| Show shall it be slanting or vertical QUESTION DISCUSSED from the standpoints of health and proficiency of he art for several aweeky the teachers of the city have had under discussion the subject ol 01 penmanship as to the relative rela tiye merita and demerits of the or slant and vertical systems the question is still an open one and one upon which the patrons of the schools am well the as teachers can profitably spend considerable time in consideration the following article has been prepared for the enquirer by a corn appointed by the teachers in connection with this article the committed comm ittes submits the following apeci mens of penmanship representing the two systems connecting curves a rate of speed can be attai aul chich would seem to be in vertical lines it is objected that few carry out this slant uniformly bufa it is also matter of that moat of the so called vertical writing either inclines forward or tends to backhand back hand the grand claim for the vertical writing ia its openness and perfect legibility something yom ething may be conceded upon this point yet if the seven principle st which combine to form all the letters both small and capital are accurately shaped and the spacing is done by tho perfect rule of me can be no illegibility the result is as clear as print when the superior grace and speed of writing aro taken into account may we nofa well hesitate at the thought of superseding it THE SYSTEM the Spence or slant system of penmanship is founded upon a theory 0 o simple yet so perfect aa to convince the judgment of its excellence while it wins enthusiastic approval for the grace and beauty oi its results abc the hands of an expert it is confidently declared that any and every one may become an expert who will intelligently study the theory and faithfully practice it the trouble it that the all round teacher whose main business is to develop the mental rather than the bodily powers has seldom the time or the enthusiasm for that constant drill necessary to the most perfect results As in drawing music and physical culture the highest and most uniform excellence ia attained in schools employing to deboto their bhole time to penmanship however very gratifying results may be obtained without this it was stated by tho superintendent oi schools of washington DC in 1871 six years after the adoption of the system that he had seen the copybooks of entire schools filled up with leaa penmanship not a single one that was not superior to the best that was produced before the introduction of this and an oral examination upon the subject is as interesting as any upon the program this is because of the simplicity and perfection of the theory which permits everything connected with the art to be so accurately described measured analyzed and illustrated that the un professional listener can grasp it perfectly though able to execute it but very imperfectly until after careful and tent practice at the basis of success lies drill in movement aitho same ing correct position since a choice of four positions including the front ia allowed and all may be used it would seem needless and an abuse of the system that such evils aa are now cited in a frightful list should result from it such as spinal curvature and ruined eyes A good position ol 01 the body arm and hand and a complete mastery of the four movements finger forearm fore arm combined and earm should be attained before enuch attention is eiven to the form of lettera lel tera or any copy ia required the movement all beine in the line of what seems to ba a natural slant of 62 degrees for th straight lines and 30 degreed for the |
