POSITION OF THE HAND WHEN HOLDING THE PEN.
table at which you intend to write; then, placing your left arm on the table and your left hand on the edge of the book or paper to hold it firm, if necessary, by pressure with the fingers, take the pen in the right hand, and grasp it firmly, but not too much so, between the thumb and the two fingers next to the thumb, that is, the forefinger and the midfinger, as shown in the accompanying representation of the hand with a pen in it. In this position, remember carefully that before you can draw a stroke, the point of the pen must be placed at the distance of about five-eighths or three-quarters of an inch from the tip of the midfinger, with its face or open part downwards, and not leaning to one side or other; the pen must also be placed alongside of the nail of the midfinger, not on the nail itself, but on the fleshy part of the finger close by it. The upper part of the pen must likewise be raised above the knuckle of the fore-finger, as seen in the figure of the hand, so that a thin paper-folder might pass a little way between this part of the pen and the knuckle. It is of essential importance to observe this part of the directions as well as the preceding, because for want of attention to these apparently trifling minutiæ, or small matters, many bad writers have arisen, and some of them even teachers, who ought to know better what they are engaged in. For it stands to reason, and any one may prove it to himself by a few trials, that if the pen be allowed to fall below the knuckle, there is an instant loss of power, and of all real command over the pen.
Another direction of equal importance with any of those we have now given, is the position of the thumb; this you bend outwards from the pen so as to cause the tip or fleshy part of the point of the thumb to rest upon the pen directly opposite the first joint of the forefinger, as shown in the figure of the hand. This completes the directions for the position of the three fingers which hold the pen. Now let us attend to the other two fingers. One of these, the little finger, must be held so as to touch the paper on which you intend to write, just on the tip of it, close by the side of the nail, while the hand itself is made to rest upon its heel, that is, close by the wrist, not pressing heavily, but as lightly as possible. In fact, the pressure on the tip of the finger should be light also, so that in writing tho heel of the hand should assist the tip of the little finger, and the tip of the little finger assist the heel of the hand, by mutually bearing the weight of the hand, and acting alternately as momentary fulcrums or resting-points, while the hand moves forward, making one stroke or letter after another. The other finger, next the little finger, usually called the ring finger, because ladies wear their rings upon it, is the most difficult to dispose of, but it must be done. Endeavour, then, to give it an elegant curvilinear form, something in the shape of part of a ring itself, so that it may lie passively between the midfinger and the little finger without interfering with their movements; it should be considerably within the little finger, and its first joint should rest very nearly upon the first joint of the little finger, in a crossing position. This completes the directions for the position of the little finger and the ring finger. Lastly, as to the position of the whole hand, you must carefully observe that while resting upon the heel of the hand and on the little finger, it must be kept upright, so that the top of the pen may point to the right ear when the hand is at the commencement of a line which you are about to write, and that as you move it along it must be kept parallel to this position throughout. It will assist you very much in obtaining and keeping this position of the hand to observe that the knuckle of the little finger and the knuckle or second joint of the thumb should both be kept always as near as possible at the same distance from the paper, say about an inch and a half, while in the act of writing. It will also be of the greatest advantage if, at the commencement of a line in writing, you should have the elbow of the right hand pretty close to your right side, and as you move the hand along the line, in writing, to preserve the arm parallel to this position as well as the pen to its first position; in fact, if you do the one correctly you will necessarily do the other, unless you choose to twist the wrist, which would be equally painful, absurd, and unnecessary. As to the position of the head and shoulders, stoop as little as possible ; a gentle inclination of the head is all that is necessary in general, in order that you may observe earnestly and accurately the motion of the hand and the formation of the letters. In near-sighted persons a greater inclination of the head is required than in ordinary cases; but in all cases whatsoever this rule is absolutely essential, to keep the chest entirely free of pressure on the table or desk at which you write; if once you acquire a habit of leaning on the table, or lolling upon it with your chest or stomach, you need never expect to be a good writer. We believe that many pupils have been seriously injured in their health by the practice or habit of leaning upon the chest while learning to write, and that such injury has followed them through life. What can be more absurd than to see a boy or girl sprawling on a table or desk with their arms akimbo, and their noses almost upon the paper imitating the motion of the pen ? What more foolish or disagreeable than to see every stroke of the pen imitated by the mouth or the tongue, as if the writer was approaching a state of idiocy? Let every student of penmanship sit erect while writing, and let him only stoop his head with a gentle inclination, as we said before, sufficient to enable him to see clearly what he is doing, and to produce such a specimen of writing as will do credit to his care, attention, and ingenuity. With all these directions—and we have not spared them—you will require both time and perseverance, and constant practice, either to learn the art of writing from the commencement, or to correct and improve the system you have already acquired. But perseverance, practice, and determination will do all that you require; and you will soon reap a rich reward for all your care, attention, and earnest application.
COPY SLIP NO. 1.—THE "POTHOOK."
That those of our readers who are anxious to commence teaching themselves the art of writing may lose no time in making a beginning, we have given a copy slip, in which is shown the first stroke that demands the attention of the writer. It is a down stroke, commonly called a pothook, square at the top, and brought down with an equal or uniform pressure of the pen, until it begins to a hair line, which is turned at the bottom and carried upwards to the right.
