It requires a good deal of effort, much patience and considerable perseverance. Many have tried it, and, while admitting its superiority, have abandoned it because it required too much time. Teachers have abandoned it because it demanded more attention, more time and more machines in the school. It has been condemned by some teachers because, not being touch operators themselves, they could not teach it; it was a case of "the blind leading the blind." There is no gainsaying the fact, however, that when properly learned, "touch" typewriting is far superior to the old method of operating the machine. It produces better work with less effort in the same length of time. But the fact remains, it entails more work for the student and more attention on behalf of the teacher.
Another difficulty which meets the average student of touch typewriting is the training of the third and fourth fingers. The touch method necessitates the use of these fingers, and herein lies a struggle. Some claim, perhaps with reason, that they cannot use these fingers on the machine, and even when they do they produce an uneven touch. We once heard a pupil exclaim, "Please, sir, I can't do touch typewriting." "Why not?" we inquired. "Because," came the reply, "my mother's little finger is weak and so's mine!" Of course it is all a matter of special training, the same as learning the fingering on the piano or the violin. The difficulty is to make
