Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 44.djvu/99

Rh head and the curvature of the spine are noticeable here, the latter more especially in the second cut. Notice, too, that the other girl, who is in the correct position, might lean forward however much she pleases, and still her shoulders would be of the same height.

If the pupil who slants his letters sits sidewise to the desk (a very common position), not only is one shoulder usually higher than the other, but the head is commonly turned until a line connecting the pupils of the eyes is parallel to the line on which he



is writing. Nature impels him to twist his neck so that one eye shall be the same distance from the letters he is making as the other. Unless he does turn his head, the eyes are not equidistant from his work, which tends to shorten the sight of one eye and lengthen that of the other. This accounts in large measure for the need of two glasses of different power for the same person, so frequently met with at the present time.

It is hardly worth mentioning that vertical writing takes up less space than sloping writing, as this is self-evident and only needs stating to be admitted. Years ago, when paper was costly, this argument would have more weight than now.