Penman's Art Journal (Volume 2) - Iampeth

BuBtDCOR Colleges, occ
?nl SpeD cerlau Copy Books,
m.o.-T.r
PACKABU 8 BUSINESS COLLCfJE,
806 BBO^DWAY.
205 Broadwny, Now York.
S BUSI> ESS COLLGtiB.
"^^'Br"dl
urtb Street,
BROOKLYN, E. D.
APPLETON & CO.,
Eminent Penmen of Oldtn Times.
In 1750. Mr. Joseph Cljunipioii publit-hed
iu lioodon "ThePaballkl or Comparative
Penmanship Exemplified in four of
tbe oreatest original fobeion masters,
^p^ ^^^^-^'^^
sO
l->ubli»)io.l ilj", at MOS Bi-ond-way, loi- W 1 .00 per "Vt
Biekham, in " Penmanship in its Utmost
Beauty and Extent, published in 1731,
says ; " A very correct mauuscript of this
great man is now in tbe hands of Mr.
Zachary Chambers, which has for mauy
years been esteemed an inimitable performance
by all the judges that have ever
seen it ;
^^^H^'''i'E!i^^^
NEW YORK, JUNE, 1878. VOL. II. NO. 3.
but since his purchase of that in- hand, I have just fluisbed reading
valuable treasure he baa, through the dint
of a huppy genius and an unwearied in-
dustry and application, made tlie nei
advances of any man to the freedom
beauties of tliat surprising original ;" and
Massey, thirty years later, says: "Mr.
Chambers has in his possession an excel-
lent manuscript of the aforesaid Velde.
deemed the best thing of the kind iu the
kingdom. He purchased it of Mr. Beard,
a writiug muster near Radcliff Cross, for
tweuty-five guineas'* (about 6125).
LOO IS BARBEDOB
was a Frenchman, and published iu Paris
iu 1647. " He wrote a very large and curious
copy -book in various bauds. His
natural genius inclined him principally to
tbe practise of round hand, in which he
excelled. His beauties, however, our
British moderns have to their immortal
honor happily improved, as several curious
great philosopher Newton ; and yet the
latter was a man of more practical worth
to Eugl.-.nd aud the nations of the globe
Art and culture have long c
considered synonymous terms,
hard for us to picture au artist a
uncultivated being, expressing i
to be
son none of the teuder graces which transform
and illume the souls of others through
his thoughts and fancies. On tli
cle on the greatest inventor of
times, Edison, who has set the world agap
with his wonderful revelations in the realm
of science. The correspondent wlio was
admitted to an interview with this remarkable
man describes him as n raw, unkempt,
carelessly-dressed individual, " with a large
quid of tobacco continually in his cheek."
Now, I do not suppose that the phonograph
will suffer one whit in the estimation of the
people for this bit of disclosure, but what
should we thiult of "Hiawatha"—a pro-
duction almost as unique, in its way, as
the invention of our young scientist—had
some newspaper reporter found Mr. Long-
lellow iu his literary workshop defiling the
floor with tobacco juice, aud coutiadiotiug
by his crude aud careless appearance every
sweet thought and rau fancy in that bit of
»aarveIloUb metre I
So far, then, as a man is an artist, we
love for beautiful forms and such a facility
iu producing them as to really elevate and
ennoble their thoughts and lives. For why
should not one brancli of true art possess
as potent au influence for good as another ?
and why should this must practical and
simple of all the departments of art be in-
ferior to its supplements in elevating tho
human mind and heart ? To teachers of
this delightful and useful art, therefore, say
I, God-speed ; and may the time soon
come when every man, woman and child in
the land shall learn the beauty and depth
of culture which may lie in that little wand
of wonder, the Pen.
Trifles Necessary to Good Penmanship.
" The immortal Velde stands in the first
than the blank surface of the
rank, whose sheet itself,
very faiUts (if any) I know not
e, then, a natural taste
the uiRU that
in
hath most minds quested
ability to copy. We
me to call
bave than
on him when lie
all the bay-crowued
got his
poeU of the cen- for this
a manuscript
form of art,
of
this
his gate-way
in
to
England the clofes fairly
but
under
imperturies. Such
way ; which I promised
is the power of art, 3uch its
fect; thu
great D temple (tt curious
of culture ;
sprigged
aud by following
letter),
to do. At a
be-
certain
influence
time I
upon called
our on him,
lives aa individuals, as
ing onfortouately this inclination.
lost."
I believe that the more and found, by tbe
nations, as men.
many
uncultivated i
ight attain snch a dissatisfaction, that everything was not
Make tl
ilghty o
e tliouKli t
Make the uUgbtr ugttu of eternity."
These were words that we learned when
a child, and how often have we thought of
them since when teaching penmanship,
and how profoun*'' impressed have we
been with that grand old truth, that if
wou'd aacceed, let us look well to minor
details in every particular. The neglect to
attend to trifles has been the cause of more
Tiz. : L. Muterot, J. Vandni Velde, '9
L.
in this undertaking (Biekham's
Barbedvr, Ambrose Perlimj.^' It coutfliua aanship in its Utmost Beauty and
tweuty-foiir oblong folio plittes and (oui'
at), will undoubtedly dL-munslrate.
piigeH of letter press. Mr, Tliorowgood
eii«riived it. The whole is iiu elaborate
aud curioue performance, and Mr. Thorowgood,
though he performed tlie part of a
curious euKraver, acknowledges that no
graver am /uUt/ come up to the neatness,
spirit and freedom that there is in the
author's hand.
In Eoglish works on penmanship frequent
mention ia made of the names
mentioned above aa the equal, if not tbe
superiors, of their cotempniary English
penmen. The information I can glean
so meagre that I purpose to present in th
article all I am able to learn about tliem,
"
was an Italuiu of Aviguon. " His genius
led him to the sole practice of tbe Italian
hand, which he executed after so exceedingly
neat and beautiful a manner that he
flourished without a rival, was the admiration
of all his cotemporary professori*
and the darliny of the hidies. He oblij/ed
the world by his productions in the year of
our Lord 1604."
was a Dutchman of Rotterdam {Massey
says of Antwerp). cotemporary with
Materot, hi.s works were published at
Amsterdam in 1605. He principally
studied aud practised the beauties of the
German text. In an essay on the Art of
Wriling. by Roliert More, writiug miitster,
published in the second part of '• look to him for culture aud beauty of
character, for purity, eloquence, nobility, failures than any one thing thati have ever
aud all the finer characteristics of the soul. wn, both as regards teachers of pen-
Nature's nobleman is not, according to tlie ship and those engaged in various other
old proverb, her child of toil, but her child pursuits. A little neglect may breed great
" Ambrof-e Perling not only wrote but
pathy, of quick heart, of vivid mischief ; for want of a nail the shoe was
engraved his copies ; wat the nest exqui-
When we attempt to single out lost, for want of a shoe the horse was lost
site master that was distinguished iu Hol-
markable means of culture, we and for want of a horse the rider was lost,
land. He made the round hand, as being find that no instrument has felt tlie touch being overtaken and slain by the enemy ;
best adapted to business, his more ic of master- fingers so often as the pen. These all for want of a little care about a horse-
diate study, and the freedom that appeared idols of art, these adorable geniuses, have shoo nail. Precisely in the very same
in his originala had a grace inexpressibl impiessed themselves upon humanity manner have we known writiug teachers,
He published his works at Amsterdam through so simple i
a medium as a point of who were well qualifled in every other
1679-1685."
clefted steel I The world is aglow to-day particular, to fail iguominously by their
These sketches, brief as they are, gi\ with the sunset fancies of how t
non-attention to the trifling details of the
about all that can be learned of these one wliose only wand of transformat:
business. Some that were able to make
prominent writing mufters, and will sen hollow reed and a cup of gall ! H
splendid specimens of penmanship have
to give some general knowledge to the can we lail to honor tlie pen, that puny made most dismal failures as teachers, be-
reader, of four men not born on Euglish agent of so much light and beauty ? cause they could not be made to under-
soil, prominent among the penmen of But it is not in this trite aspect that I stand this one vital and essential element
olden times.
wish to present to you the pen as a m of success. In a recently contested will
of culture. There is another view w case, in the city of Philadelphia, the trifliug
is equally striking
The Pen as a
and less familiar, error of
Means of
an attorney who left
Culture.
out one word
refer to the culture which may be der cost his clients $500,000. Well begun
from the mere wieldituj of the pen, apart ia half done, is a time honored maxim,
t, more than any other element, has from the thoughts which its passage over and in nothing is it more applicable than
id to raise man m his gradual attain- paper transcribes. There is probably no in learning to write. Who ever saw a
t of civilization aud culture. The .simpler, more voluntary exercise in form teacher who commenced right, was
Histhetic
care-
part of our natures is far m and symmetry than tliat aflorded by the ful to seize upon every opportunity,
largely endowed how-
than the practical pen. Give a boy the means of writing, ever trifling, to contribute to his suooeas,
philosophical ; and it is by a constant and he will eventually produce pleasing ever fail? Just how failures
emulation
occur
of the
by
beautiful and tbe pleas- forms. It oomes natural to follow the flow neglecting trifles is the point
ing that
that mau I am
acquires nobihty, purity aud interlacing of the manifold letters, to sure is a vital factor in
and
the problem,
hiftiuess that
of character. Witness this reproduce in rapid succession the same sbould by no means
natund
be ignored.
tendency in the surpassing adora- studies which masters of the art in all I will give an illustration
tion
of
which the world
a young, in-
pays to its artists, ita
ave exhausted their skill upon. experienced teacher whom I
poeta, was
paiutera,
acquaint-
composers, authors, arclii- On the other hand, provide a boy with
is
Natural tecta. How much a
dearer
grad-
the name of John ketching materials,
Writing." by
aud in nine ctrses
George out uate of a first-class
Sliellev, London, AMilton commercial college
U> English and
lips than tliat of the .f every ten he will
1714. I find the
succeed in
following producing good
notire penman ; of Velde
came out west, as many
:
miy a senseless blur, no more like his copy do. to teach writing. He said he was
going to teach at a certain place, and re-
;