Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1917-03-15
PALMER AND HIS PENMANsHIP.

A chap whose nam is Palmer lis spending some time and money hintro-
|ducng his system of business pennanship into the public schools
We wish ito commend the system. 1t is a sort of easy, free, running
hand whose style every bookkeeper should use a a model. We say book
keeper because this is about the only person in a business institution who
Yields a pen. The typewriter is employed for the correspondence. q
But we wish to pause here long enough to remark that this Mr. Palmer
this Professor Palner-iolates his own rules in his first and perhaps only
signature in his book of elementary instruction. Throughout this booklet
appears an admonton concerning shading. Don't shade" Don't shade"
Don't shade" is the reiterated caution.
But each of the capitals in the mans engraved signature, o n about the
second or third page, is shaded. "a. N Palmer" it reads, and we repeat
that the A. the N and the P are shaded
But never mind about that. What We intended at the outsett to speak
of Inc particular is the suggestion by this professor of penmanship, who fails
to observe his own rules, that each teacher be required to pass n examina-
ton in pennanship- not merely the principles, as laid down in the system.
but in the penmanship itself
Take it from" one who, in his youth, taught penmanship, among other
things, but whose handwriting now bellies the assertion, that ony about one
in ten, possibly We should Ia me in FIVE, although W e think the former
estimate is nearer the truth, is capable of successfully passing such an
examination without devotng at least me hour a day, in season and out of
season, to practice. Many would have to practice two hours a day. That is
to say, the teachers, in order to keep their hand in" sufficiently to receive
the o. K OF this professor of penmanship, who fogets his W rules, must
practice from ne to two hours a day, week in, week out.
WHAT'S the result? The teachers will feel the need of attending the
summer school taught by this professor who breaks away from the rules he
pescdbes for others. There's another alternative, true enough: nervous
prosration and the hospital for the teachers.
A penman, like a poet. is born, nc made. True, Scarcely a boy or girl
ives cannot acquire a fair measure of decent penmanship, but 'tn the
majority of cases it requires much application to retain the ability to prov it.
The teacher should be well grounded in the principles oft the system.b but
II uos not follow that she must be able to reproduce a copperplate hand to
be capable of nstrucing the pupils sin this part of the curriculum.
Again, while it is essential that all pupils be reasonably proficient in
penmanship, we have often wondered whether it is possible. A large-a very
a small percentage become and continue to be proficient penmen, speaking
from a technical standnont Tbev ao reouirad 70 rooito 49,. - 80.
lesson in writing. We think that from one-ffh to onefourth of the six
hours spent in the school room is devoted to writing. The Technique"
o. penmansh1p cannot be borne in mind when they are doing" their lessons
II they are TIC DO them. What little they acquire of the art in their lessons
IN penmanshp is knocked out of them in the haste which they must exer.
else in the other writing that is demanded of them.
How al We expect decent penmannp under the circumstances? WIN
should W e demand that u teachers become and remain expert penmen?
Ihey do not "set" the copy. The professor Of penmanship, whose very bad
example in the booklet stares at every teacher and every pupil, does that for