Page:Theory and Practice of Handwriting.djvu/81

Rh thus thrown in his path by the System under examination, Standard Three is entered where a continuous and very oblique style of writing obtains. The pupil commences de novo so to speak his instruction in Caligraphy, and by the end of the School-year has attained to considerable proficiency in his new mode only to find that when he reaches the Fourth Standard it is almost worse than useless.

Writing here assumes quite a novel character, a kind of composite or blend of several styles. The teacher has peculiar ideas as to junction, length of loops, construction shape, &c., all of which the bewildered pupil is expected to rapidly absorb, assimilate and practise. Finally in the stages of the 5th, 6th, and 7th standards the hapless youth is treated to a series of contradictory lessons, and conflicting directions, unaccompanied all through by any perfect copies or examples which would serve as a standard for reference, or a model for imitation. During all these years the victim has never seen a specimen of perfect writing, and the models that he has seen have varied repeatedly, sometimes carefully written, sometimes otherwise;–different teachers, varying and conflicting methods, diverse styles, unequal lengths of loops, contradictory principles of construction and junction! the unhappy pupil is bewildered and overwhelmed in a sea of such inconsistencies, his writing is cramped and weak, and most probably ruined for all future time. Where, it may be asked, in the whole domain of Education is there another such Comedy of Errors as this of Blank Books, with their capricious and protean Blackboard models? Good writing is impossible under such conditions. Irregular and varying models are an unmixed evil altogether inadmissible as a medium or agent for the teaching of writing.

On the contrary with Headline Copy Books the pupil is supplied with a progressive course of carefully engraved headlines in a comprehensive series of Copy books, more than enough to carry him through his entire writing career. All the Copies are to one pattern; one idea, one principle, one style permeating and governing the whole set. No variation or contradiction in size., [sic]