Page:Theory and Practice of Handwriting.djvu/93

Rh favour of the Back rest and it is more than probable that tests and time will confirm the judgment, and that the low desks will entirely supersede those at present in use.

When we come to speak of the slope of the desk fewer difficulties meet us, and the case is capable of very easy settlement, although the best precise angle has not been definitely fixed.

Two or three degrees in either direction can hardly make much difference and as writers on the subject vary between 10° and 15° of slope, teachers cannot go far wrong within these extremes.

If the erect posture of the writer is to be maintained 12 or 13 degrees would seem to be the Hygienically superior slope to observe.

The 3 or 4 inches of flat surface beyond the slanting portion should be provided with a pen groove, and with holes at convenient distances for the inkwells, which should be protected from dust by sliding metal covers sunk flush with the desk. For junior pupils the desks should not be more than ten inches broad, for seniors they may be eleven or twelve independent of the flat ridge.

A narrow seat is an instrument of torture and should not be permitted, some we have seen being not more than six inches broad. The width should not be less than ten inches and may be increased to twelve with advantage and benefit. If the form be hollowed out along somewhat near the back it will tend to prevent slipping, and will yield a more comfortable seat. Care must be taken that the hollowing out is not made too deep, or the writer will be thrown backwards too far off the perpendicular. Of course the introduction of the low desks will render lockers and partitions for books running underneath a matter of impossibility. A ledge should therefore run under the seat, which, whilst not nearly so convenient, will still provide some accommodation for the pupils’ books.

Whether single, dual or longer desks are employed is matter for individual preference or financial consideration, but all desks should possess the following essential features:–a smooth and