LESSONS IN PENMANSHIP. 



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SPECIMEN OF HANDWRITING APPROVED BY HER MAJESTY'S CIVIL SERVICE 

 COMMIS8IONEE8. NO. 1. 



LESSONS IN PENMANSHIP. XXVII. 



<m'KlAI, HANDWRITING. I. 



IN our early lessons in Penmanship after giving the necessary 

 preliminary instructions for regulating tho position of tho hand, 

 arm, and body when engaged in writing, and the proper modo 

 of -holding tho pen we furnished the learner with ample details 

 respecting tho formation of tho small letters of the writing 

 alphabet, and brought him forward on his way, step by step, 

 until he was able to write words and sentences involving the in- 

 tr lii'-tion of capital letters and figures. The copy-slips set 

 before him, as examples for practice and illustrations of all that 

 was advanced in 

 our lessons, were 

 of such a nature 

 that he was per- 

 force compelled to 

 copy them slowly 

 and deliberately, 

 in order to become 

 acquainted with 

 the forms of the 

 letters and their 

 relative propor- 

 tions, and to give 

 each up-stroke and 

 down - stroke its 

 proper thickness, 

 inclination, and 

 curvature, which 

 he could not have 

 done had he at- 

 tempted to exe- 

 cute his task with 

 the rapidity with which writing of an ordinary kind is written. 



In order to write legibly, the first and most essential step is 

 to acquire tho habit of forming the letters of the writing alpha- 

 bet correctly ; copying each letter, whether singly or in combi- 

 nation with others, with the utmost core, and writing it slowly 

 so as to gain sufficient time to note the shape of every part of it 

 and its direction before imitating it with the pen or pencil. This 

 degree of proficiency in writing, the only safe and sure basis and 

 foundation of a clear and legible hand, we may fairly suppose 

 all to have attained, who have been endeavouring to teach them- 

 selves how to 

 write by means 

 of the instruc- 

 tions given in 

 our previous 

 lessons. Hav- 

 ing got thus 

 far, it will now 

 be necessary 

 for them to 

 endeavour to 

 write rapidly as 

 well as clearly, 

 taking care, 

 however, that 

 they do not 

 sacrifice legibi- 

 lity and plain- 

 ness in causing 

 the pen to 

 move over tho 

 paper with too 



great a degree of quickness. And here' it is necessary for us to 

 say, that although we have done as much as is possible to give 

 each learner the clearest instructions for making the letters of 

 the writing alphabet, the ultimate formation of his handwriting, 

 or, in other words, the adoption and acquirement of certain dis- 

 tinctive peculiarities that will eventually give a special charac- 

 ter to his writing as he gradually becomes less and less of a 

 mere copyist, imitating in every detail the set shape, inclination, 

 and curvature of the letters set before him, must rest entirely 

 with himself. His handwriting must be based, it is true, on tho 

 instructions we have given, and the more closely he adheres to 

 them the more legible his writing will be. But having helped 

 29 XK. 



him thus far on hi* way, the rent remain* entirely with himtelf; 

 the beat and only thing indeed that we can do to aid him in tho 

 acquirement of a distinctive and characterintic form of hand- 

 writing being to place before him model*, consisting of varioo* 

 styles of writing, that have been approved by person* who are 

 competent judges of what i* desirable in handwriting calcu- 

 lated for the government office, the solicitor'* desk, or the mer- 

 chant's counting-house. 



As many of our readers are doubtless desirous of entering the 

 Civil Service, and are anxious to know what style of writing 

 will be deemed satisfactory by the examiners appointed to test 

 the qualifications of candidates, we bring under their notice, in 



V 





Za^isC 



SPECIMEN OF HANDWRITING APPROVED BY HER MAJESTY'S CTVTL SERVICE 

 COMMISSIONERS. NO. 2. 



two specimens 

 of official hand- 

 writing which 

 have met with the 

 approval of Her 

 Majesty's Civil 

 Service Commis- 

 sioners, and of 

 which we have 

 their kind per- 

 mission to give 

 the accompanying 

 fac-similes. We 

 append an extract 

 from the report 

 itself, from which, 

 aided by a careful 

 study of the ac- 

 companying spe- 

 cimens of hand- 

 writing, oar 



readers will be able to form a clear idea of what is required of 

 candidates for the Civil Service, as far as writing is concerned. 



" In our former reports," say the Commissioners, " we have 

 observed upon tho importance which we attach to good hand- 

 writing, as one of the most useful accomplishments which a clerk 

 can possess, and one which any young man has it in his power 

 to acquire. We believe that the effect of our examinations has 

 been, upon the whole, to improve the general stylo of writing for 

 official purposes. There is, however, room for much further 

 improvement. In consequence, probably, of the insufficient 



attention paid 

 to the subject 

 in schools, the 

 qnantityof bad 

 handwriting 

 which comas 

 before us is 

 still very 

 great; and we 

 are therefore 

 unable.without 



venience to the 

 public depart- 

 mente.by delay 

 in supplying 

 vacancies, to 

 enforce so higt 

 a standard in 

 this respect as 

 we should de- 

 sire. It is 



almost superfluous to state that we do not demand or desire that 

 the writing should be of any particular $t<jl<.\ provided that it 

 possesses the main characteristic of legibility. What we require, 

 as candidates are invariably informed, is ' the clear formation of 

 the letters of the alphabet.' " 



Speaking of the accompanying specimens of official writing, 

 which are fac-similes of documents written in one of the public 

 offices, tho Commissioners further say, " Representing, as they 

 do, the ordinary current work of the writers, they are not given 

 as free from faults ; but we think that they will show that the 

 essential quality of distinctness may be obtained without the 

 sacrifice of other desirable elements of a good official hand." 



