Bisbee daily review., 1911-10-05
PALMER SYSTEM
 OF PENhANSHIP
How AdzonanS Are Taught Simplicity and Uni-
 formity

trance, an expert In the new Palmer method of writing which has been adopted by the territory of Arizona. | The new system is a sign of the times. Its characteristic is simplicity un. adorned and 1t is as true in writing as well as in other things that un- adorned simplicity is the most beau tiful, that-delieate lines are the more entrancing.
 lt IS not a catch phrase that the sign of the times is written in the Palmer system of handwriting" 1t is a statement Of fact. The art of writing, putting thoughts into black and white, has progressed since Adam. What our common ancestors writing was like we have no knowl- 4 edge, but more than likeiy each can ital letter resembled. with all of it's curves and fancy fandagos, a Chinese dragon or the Gorgon's head Prog lfess in handwriting has been towards simplicity. Curl by curl. and curve by curve, the adornment of written English has dropped under the scis- sors of practicality.
 What may be regarded as the re- suit Of the pruning of hundreds of years is the Palnser method of writ ing. To see what the system is de- scended from one must turn to the Declaration of Independence and see the John Hancocks" Of the signers Of that immortal instrument. They probably had no idea that they were dolng anything more than signing a note of protest or regret to George of
 England and we may assume that they wrote in everyday style. But one wonders if their Sunday English wore a fsncier dress.
 In those days writing ones name
 vas a laborious process, at least to many of our forebears. It in- voived ramming ones tongue into the jaw. fussing with a goose-auill and with poke-berry ink and with a kind of paper that only a starving goat would eat. With the improvement of writing material. however. it was only natural that writing should improve. The adoption of the Palmer system in the schools of Arizona means not
 only better kind of writing and a more useful kind. but also uniformjty of writing. This system will be taught in every school in Arizona and
 while this does not mean that the next generation of Arizonans will be ? foTgers of the writing of the present ], generation, the writing will be the same in principle The Palmer sys. tenn is a slant system acquired by a muscular movement. It is written with the least inconvenience and the [ maximum of comfort. The study of the system involves the study of he
 primary principles of physical train ing.
 Another feature of the system is
 that there is no shading of letters . and the barbaric stub pen-a relic of the days when Adam wrote his
 name in the sand with the point of e
 stone axe-is outlawed. Tn its simple elegant lines the new system is like Grecian architecture. rather than the
 ''fussy" Roman architecture
 It was not for Architectural beau ty, however. that the Palmer system. was endorsed and adopted by the
 Arizona board of education, hut rather
 for it's commercial adaptability and
 this explains why the system is a sign Of the times. It is an acknowl- I edgment that this is the age of com $ mercialism and inddstrialism and the
 need Of system of writing that is
 uniform, legible and easy and con- I venient of attainment was the de- Irand that resuJ ed in the Palmer
 system. Formerly the old school
 master would go to the blackboard. pick up a piece Of chalk and while inc youngsters looked on in a trance l. of amazement, he would inscribe a
 name and with few dashes Of the chalk a cuckoo would stand forth from the lettering and-crow? No not P that. That was the weakness of the
 system. Its gaudy swans and birds
 had no voice. This was but another
 form of tle hieroglyphics of the bar
 bsrians and illustrates the nearness of kin 10 John. of the Stone Axe, Cave No. ], Huackucas.
 Miss Severance is the representa- [ tive of the publishers of the text ] books of the new system and is in-
 troducing the system in Arizona
 schools. Dr. Blome said Tuesday
 night that Arizona had more children : in school. per capita, than any state
 in the union. Arizona has more
 newspapers receiving the daily re-
 port of the Associated Press than Alabama. Arizona Is the first western . state to adopt the new commercial style of penmanship. Tn this respect
 it comes second to the large cities of the east. New York. Chicago, Boston. A generation ago Arizona, excelled in the art of writing ones name on
 the side of a school house with the bullets of a six-shooter. Today, it is second in polite. nice art of penman- ship. Times flies but it makes a
 lightning change makeup in flight
 Miss Severance finds the teachers
 of Cochise county very apt in learn.
 ing the new system. One of it's fea- lures, in fact. is ease of accomplish ment. Of course Boston isn't typical
 but in Boston, one school teacher, woman, 76 years of age. learned the ] system with 8 few weeks instruction.
 Miss Severance will leave Sunday for Thatcher. where she will give instruc-
 ton at an institute in that county.