Penman's Art Journal (Volume 2) - Iampeth

Published IVIoiithly, at SOS Bi-oad^vay, for SI.OO pr
ntSB
. AMES, KdUor and Proprietor.
. HELLEY, AnHOclale Editor. NEW YORK, OCTOBER, 1878. VOL. II. NO. 7.
- II. SIIATTUt'l
I^KOICGIi ST1.1IP60N, Jr.,
EXPERT AND PENMAN.
BUNINESN COLLEfJG,
BUOUELTIf, E. D,
and PUBLISHEn,
list, he threw it into a mortar, and be-
stir it vigorovisly, dilating all the while
f dangerous character of the compound
iitiiig that he was grievously affected
:u-t disease, and liable to drop dead at
'lui'iit : at last he made the startling
>ii that, shoidd be stop stirring that
for only one second the whole build-
II its occupants would be blown into
In two minutes there was not a single
the mails of the United States, nine hundi'ed two legs, a share of the time, with one foot c sured them, and showed them that they had
millions of letters, (including postal curds). the floor, extended as far in the rear as possibl gone to work in a wrong direction. I think
Estimating the letter-writing population of and the other lost in the maze of the rounds no commercial college is excusable for graduating
a young man who cannot spell properly.
Another very important element in a busi-
the country at thirty millions each peraon
wrote one letter every ten days, or, estimating
only one tenth of such population to be engaged
in business requiring any considerable
amount of correspondence, and there was one
business letter per day written by each person.
There go to the Dead Letter Office on
paring themselves for the discharge of the active
duties of life. About one out of every
four hundred of these attend business col-
leges. Prom these figures we get certain
other facts. Firsts that a very considerable
portion of communication between man and
man, and especially between business men is
conducted through the medium of written
should be able to give one clear, well defined
arbitrary form of business letter. Most young
men have about as clear an idea of a business
letter as they have of ozone, and a variety of
forms tends to confuse them, and strengthen
them in the notion that letter wTiting is not an
art. The teacher's first duly therefore should
be to convince the scholar that there is a standard
form for writing a letter, and then to
drill him untU he is thoroughly familiar with
it. Of course he shoidd give a logical reason
of his chair, Ids head reclining upon his left
arm, and making with his tongue imaginary
characters, to correspond with those made
with the pen. Then, mistakes would d
these were rubbed out with the finger, and the
spot, inked over and wiped off with the coat-
sleeve. The pen was plunged deeply into the
ink-bottle and with thumb and finger, and
quantity of ink will go farther than any other
known commodity. Then some thoughts
were too large for ordinary utterance, these
began with capitals. The suiierscriptiou began
on the very uppermost margin of the envelope,
a one cent stamp adorned the upper
left band corner, and a big blot the lower
and this is one way of writing a business let-
ter. Another way is to first obtain the very
best materials in the market. We ought
exercise Ofc much taste in selecting our
is was Charles Fox, who when he was appointed
Secretary of State in England under King
George, being taunted with bad penmanship
In fact there is no part of the curriculum of a
commercial college more important than penmanship.
Second,
ness letter is the
Very early in the course of his commercial
studies a student should be instructed in form-
ing a signatm-e ; not a splurgy, tangled, unin-
account of deficiencies in the address, or lack
telligible mass of letters, but one plain, legible,
of postage, four and a half miUions of letters, clean linen on, he demonstrated, that a given
and always the same. and this signature should
annually. There are twelve millions of the
appear in an unvarying form on all letters, and
youth of this country attending school, pre-
on all commercial paper. I now come to the
thought, expressed, in the expression
It is a terse one, and one full of meaning. The
direct inference is that we should not mix up
extraneous affairs with business. Social and
domestic affairs are out of place in a business
letter. One of the best business men I ever
I
I
letters. Second, there is in general a lamenta.
knew, andoneof the most successful was cold,
ble deficiency, on the part of the people, in
rigid, and arbitrary, in business, but in dom-
§ UNION nUSIN£»!UINfi COffiniURCIAL COL,LBGE,
regard to letter writing. Third, that the
as our clothing, they ought to be regardi
estic affairs, away from his business, he was
utility of schools in preparing the youth of our ceiiain on indication of a person's taste a one of the kindest and most genial of men.
country for the discharge of the active duties
clothes he wears. You would not expect Hit-
Social and domestic affairs shotdd not be min-
is unquestioned in the United States. Fourth: chie to execute a fine steel engraving with a cold
gled with business correspondence. If it is
that business colleges in taking one out of
chisel, I defy a man to wi-ite a perfect letter
desired to communi wiw travelling in the north of Scot- let you know that 1 am well, with the excep- are, fir»t, penmanship ; second, orthogi*aphy ; I think one of the most important duties of
At ouo place where he stopped the tion of a bad cold, and " hope you are enjoy, third, the addi-ess of the writer fuurth, the
; the commercial teacher is to thoroughly in-
tors of the hall told him that for a the- iug the same blessing." I have no doubt you date ; fifth, the name and address of the parform himself in regard to the regulations
p-Tforiiiauce he eould
and
get no audience, have all seen just such letters.
ty, to whom the letter is written ; sixth, the customs of business houses thi'oughout
Uio people
the
there were all fond of Sci-
salutation seventh, ; the body of the letter,
country. It ia
licy would come
no disgrace for a teacher to
to hear a lecture upon
eighth, the complimentary conclusion ; ninth question business
any sL-ientific subject. He knew
men of
iioth-
ave known experience
at least three divisions :
the signature. It is not necessary for me to
si'iciice, but his pockets Wfre
and reputation, concerning their business cub.
empty, first, mechanical construction ; second, the
explain to you each of these in detail but I
iiu'lhiug had to bo done,
toms. I
so he boldly thought expressed
have never yet found
; third, the manner
one who was
of ex-
desire to briefly refer to a few of them. First,
I' I'd a lecture
not willing
upon Chemistry, trust. pressing
and anxioys to communicate
those thoughts. Let
such
us look for a
Ins wit to carry him through.
information. When few moments
The commercial teacher will
at the mechanical construction
The penmanship of a business letter
II raiiu- he had a very
ought
large audioncc, of a business letter. I am
obtam in this way some of the
aware
most
that
practical
there
to be as perfect as it is possible for
ill II Li-ydeu-jar.
the writer
a retort and some are a great many and valuable information possible to
well authorized forms,
obtain,
but I
to make it, and no lIi.s 111- performed a few
person with unimpaired
simple experi- believe that every and let us bear in mind that it is just this
teacher of this
in-
branch
faculties is too old to
rfoni
learn to write. I
them; then taking a
think
quantity formation which
of
we are paid for imparting to
our pupils.
L
After the subject for a business letter has
been given out ; first, let there be the fullest
actuallysecured the services of awriting teach- discussion concerning this subject, its relaer
to improve his hand-writing. Poor pento each party and all the ciroumatanoea
manship should not be tnlerated for a moment bearing upon it- I prefer to do this when
in the exercise of business correspondence. the subject of the letter is given out. In
this way the student is given an opportunity
for the exercise of his judgment in writing
the letter. For instance,
i< mainiu^ in the house, except the lec- for every feature in the letter. Having the
aA oiwistaut who gathered the spoils and correct form for a business letter, the pupil
is a weakness of mine that I never coidd
1 is an application for a situation. The
I) I .-^ay that if I made this a profound should be made to understand that there are fully respect a person that coidda't spell cor- teacher of experience, knows that some stu-
I should deserve to be left as uncer- at least two ways of executing that form. ;tly. If a student is as old as Jlethuselah dents will use language too egotistical ; oth-
1 sly as was this pseudo scientific lee. One way is very aptly described by Charley
i. as big as a moose, he is not too old or t..o
)o servile ; others again will not give any
Dickens where he gives us a picture of Sam- to learn to spell. f I have heard students references ; others will have but httle idea of
iig the year 1877, there j i through uel Allen when he wrote at a table, resting upon say they could never learn to spell, but I as- what is required in such a letter. The teach-