to be the most legibie Is the
signature. names being proper nouns
which one cannot reconstruct by induc-
ton. When one has to write for print
ers or the press, one quickly learns the
IDLY that there is no excuse for making
a mistake. Sarcey, the famous dramatic
critic, used to say: AT the 'Rappel'
have a marvellous printer. My writ
ing is very bad, but he finds his way
through 1t with incredible ease. He sees
what l intended to say, and he says it,
in the terms / use or In others. But he
says it. Sometimes there are liberals and
sometimes clips of one kind and another,
but never nonsense.
THAT is to say that he could almost do
your article himself?' said quizzical
friend.
.If l gave him the title, certainly. It's
very handy"
But the proper names?''
"Ah, that's true. But never put any.
I write CONNIE dit Tautre.' and the
printer puts CONNIE dit Montaigne And
as Montaisne said everything that does
very WE'LL
M Emile Farguet of the French acad-
envy relates of one OF his wise old pro
fessors whom the undergrads nicknamed
golcil that when the students had to pass
a written examination he used always TO
say to them sravely:
Sign your name at the bottom OF your
paper and put your name alongside your
signature"
The old man he'd learned by experience
that a signature-at least that OF a
Frenchman--is not q name but zizzag.