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FOUNDATIONS OF SPEED AND ACCURACY
9

Illustrations on page 10 show two views of the correct position of hand and forearm. Study particularly the slant of the pen, the position of fingers, and the method of grasping the pen. The hand and arm must have the maximum of flexibility and freedom. Since the best writers of shorthand make use of the muscular movement, and this method has everything in its favor, it should be cultivated from the very beginning of the study of the art.

The large muscles of the arm are much more capable of

Illustration of Proper Method of Holding Notebook Flat. Posed by Mr. Gurtler

sustained effort than are the muscles of the fingers; but unfortunately they cannot be trained to as high a degree of nicety of movement as can those of the fingers. A study of the writing movements of the most rapid writers shows that both finger and wrist movements are used. The best results can be obtained when a judicious blending of these movements is employed. As an illustration: such characters as p, b, f, v, can be executed much more readily and quickly if the downward sweep is a combination of arm and finger