The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1927-11-25

tendency toward the socalled "mir.
rOr'' or reversed writing, although
not all left-handed persons have that
tendency.
A short time ago one of the news
pictures which was widely published
in this country was that of Willie
Cozens of London, Eng, a six-year-old
boy who was described as suffering
from rare ailment. He is physically
normal, but because of peculiar
development of the brain he writes
backwards, beginning at the right
side of the paper and writing all the
letters the wrong way round" AS
matter of fact Willie's habit of writ
ing his name "snezoC mailliW" (only
the letters themselves are also re-
versed) is not ''rare ailment" at
all. 1t is rather common, as the
testimony of DR.. Robert Kingman of
Brooklyn, N. Y, physician who has
made special study of mirror" writ
ing, will show. He says:
In nearly every school there are
several left-handed first graders who
will annoy their teachers and alarm
their parents by insisting on writing
words backward, as "elppa" for ZAP
ple." They may also copy numbers
backward, as 1894" for 1882" Unfortu-
nately there are many teachers and
parents who stigmatize such a child
as predetermined" or queer" They
ridicule him and force him to write
with his right hand only. Many girls
and boys are afflicted with suffering
and other nervous disorders from just
such coercion. If allowed to use their
left hand they could learn to write
the conventional way and later be-
come ambidextrous.
Ambidexterity is advisable as a
means to promote symmetrical develop
ment of body and mind. Bimanual dex-
terity is of practical advantage to ball
players, carpenters and surgeons. The
hero of the western movie thriller
always saves his fair lady with two
handed gun play, and there seems
sound reason for the belief that two
handed facility would serve equally
well in real life.
AS a matter Of fact, mirror writ
ing is the easiest and most natural
movement for any unframed person
who holds pen in the left hand,
This is true because outward move
ments are easier than inward move
ments. I know personally of many
cases where adults of high intelli-
gence reverted to mirror writing I'M
consciously at some period of their
life.
According to Doctor Kingman,
there are two different centers for
the act of writing as for all other
muscular movements. One is parti-
ally suppressed by modern habit and
often tries to work at the same time
as the other. When the child tries
to learn a skilled movement with the
right hand he cannot prevent the
left hand from following with the
same movement. SO the left hand
when it produces mirror writing uses
muscle movements that are natural
because the brain centers for mirror
writing unconsciously are formed
symmetrically with those for the right
hand. Because our system of educa-
ton is one-sided the mirror-writing
pressed but they are potentially
available just the same. They crop
out in the left-handed person but
that is not a sign of "queerness" at
all. It is simply the "throwback.
If your child is left-handed, don't
try to "break him of it." encourage
him to use his right hand more, to
become ambidextrous, thus promot-
ing that symmetrical development
of body and mind" of which Doctor
Kingman speaks.