The Theory and Practice of Handwriting/Chapter 10

by John Jackson

CHAPTER X

HISTORY OF VERTICAL WRITING AND ITS REVIVAL

The History of Vertical Writing is the History of all Writing, as, up to about the middle of the 16th century such a thing as Sloping Writing was unknown. In its earliest and crudest forms writing was upright, whether pictorial, hieroglyphic or alphabetical. It has never been definitely ascertained and probably never will be whether writing originated in one centre, radiating thence to other and surrounding Countries, or concurrently in several and all independent of each other. The Mexican and Chinese yield us the most ancient specimens, whilst the honour of discovering the Alphabet alternates between the Egyptians and Phœnicians.

In England and on the Continent alike all writing is vertical until we reach the time of Elizabeth. From about a. d. 596 to the Norman Conquest the writing in Britain was Saxon and of five distinctive kinds. 1. The Roman Saxon, 2. The Set Saxon, 3. The running hand Saxon, 4. The Middle Saxon, and 5. The Elegant Saxon. William the First then introduced the Norman style which like its Saxon predecessor was perpendicular and remained so until the introduction of the Italian Sloping hand as mentioned. The Vertical Style survived much longer in some parts on the Continent but as will be seen from the plates of specimens chronologically arranged (Figs. 46 to 49) German handwriting succumbed to the new fashion much in the same way and at the same time as its neighbours. The posture, erect and straight, adopted by writers in those times is depicted in Figs. 1 and 2, as is also the middle straight position of the book or parchment. In the sixteenth century, then, Lawyers began to engross their conveyances and legal instruments in Sloping characters or letters

EIGHTH CENTURY, VULGATE.

NINTH CENTURY.

Fig. 46.

TENTH CENTURY.

ELEVENTH CENTURY.

TWELFTH CENTURY.

Fig. 47.

THIRTEENTH CENTURY.

THIRTEENTH CENTURY.

1315.

Fig. 48.

1445.

1461.

1512.

1572.

Fig. 49.

called “Secretary” which with only slight modification still survive. These Secretary letters, forming the first loping written alphabet ever introduced into England, are reproduced here as being of a most interesting nature (Fig. 50). It will be noticed on

50.

examination that all the more complex outlines have now been dropped as for instance the s, r, and p, and where not dropped have become much simplified e. g. the Capitals D, H, K, M, N, &c. This sloping alphabet has been in general use for two centuries, Vertical Writing having disappeared one may say almost completely from every department of Caligraphy.

The sloping innovation was considered so favourable to the development of a new art (the art of flourishing) by which Writing Masters could exhibit their wonderful caligraphic gymnastics that it quickly became general and in a comparatively short time universal.

Mysterious and incapable of explanation are the phenomenon and the fact that no recorded serious attempt has ever been made to revive the discarded and forgotten Vertical Style until about seven years ago, when the first Series of Headline Copy Books in Upright Penmanship appeared, as the pioneer of a movement that has grown to most gratifying proportions. Literature on Vertical Writing followed, as did also a still more complete and comprehensive series of Vertical Writing Copy Books, and these may fairly be looked upon as the precursors of a revival that shall replace Upright Penmanship on a foundation, which is as scientific and permanent as it is ancient and unrivalled.

Several remarkable coincidences have attended the revival of Upright Penmanship in England and on the Continent. In the former both Educational and medical strivings and aspirations towards the Vertical were made independently and simultaneously. Indeed it was not until some time subsequent to the publication of the first series of Vertical Writing Copy Books, that the author discovered, quite accidentally, that medical talent had been engaged on a similar quest, had prosecuted a similar investigation, had arrived at the same conclusion, and had given utterance to the same decisions in various books and pamphlets.

The Educational movement was originated and promulgated by a Teacher who had been a Vertical Writer from his youth, and it was therefore the natural outgrowth of a life study, the inevitable development and expression of a long and varied experience, in which the superior claims and advantages of the System of Vertical Writing had been demonstrated repeatedly; and demonstrated, be it added, under circumstances the most unfavourable and crucial. The Medical Investigation which was carried on simultaneously appears to have arisen from quite a foreign source although it resulted in an identical issue. Spinal Curvature and Short Sight had become so general amongst School-children and were increasing to such an alarming extent, that a special enquiry into the cause of such prevalence by medical men was considered imperative. In the course of this important enquiry many valuable discoveries and suggestions were made, and as previously intimated these researches culminated in the astonishing revelation that, first, Slanting Writing was the undoubted cause of such seriously impaired functions and health, and, second, that Vertical Writing was the only remedy that could be prescribed. The wording of their decision and prescription has already been given, it could not be in more positive and unqualified terms (see page 15).

These concurrent agitations dated from about the year 1870 to the year 1887 when the two forces combined (each being complementary to the other) and now the united powers are concentrating their energies on the same enterprise, and towards the one object of Establishing the Writing of Our Country on a Sound Hygienic, Educational, and Caligraphic basis viz. on the principles of Upright Penmanship.

But stranger still, whilst all this was proceeding in Great Britain an exactly identical and dual movement was being prosecuted in several centres on the Continent with precisely similar features, the Medical taking the lead or predominating over the Educational as it has done at home.

Teachers in Switzerland, Wurtemburg, Austria, Germany and Denmark, as well as in England, strongly resented this imaginary encroachment upon their rights; and that they therefore denounced the finding of the Doctors as an infringement of their prerogative goes without saying. “Was it to be thought or even dreamed of that teachers did not know what they were about? that the entire profession had been teaching an absolutely pernicious style or System of Writing for all these years and generations? Perish the thought! Doctors were–well, to put it mildly–mistaken, and knew nothing about Educational matters at all!”

Unfortunately a lamentably large number of teachers, both at home and abroad, still shelter themselves behind this disreputable and unworthy protest, wilfully closing their eyes and ears to the evidence and facts, and refusing to be either convinced or converted. This kind of opposition soon melted away on the continent and resolved itself into a much modified but rational mode of objection. As will be seen immediately, the logic and facts of the Experts have won a hearing and established their verity, thus opening up avenues along which “Vertical Writing” is rapidly riding on to victory. But here the phlegmatic character of the Britisher asserts itself for notwithstanding the most vigorous circulation of literature on the subject, despite the unanimous and united testimonies of hundreds of professional gentlemen both Medical and Scholastic, and in the very face of the numerous triumphs of the System wherever introduced, the “English Teacher” is in many cases supremely indifferent to the matter, the Educational Press gently pats Verticality on the back, whilst the English Government and Education Department appear to be oblivious to the whole question. (See note, p. 125.)

If we cross the channel what a contrast meets us. Teachers there have become alive to their responsibilities in the matter, large numbers of the most prominent educationists have embraced the system and adopted it; numerous teachers are using and recommending it; Educational Societies and Corporations are pronouncing in favour of it; Hygienic Councils are approving of and promoting it; and Cabinets are not only sanctioning its use but prescribing it in the schools of their dominions. The crusade is active and countries are rivalling each other in their endeavours to be in the van. From a voluminous correspondence with Drs. Bayr (Vienna), Kotelmann (Hamburg), Lorenz (Vienna), Scharff (Flensburg), Schubert (Nuremberg), and other eminent Physicians and Teachers it appears that “Vertical Writing” is being adopted eagerly by the profession in many districts of these countries. In Vienna alone for example Upright Penmanship is practised in no less than 80 Schools with 300 classes, and by 100 Schools in Bavaria. A brief epitome of the chief events in the history of this agitation on the Continent will not be out of place.

The question as to the importance of Slope or direction in writing was raised by Drs. Ellinger and Gross in 1877–8, with the result that Roman characters with vertical downstrokes were recommended in preference to sloping German letters. Dr. Martins of Ansbach district Medical Officer of health next brought the subject before the Central Franconia Medical Chamber in 1879. In the following year Dr. Paul Schubert addressing the same Medical Board made an attempt to show that perpendicular writing must supersede the present sloping style, and Dr. Cohn at the Naturalists’ Congress in Danzig simultaneously declared himself for “steep” writing, being quite in ignorance of Dr. Schubert’s action. Following immediately upon this come investigations by Drs. Mayer (Fürth), Daiber (Stuttgart), Weber (Darmstadt), and by the Paris Commission who in a body declared themselves in favour of Vertical Writing.^[1] Opinions were of course still divided, and in his prize essay on the Causes and Prevention of Blindness, Professor Füchs declared that the final decision was only to be arrived at from experiments, systematically conducted, in Vertical Writing in whole classes and beginning with the first school year. It was reserved for the Central Franconia Medical Board, which at its sittings never lost sight of Upright Penmanship, to attack and promote this question bringing it nearer to the final issue. In consequence of a motion passed in 1887 by this board, The Royal Bavarian Ministry of the Interior decided that experiments in Vertical Writing should be undertaken in Schools, on a larger scale. Hence in the Autumn of 1888 two first classes of the public School in Fürth and two similar ones in the training college in Schwabach began instruction in writing exclusively in the perpendicular style. These experiments were supplemented in the Autumn of 1889 by three first public School classes in Nuremberg as well as by the first class for preparation of the humanistic gymnasium. At the same time perpendicular writing was introduced into a series of Classes by Dr. Bayr in Vienna and in Flensburg under Principal Dr. Scharff.

From all these schools the experiences were most favourable to Vertical Writing. The declaration of its superiority in relation to erect healthy postures has been verified and confirmed to the fullest extent, whilst as to speed both Drs. Bayr and Scharff testify to the greater rapidity with which Upright Caligraphy can be produced. “My best vertically writing scholar requiring 24 minutes whilst the best oblique writer required 30 minutes to write off a certain prescribed poem.”

The results obtained by Miss Seidl municipal teacher at Vienna are identical and equally gratifying.

Her letter on the point is so interesting that we reproduce a translation of it.

“My female pupils whose instruction I directed from the first class onwards till they passed over into the City middle class school (i .e. for five years) during the four school years from 1885–6 to 1888–9 wrote the usual sloping writing with oblique middle position with a 30° to 40° angle of inclination of the copybook marked on the desk before them.

“At the beginning of the school year 1889–90 I introduced some of my pupils to Vertical Writing whilst the others kept to Sloping Writing. In this way it was possible to ascertain in the course of a year by personal inspection what were the essential advantages which Vertical Writing offers over Sloping Writing.

“During the whole of my nine years’ experience in the School I contended with all conceivable means against the crooked sitting and oblique vision of the children in the writing lesson, but I must honestly admit it without the desired result, and in the cases where I obtained a good bodily posture, the Caligraphic outcome did not correspond to the demands hitherto made by Sloping Writing, that is to say it was too steep or too near the Vertical.

“What I with Sloping Writing obtained only in an imperfect way in spite of long and tiring effort, Vertical Writing made possible even in a few weeks of its use–viz. a fine upright position of body, avoidance of the harmful inclination of the head, and of the no less injurious leaning of the chest on the desk.

“From the correct attitude of body follows also a greater distance of the eyes from the writing. The pupils wrote throughout–some very short-sighted ones excepted–with the normal distance of the eyes from the Copybook, several indeed with more than the normal distance.

“The transition from the Sloping Writing, which had been practised for four years, to Vertical Writing involved no kind of difficulty to the children, either in regard to posture of body or in technical respects.

“As regards faultless posture and beauty of Writing, all the pupils yielded thoroughly satisfactorily and indeed often surprising results. In a short time most of the Vertical Writing children made twice as great improvement in their Writing, a large number even four times as great.

“On comparing a Copybook in which the Writing is at first Sloping and afterwards Vertical, it could be seen with satisfaction what an incomparably more favourable impression Vertical Writing made on the beholder in contradistinction to Sloping Writing.

“In respect to rapidity of production too I have met with no difficulty of any kind as regards keeping the lines parallel to the edge of the desk and maintaining the correct attitude. Indeed in Writing Competitions undertaken for the purpose of putting the question to the test of experiment, many of the Sloping Writing children fell behind those who wrote Vertically.

“In respect of clearness and legibility, and therefore beauty of Writing, specimens of Sloping and Vertical Caligraphy and rapid Writing show a very significant difference, decisively in favour of Vertical Writing.

“Finally it should be remembered too, that School Discipline finds a great support in Vertical Writing, because it renders possible a better and easier supervision of the children in the Writing lesson.

“Caroline Seidl, Teacher.

“Vienna, November, 1890.”

Many associations of teachers as well as individual Headmasters have approved of and adopted the Vertical Writing, e. g. the Lubeck Association in May 1891, so that now in a very large and increasing number of cities and centres the new system is making rapid headway. It can therefore be safely stated that in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France and Denmark the Vertical Writing has got a sure footing and has every prospect of making good its claims and position.

The Royal Bavarian Ministry prescribed Experimental adoption of Vertical Writing on a larger Scale 1892.

The Royal Imperial National School Board of Brüm (Moravia) decreed Experimental Introduction of Vertical Writing in its Schools for School year 1891–2.

The Royal Imperial District School Board Inschkau Bohemia in June 1891 decreed the discussion of Vertical Writing in the Conferences. Consequently some 500 Schools have adopted it.

The Imperial Educational Authority of Grand Duchy Baden ordered experimental introduction of Vertical Writing into their Schools.

The Berlin Teachers’ Union requests City School Commission to introduce Vertical Writing experimentally.

In Troppau (Austrian Silesia) the District Teachers’ Conference unanimously resolved to introduce Vertical Writing into all public and City Schools.

The Educational Authorities have already set on foot the practice of Vertical Writing in Frankfort on Maine.

In Flensburg all save three schools write Vertically.

Dr. Bayr says that “over 400 Educationists have visited the Vertical Writing Classes in the Institution under my control; enquiries are coming in from every side.”

The Royal Imperial National School Board Bohemia (May 1891) declared:

1. Vertical Writing to be preferable to Sloping Writing from the Hygienic Standpoint; and also
2. Declared itself favourable to the Experimental introduction of Vertical Writing into its Schools. The twin Resolutions of the Vienna Council and the London Congress are a very fitting consummation to the sister campaigns and to the previous deliverances of authoritative Educational and Medical Corporations to which reference has been made throughout the pages of this work. The appended list of Congresses, Councils and Celebrities, the latter distinguished for their scientific and educational attainments, who after patient and exhaustive research aided by profuse experiments have emphatically declared in favour of Upright Penmanship will indicate the extent of the reaction on the Continent.

Congresses and Councils.

1. Naturalists’ Congress, Dantzic, 1880.
2. Medical Council of Middle Franconia, 1887.
3. International Congress of Hygiene, Vienna, 1887.
4. International„ Congress„ of Hygiene,„ Paris, 1889.
5. German Educational Union of Prague, 1891.
6. Royal and Imperial School Board, Bohemia, 1891.
7. Imperial and Royal Supreme Council of Hygiene, Vienna, 1891.
8. Seventh International Congress of Hygiene and Demography, London, 1891.

In addition to the above many other Corporations have approved of and recommended Vertical Writing as the Lubeck Association, previously referred to, The Paris Commission and the Buda-Pesth Supreme Council of Education. The Supreme Hungarian School Board in March 1891 prescribed Experimental adoption of Vertical Writing by its Schools.

University Professors and Medical Specialists.

1. Professor Gladstone: School Board for London.
2. Mr. Noble Smith: Surgeon and Specialist, London.
3. Professor Dr. Joseph Heim: Chief Physician of the Theresian Academy, etc., Vienna.
4. Professor Dr. E. Fuchs: Ophthalmologist and Specialist, Vienna.
5. Professor Dr. Toldt: University Professor of Anatomy, Vienna.
6. Professor Dr. Paul Schubert: Oculist and Specialist, Nuremberg.
7. Professor Dr. A. von Reuss: University Professor, Vienna.
8. Professor Dr. J. Csapodi: University Tutor of Ophthalmology, Ystvan.
9. Professor Dr. Julius Dollinger: University Professor and Member of National Council, Hungary.
10. Professor Dr. Albert: Commissioner of Health and Specialist on Spinal Curvature, Vienna.
11. Professor Dr. J. von Fodor: Specialist on Hygiene, Buda-Pesth.
12. Professor Dr. Alois Karpf: Custodian of Library and Royal Commission for Entails, Vienna.
13. Professor Dr. Kotelmann: Educationist and Editor of Journal of School Regimen, Hamburg.
14. Professor Dr. Axel Hertel: Medical Officer, etc., Copenhagen.
15. Professor Dr. A. Lorenz: University Professor, Vienna.
16. Dr. W. Suppan: Director of Academies and Member of National Council of Education, Hungary.
17. Dr. Martius: Medical Officer, Ansbach.
18. Dr. Glauning: Examiner for the City Schools, Nuremberg.
19. Dr. Weber: Darmstadt.
20. Dr. Lochner: Medical Officer, Schwabach.
21. Dr. G. Merkel: Medical Officer and President of Medical Council, 1879, Nuremberg.
22. Dr. W. Mayer: Specialist and Medical Officer, Fürth.
23. Dr. O. Sommer: Brunswick.
24. Dr. A. Scharff: Educationist, etc., Plensburg.
25. Dr. Gouber: Commissioner of Health, etc., Vienna.
26. Dr. E. Hannak: Principal of the Vienna Training College.
27. Dr. Karl Stejskal: Royal Imperial School Inspector, Vienna.
28. Dr. Franz Wiedenhofer: Vienna.
29. Dr. E. Bayr: Headmaster of City of Vienna Public School.
30. Dr. Karl Tomanetz: Vienna.
31. Dr. Daiber: Stuttgart.
32. Dr. Krug: Dresden.
    &c. &c. &c.

Dr. Eulenger declared for Vertical Writing in 1885. The celebrated oculist Dr. Hermann Cohn after visiting Vertical Writing Classes at Vienna has declared for the Upright System (1892).

Inspectors, etc.

Alois Fellner: Imperial and Royal Inspector, Vienna.

Laurenz Mayer: Imperial and Royal Inspector, Vienna.

Franz Klima: Imperial and Royal Inspector, Littan, Moravia.

L. Wiesmann: Secondary Teacher, Winterthur.

Francis Waas: Member of School Board, Vienna.

Note: Since the passage on p. 119 was first written, a change has come over the spirit of the scene, and many signs of vitality and growing interest have exhibited themselves both amongst teachers, the Press, and the Education Department. The last-named has made a material advance, and from being antagonistic have now declared that “The revisors of Handwriting for the Education Department” (Whitehall) “will place Vertical writing on the same footing with other styles of writing.” Through many of its representatives (H. M. Inspectors) the Department speaks still more decisively in favour of Upright Penmanship. We quote from the Blue Books of 1890, 1891, and 1892: “Vertical Writing appears to be most easily taught, and to be the best for the right physical conditions of the eyesight and the spine” (Rev. T. W. Sharpe, M. A., Senior Chief Inspector).

“Many schools are now adopting the Vertical style of writing. It is said to be easily acquired, and to enable the children to adopt a more upright and therefore more healthy posture while writing. It has also the merit of clearness and legibility, so that I have no doubt it will spread” (Rev. C. F. Johnstone, Chief Inspector).

“A growing tendency to an Upright rather than a sloping style” (R. Ogilvie, Esq., M. A., LL. D., Chief Inspector).

“Handwriting has improved, especially in those schools in which the Upright style of writing has been adopted” (F. B. de Sausmarez, Esq., H. M. I.).

Another Chief Inspector says “The writing was about the best I have seen. The boys are taught the Upright or Jackson’s Style.”

Then finally the attitude of the Press has entirely changed; from being cynical, then patronising, it has become appreciative and sometimes enthusiastic. There is no doubt whatever that all classes of the community are recognising the claims of Upright Penmanship more widely every day, and that the lethargy of the past is quickly disappearing and giving way to an interest which occasionally rises to excitement.

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1. See Dr. Javal, “Physiology of Writing,” Pocket Pedagogical Library, No. 2.