Page:Theory and Practice of Handwriting.djvu/111

Rh #The upper end of the holder must be directed towards the elbow, but never towards the shoulder of the writer and be inclined about 45° to the surface of the writing. The pen should not be too fine but somewhat broad and elastic. Other bodies are issuing similar instructions. Indeed the seven rules drawn up by the Commission on Vertical writing, appointed by the Society of Public Hygiene at Nürnberg, are identical with a corresponding number of those already given from the Bohemia School Board.
 * 1) The writing arm must again and again be pushed to the right so that its successive positions always remain parallel. This gliding takes place on the nail-joint of the little finger, but not on the ball of the hand which should be slightly elevated over the base point of support.
 * 2) The book or paper must, after every line, be pushed up accordingly, in order that a suitable distance may be always preserved between the point of the writing pen and the lower edge of the desk.
 * 3) The upper body ought not to bend forward, the breast should not be supported on the edge of the desk, the head should be bent only slightly, the distance of the eyes from the writing should amount to from 30 to 35 c. m.
 * 4) The writing never ought to last for a long time uninterruptedly, but should be broken by a few minutes at short intervals, and in the pause thus made easy free-exercises should be executed.
 * 5) With respect to the fact that the first part of the primers hitherto in use is still written in the oblique style, the exercises in the reading and writing of the Vertical Style are to be taken on the black-board so long as no primers with Upright Penmanship are approved.

How closely these approximate to the English instructions formulated and circulated by the Author seven or eight years ago the reader can observe for himself.

No teacher need have the slightest hesitation in introducing