48 



THE AMERICAN MONTHLY 



[March, 



of society. The scientific expert 

 should be, in his hmited sphere, as 

 impartial as a judge ; and he should 

 appear in no cause where that 

 policy would be unwelcome. It 

 might be supposed that such a 

 course, if deserving no credit, which 

 it does not claim, would at least 

 protect from detraction or insult ; 

 but it will not. It will be respected, 

 I believe, by courts and by coun- 

 sellors of respectability and influ- 

 ence, and it is to be hoped that 

 some means may be found by which 

 it can be protected also ; but at 

 present it must expect sometimes to 

 sustain itself against disparage- 

 ment and insult from some person 

 who may have acquired the place, 

 without the character, of a counsel- 

 lor, who is none too honest to 

 excite ignorant prejudice against 

 notorious truth by the use of sneers 

 and derision, none too generous to 

 meet simple statements of facts 

 with the merely brutal force of 

 overbearing manners, none too 

 brave to insult a person who is in 

 his power, and none too well bred 

 to bring into the presence of gen- 

 tlemen, of honorable counsellors, 

 and of dignified judges, the meth- 

 ods, the manners and morals of a 

 coarser civilization. * * * * 

 " The examination of hand-writ- 

 ing, with a view to determine its 

 authorship, its genuineness, its age, 

 and whether or not it has been 

 altered from its original form and 

 intent, is one of the more recent 

 uses of our microscope, and one 

 the importance, reliability and fre- 

 quent applicability of which has 

 but recently become known, and is 

 even now not generally realized. 

 Perhaps this is to be accounted for 

 by the fact that large general 

 experience, judgment, and tact in 

 the use of the instrument, and skill 

 in the manipulation, though neces- 

 sary to this particular work, are not, 



in themselves an adequate prepara- 

 tion for it. Much special study, 

 and special practice, is required 

 before anything useful can be done, 

 or important should be attempted. 

 But to a person really at home in 

 the study of hand-writing, both 

 with and without the microscope, 

 this instrument furnishes a ready 

 means for its accurate analysis. 

 Those who are governed, not by 

 respect for the rights of others, but 

 only by the expectation of conse- 

 quences that shall effect themselves, 

 cannot learn too soon, or too well, 

 the fact' that writing can scarcely 

 be changed, after its original execu- 

 tion, so adroitly that the microscope 

 cannot detect the falsification. The 

 face of the paper when once marred, 

 by disturbing the position of the 

 fibres, can never be restored; and 

 hence, scratching and erasure can 

 be recognized though performed 

 with consummate skill, and not dis- 

 tinguishable by other means. Inks 

 which are alike to the unaided 

 eye, are marked under the lenses 

 by conspicuous differences of shade, 

 or color, or density, or purity, or 

 chemical composition. Lines which 

 look simple and honest, may show 

 themselves as retouched, or altered, 

 by the same or by a different hand 

 or pen or ink ; and lines drawn 

 upon new paper may look different 

 from those after it is old. The 

 microscope does not give any direct 

 information as to the precise age of 

 writing, but if used with sufficient 

 caution, it can determine (not so 

 easy or safe a task as might be 

 supposed) the relative age of super- 

 posed, crossing, or touching lines; 

 and it can generally state positively 

 whether lines were written before 

 or after related erasures, or scratch- 

 ings, or foldings or crumplings of 

 the paper. In one important case, 

 my friend Mr. Wm. E. Ilagan, of 

 Troy, who has given extensive and 



