Penman's Art Journal (Volume 2) - Iampeth

Traveling Teachers of Pemnaiuhip.
As tbi8 seems to be a favorite theme for
dtscaseion by several of the leadiug con-
tributors of the various penmau's papers,
perhaps a few words from one who served
in the ranks for some time may not come
entirely amies. The theories and methods
of some who have never tried the realities
more than to make aeveral attempta which
have resulted for the most part in failure,
remiude me of some of our renowned
slratepists dnring the late nu pleasantness,
who, after the battle had been fought aud
lost, were always discovering some miraculous
pliin, which, had they been heard
and heeded, would have resulted in a
marvellous victory, nufortunately tliese
plana came everlastingly too late. The
forepart of the war developed an astouisli-
iiig number of just such generals, but as
time went on we found theories and
methods giving way to practical and stubborn
fact ; we found sober, modest men
rising from the ranks to take the place of
those whose ostentatious show of gold-lace
fuse and feathers waa all that could commend
them to public favor. In fact, we
saw a tanner come from his humble occu-
pation to assume command of one of the
grandest armies ever marched in the field
to lead it to victory. It may seem the
hdiighth of absurdity to some to try to draw
an analogy beti\ een the success of a general
in the field and a teacher of penmanship,
but we would do well to recollect what lias
been said by onH of the greatest liviug
authors, which is, that life in all its
various phases is a battle-field of labor,
and the teacher of penmanship in entering
the field, which I helifve is a pre-eminently
useful calling, enters a field in which rose-
colored downy beds of ease, and succes.s
are as far apart a« the equator and the
poles. Eternal vigilance, works, ability,
tact, talent, aud "Never say die," is the
price of true success.
There are few callings or professions requiring
gi-eater or more persistent effort
for success and in which a greater per centage
of these making the effort fail, than in
the profession of the traveling writing
teacher.
But the great point in the d
what is necessary to success.
Hinman and Shattuck wrote two very
good articles upon the subject some time
ago. I find however that Prof. Hinman's
ideas as regards teachers paying their attention
exclusively to large towns and
ignoring small ones altogether, rather con-
trary to my own experience, although I
have taufht for aeveral years in some of
the largest towns of the east aud west, and
many times I have had large classes in
some remote scliool district or districts,
clubbing together and securing a large
class, my expenses while teaching such
class would be very light compared with
large towns.
The ability to secure a school room is
one of the greatest hindrances that traveling
penmen have to encounter. There
seems to be a lurking prejudice by the
teachers of the pubUc schools everywhere
agamst them which seems to wax stronger
as time advances, and this is mainly for
reasons expressed by Prof. Shattuck, on
account of so many frauds in the profession,
the remedy suggested by him is a good one.
That there (ire some unmitigated scoundrels
who make their living by securing money
in advance from students and then dis-
appear, without rendering any equivalent,
has in some localities created a suspicion
and distrust of traveling teachers, and the
only remedy is for teachers to show them-
selves competent and worthy of patronage,
and collect their tuition near the close of
their term. If he does his duty he will not
lose mnoh of his pay. It should be borne
in mind that it is much harder to get up a
class in writing now than it was during the
flush times that immediately succeeded
the war, and of course ttiiUon, ic, has to
be put at much lower figures. I am aware
in advocating this reduction of prices will
THE PENMAN'S ART JOURNAL.
lay me open to attack from friend Hinman,
but I shall sustain my position with what
seems to me good argument and common
sense. It is a well known fact that those
who sustain our writing scbool«, and most
other schools for that matter, come from
the poor and middle classes, while the
high-toned rich nabobs comprise but a very
small part.
I believe that nearly or fully ninety per
cent, of our writing classes are composed
of the sons and daughters of the poor and
middle classes, except in rare cases. It
is also a well known fact that fully as large
a proportion of our successful business
men, millionaires, &c., come from this very
same class, I regard it then the very height
of absurdity for a teacher to put the tuition
BO very high in hard times like the present
so that none but a few {pampered aristo-
crats) can have the advantage of a course
of lessons. I have tried both methods myself,
and have seen others do the same, and
the universal verdict has been in favor of
moderate tuition ; the prices of everything
has declined within the post year or two,
and why should a teacher be extravagant
in hia demands more than any other person.
I believe the price for a course of lessons
as heretofore announced editorially in the
Penman's Akt JotniNAL altogether reasonable,
and I believe that a teacher would
be more apt to succeed on those prices
than on higher terms. As regards private
lessons, why this is quite another matter
for those that are rich and can afford to
pay for a private courae of instruction. 1
have often received fifty cents per person,
and considered that my services quite as
as beneficial, if not more so, than the music
teacher, who received the same for an
hour's instruction.
Which 1
" An eagle made a swoop from a high
rock, and carried off a lamb. A jackdaw,
who saw the exploit, thinking that he
could do the like, bore down with all the
force he could muster upon a ram, intend-
ing to bear him off as a prize. But his
claws becoming entangled in the wool, he
made such a flntteriug in his efforts to escape,
that the shepherd, seeing tbrougu
the whole matter, came up and caught
him, and having clipped his wings, carried
him home to his children at nightfall.
' What bird is this, father, that you have
brought us?' exclaimed the children.
'Why,' said he, * if you ask himself he
will tell you that he is an eagle ; but if you
will take my word for it, I know him to be
but a jackdaw,' "
The above fable, though originating in
the fertile brain of .Esop nearly six cen-
turies before the ChrLstian era, quite fully
foreshadows and embodies conditions at
present existing.
The teacher of penmanship who, by a
long course of training, has learned the
elements of letters, their combinations in
letters and words and the various movements
required in their formation, who
rigidly adheres to certain essentially excel-
lent and uuvariable forms, aud who im-
parts a knowledge of the same to his
pupils, may be likened to the eagle of the
faille, while the teacher who ignores all
rule, and relies wholly upon movement,
exercise, and a general unrestrained imita-
tion of a copy which, to correspond to his
peculiar system, or boasted lack of system,
must of necessity be imperfect and vari-
able, and who from such course antici-
pated greiiter practical results than by the
former method of teaching, shall find his
counterpart in the jackdaw of this same
fable; aud as he is not content with the
lamb of one approximately perfect style
of Penmanship, must needs be, pounce
upon the ram of free, unrestricted, incon-
stant and consequently impractical penmanship,
and there becoming entangled in
the wool of doubt and uncertainty (perhaps
having some of the wool pulled over his
eyes by uuscrupulous teachers who could
not bear the drudgery of careful intelli-
gent practice) he is captured by the shepherd
who is not a scribbler, or an "ink
slinger" and with wings clipped he is
taken home to the children and—the se-
quel is seen in the fable.
From a perusal of various articles which
have from time to time appeared in the
JoniiNAL, and from conversation with seve-
ral penmen of my acquaiutance, I learn
that the idea, although not a growing one,
yet prevails to a certain fortunately limited
extent, that to acquire a good business
hand-writing the pupil should be unlram-
elled by rules, and after becoming familiar
with movements should be left to " follow
hia own sweet will" in order that his
wi'ttiug shall be legible and rapidly exe-
cuted, aud thus meet the demauds of the
Now, I think it a fact conceded by all
that legibility and rapidity are the two
grand essentials of u business penman, but
I am far from admitting that these results
may be best attained by ignoring rules, or
in any degree abating their force.
If the pupil have before him an engraved
letter, and. taught its exact proportions,
and at first slowly, carefully and intelligently
draw it, either with finger, muscular,
whole arm or combined movement, he
shall by many repetitions attain to a men-
tal conception of its form, and his pen will
be moved in obedience to that mental con-
ception, aud by constant repetition he will
acquire the ability to write with ease, freedom
and exactness, and it is reasonable
to believe, with much greater rapidity than
would be the case were he to imitate a letter
which to-day shall be made one way
and to-morrow another way, vary it never
BO slightly.
Nor is this fact confined to penmanship alone.
The artisan can execute his work much
more rapidly if allowed to take his usual
course. Go to the shoemaker and get a pair
of shoes made to order, and although they
may not appear better than those in stock,
yet more time was required in their manufacture.
Order a coat from a tailor and
when you can get it you may fiud not one
stitch more upon the coat, nor any appearance
of additional time having been
required, but when you pay for it you will
think it made expressly for you. And thus
you will find through all the list of manufacturers,
or the professions or whatever
calling in which a man may engage that a
lack of uniformity retards the execution of
tlie work.
Aud movement.i alone count as nothing
without fixed principles of action to re-
strain. A few years ago there waa not a little
enthusiasm generated by the introduction
of a series of movement exercises cast in
metal and which were to be followed by a
correspondiug movement in the groove
thus made by pen, or wooden or metallic
point held as a pen is held, but that
enthusiasm soon met with a far deep-
er depression than the grooves in the
metal uutil now the fact of the existence
of such machinery is hardly known.
An adept may himself write with a con-
siderable degree of abandon, but to permit
a pupil to imitate such writing is the
height of absurdity ; for experience teaches
that the imitation is certain to be an exag-
geration of the deformity in the original.
To advise this freedom in the practice of a
youth is like giving him permisaiou to indulge
in Church lotteries, or gome other occasional
departure from the path of moral
rectitude—a few white lies, with now and
then a discolored one that he may enjoy
a little freedom, or that the moral barriers
may not seem so rigid and, so to speak,
"impractical." Ho can't be perfect, reason
they, why try to be ? He can't reach
the sun—why aim so high ?
There is a " broad rood" of license in
teoching i-enmanshp as well as in morality,
aud there is also the "narrow way" of uni-
formity, aud I prefer to be among those
who " fiud it ."
KiNGSViLLE, Ohio, April 1, 1878.
Pro/. D. T. Ames:
Dhae Sir—I have herein not only to acknowledge
the receipt of your last number
of The Penman's Art Jodrnal, but also
several other numbers which should have
been acknowledged before.
Of these numbers I will not say which ia
superior. 1 can imagine nothing more elegant
or better than either in this line. They
not only abound in choice articles that re-
vive old memwies and lost/riends, but are
rich in wholesome instruction, each num-
ber being embellished by superb bits of
art, not only redolent of progress, but
warmed by the ever creative brain and
cunning hand of genius and trained skill.
I feel greatly obliged for these favors, and
inclose a brief tribute to P. R. Speneer,
which you will dispose of as you think
best. Truly friendly to you, and >our enterprises,
and a well-wisher to yourself
and co-workers always.
I remain, truly yours,
H. P. Cooper.
PhUjADelphia, April 22, 1878.
Prof. Ames :
Deak Sir—The back numbers of the
Journal have just arrived, audi am very
glad that waa able to get them.
I regard your paper as being far in advance
of any periodical which has yet been
published on the subject of penmanship,
and I sincerely wish you the pecuniary success
which you so richly deserve.
Fraternally,
H. W. FUOKINOER.
the publishers of the JIotiu OueU, Boston,