Elegance and practicality
Leading the charge were two American teachers of penmanship. The first, Platt Rogers Spencer ... (advised teachers) to spell out the precise physical movements that writers should make in forming letters. ... A second major school of American penmanship was launched by Austin Norman Palmer. ... Palmer advocated "real, live, usable, legible, and salable penmanship." ... Palmer was content to eliminate Spencer's mental aspects of writing, reducing penmanship to a mechanical level by imprinting "the memory of motion into the muscles." (Baron, "The Art and Science of Handwriting," Writing Material 59)
Elegance and practicality were at odds here, but if I remember correctly, both were important factors considered when my elementary school teachers graded my handwriting. I think both schools left a legacy behind.
Comments
Yes, both schools seemed to bring about a system of change for which we perceive penmanship
Posted by: David Cristello | February 19, 2008 1:02 PM
Chris,
I couldn't help the strong visual of learning to write while reading Baron. Sitting in neat rows with perfectly organized desks. Over-sized lines on the paper in red and blue. That dreaded half-way hash line which never seemed like halfway when writing lower-case cursive letters. Anyway...
It's true what Spencer taught, that writing has a lot to do with muscle memory. Just like typing. I can type 175 words per minute no problem. I take those online tests all the time, haha. Palmer on the other hand implemented the standardization of modern day writing. We first learn the motion of writing, then we practice perfecting it to meet the standards.
Posted by: Stormy Knight | February 18, 2008 11:43 PM