to learn the use of the pen, since it may be very much to their advantage in almost all circumstances of life, even in the very lowest rank of servitude or hard labour. The female youth therefore, especially those of better circumstances in the world, should maintain the skill in writing which they have already acquired, by taking every occasion to exercise it; and take some pains in acquainting themselves with true spelling, the want of which is one reason why so many of them are ashamed to write; and yet they are not ashamed to own and declare this, as though it were a just and sufficient excuse for neglecting and losing the use of the pen.!

INSTRUCTIONS FOR LEARNING TO WRITE.

IT is necessary to be provided with good pens, ink, and paper, likewise a flat ruler for sureness, and a round one for dispatch; with a leaden plummet or pencil to rule lines.

The principal things to be aimed at, in order to write. any hand well, are these two: first, to get an exact notion or idea of a good letter, which may be done by frequent and nice observation of a correct copy: the other is, to get such a command of hand, as to be able to express, with the pen, the idea upon the paper; which is attained by careful and constant practice after good examples. The learner being informed of the most necessary things to be observed in the practice of the hand he intends to be master of, I shall now mention some things to be generally observed in writing.

1. The essential properties of a good piece of writing are, a due proportion of the characters throughout the whole; a just distance between the letters themselves, as well as the words; a natural leaning or inclinauion of the letters one to another; together with a clean smooth stroke, performed with a masterly boldness and freedom.

The proportion of the several letters, in most hands, is generally regulated by the o and n; therefore let the making of them be the first of your care and practice; and the other letters must be of the same fulness of stroke as they are.

The proportion and shape of the letters in any hand

ought to be the same, whether they are written in a large. or small size: therefore let every hand be first learned in a large character; which will not only fix the idea of a good letter sooner in your mind, but also give you a much greater freedom, and in a shorter time, than writing in the small way. It is certain, that the lesser is always contained in the greater; and he who attains to write any hand large, may soon write it as small as he pleases.

2. Hold your pen between the two fore-fingers extended almost straight, and the thumb bending a little outward, and in your right hand, with the hollow side of your pen downwards, and the nib flat upon the paper: let it rest between the two upper joints of the fore-finger, and upon the end of the middle one, about an inch from the nib of the pen; the end of the little finger, and that which is next to it, bent in towards the palm of the hand, about half an inch distant from the end of the middle finger. Let the book or paper lie directly before you, and your hand rest only on the tip of your little finger, let no other part of your arm or wrist touch the paper or desk; let your elbow be almost close to your side, and the pen pointed towards the outer part of the right shoulder: rest your left arm very lightly between the wrist and elbow, keeping your body upright, and from touching the desk. And for the slope hands, turn your left side a little towards the desk; but in the upright ones, let the body be directly before it, and the right elbow turned outward from your side.

*** The above remarks are fully exemplified in the annexed COPPERPLATES, in which are two Alphabets, accompanied by specimens of different sorts of writing.

TO MAKE A PEN.

SCRAPE off the thin rind of the quill with the back edge of your penknife, and hold it in your left hand, with the feather end from you; then enter the back thereof sloping, and cut off in length twice the circumference of the quill, and then cut off as much from the inside. Then turn the quill, and enter your penknife into the middle of the back, taking care that the blade, in making the slit, shall not incline to the one side nor to the other. Then put in the peg of your penknife haft, or the end of a whole quill, and with a sudden twitch force up the slit, holding your left thumb apon the back of the quill, to prevent the slit from going

n

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W XYZ. a b c d e f g h i j k l m o p q r s t u v w x y z & c . Y Z &c. A B C D E F G HIJKLMNOPQ RSTU VWXYZ. 1234 5 6 7 8 9 0. b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

a

&c.

power.

Knowledge is
Adoration is due only to the Creator.

Many

Dear S

are the advantages of learning to write.

You will wonder to receive a Note from me, but the truth is I have
of learning to write is so
lotely met with a Book called the Young Woman's Companion", in which the importance
strongly pointed out, that I began directly, and never
off till I had learned enough to send you

never left

this specimen.

Fam DearS - Yrs. 80.80.

&c.

Engraved for Bartlett & Newman's Young Woman's Companion.