PENMANSHIP 



4561 



PENN 



will give control over the movements of the 

 hand and arm in the formation of these char- 

 acters is the foundation of all good penmanship. 

 It is therefore essential that one desiring to im- 

 prove his penmanship should make a right be- 

 ginning. 



1. Foffltion. Sit squarely in front of the desk 

 and turn the paper so that the front edge will 

 form an angle of about forty-five degrees with 

 the edge of the desk. Sit fairly erect, with both 

 feet on the floor. 



Holding the 

 Pen. Fig. 1 shows 

 the correct meth- 

 od of holding the 

 pen. The penhold- 

 er should point to 

 the shoulder, and 

 the forearm 

 should rest upon 



wrist POSITION OF HAND 

 and the elbow. The tips of the third and fourth 

 fingers should rest lightly on the paper. 



r*t Set of Exerelaeg. Remember that 

 all practice is for the purpose of gaining freedom 

 and accuracy of movement. With the pen in 

 hand, but without 

 ink, slide the hand 

 over the paper 

 from left to right 

 and back, allow- FIG. 2 



Ing the third and . This exercise should extend 



fourth flno-pra * n m one broad sweep across the 

 fingers to 8neet Paper that hag already 



rest lightly upon been written on may be used, 

 the paper. Dip as a matter of economy, 

 the pen in Ink and make lines like those in Fig. 

 This movement should be made entirely by 

 the arm. 



The second ex- 

 ercise con.- 

 what is sometimes 

 called the "push 



and pull" move- WrltP flrst the hefght Qf 

 ment and results two ontlre lines on the paper, 

 in slanting tnen tne height of one 

 straight lines as 

 shown In Fig. 3. 



The third exer- 

 cise Is a combina- 

 tion of the flrst FIG. 4 (a) 

 and second In the Write In space of two lines, 

 making of the then ln "P* 06 of one lll e- 

 oval, as i 1 1 u s - ^^^^aKB^HMHnt. 

 trated In Fig. 4. 



These exercises 

 all require large 

 movements, be- FIG. 4 (ft) 



cause the correct . , To b< in dou- 



movement Is ac- ' *Pace and in single space, 

 quired much more easily by beginning In this 

 Continued practice will enable one to bring 

 these movements down to space required for legi- 

 ble and rapid writing. 



4. rr..,ni s, , ,,, iA,. r ,.ui. The flrst exer- 

 cises constitute the flmt step towards the desired 

 en. I The next utep O 

 movements, as in the formation of the ova 



380 



5). After covering a page or two with ovals 

 made by the direct movement, make a page of 

 ovals by reversing the movements, letting the 



oooooooooo 



FIG. 5 



downward stroke form the right side of the char- 

 acter. 



Resort again to 

 the sliding move- 

 ment from left to 

 right and back, 

 but form straight 

 lines instead of 

 curves. This is FIa 6 



more difficult than Draw P n entirely across 

 .. - . page for flrst practice, then 



the first exercise. sn0 rten the strokes. 

 See Fig. 6. 



5. Third Set of Exercises. The third step 

 s in combining the movements already 

 practiced in the formation of letters. Fig. 7 

 shows how the C Is formed from the oval. The 

 small loop should be made with the finger move- 

 ment. In Fig. 8 



the oval is trans- 

 formed into the 

 E. A is a combi- 

 nation of the oval 



S& 

 ( ^/ ( 





and the straight line (Fig. 9). The loop and the 

 oval are the basis of capital 8. (Fig. 10). 



FIG. 8 



FIG. 9 



Enough illustrations have been given to show 

 one how to train himself in penmanship. The 

 same movements and principles apply to the 

 formation of both capitals and small letters. It 

 is a good plan to practice each exfrcise for a 



FIG. 10 



few minutes every day, since this gives the 

 muscles daily training. Such a plan will lead 

 to more rapid advancement than will longer 

 periods devoted to the work once to twice a 

 week. WJA. 



PENN, WILLIAM (1644-1718), the founder of 

 iisylvania, and the world's best-known mem- 

 ber of the Society of Friends, or Quakers, was 

 born in London, October 14, 1644. His father 

 was one of the most famous of English 

 mirals and was abje by his wealth and influ- 



