Chapter II: Part 2

In this style of writing, small o and letters in its class should be one-sixteenth of an inch high. The letter in this drill is of that height, and it should be used as a basis of comparison in determining the height of the other minimum letters a, c, e, i, m, n, r, s, u, v, w, and x. Small r and s may be made one-fourth higher than the other letters in the minimum class.

Wherever there is an angular connection as in closing small o at the top, there must be a checking of the motion at that point; in fact, a stop. The closing of o is so quickly done that the stop can hardly be seen even by the closest observer.

=To the Teacher=: In connection with this drill we urge teachers to use a conversational count. In passing from desk to desk, criticise the work in correct rhythm. Suppose one student is making o too large, another not closing it at the top, another using a slow, dragging movement, another making a narrow, flat letter, and still another bending over his desk too far. The criticisms would be as follows: “Make it smaller, make it smaller; close it up, close it up; you stop, at the top, you stop, you stop, every time, at the top. How long? Not long; but you stop, every time, at the top. Slide along, slide along; round o, round o; sit up, sit up.” Each criticism or admonition may be repeated until the error has in a measure been corrected. The influence will not be lost upon the rest of the pupils, but those who have been making the same errors will almost unconsciously show marked improvement.

A speed of ninety or more to a minute should be developed and maintained. Ninety in a minute is by no means fast, but, while permitting good form, it is fast enough to force light motion.

In drill eleven, there are three groups of five letters in a line, and there are six lines in the drill, making ninety letters. These should be made in a minute, and that should be the practice speed. As in capital A, the plan is to make each group to a count of ten, and then move the paper. For an entire line the count would be 1–2, 3–4, 5–6, 7–8, 9–10, move the paper, 1–2, 3–4, 5–6, 7–8, 9–10, move the paper, 1–2, 3–4, 5–6, 7–8, 9–10, move the paper. The conversational count may be fitted nicely to the rhythm of the count of ten. Hereafter, drill eleven should be practiced with the two-space compact oval, and drill six at the beginning of each practice period.

LESSON 13

Make this a general review lesson.

=The Palmer Method is a text-book on practical writing. The instructions
should be studied and followed.=

SPECIAL STUDIES OF THE CAPITALS, SMALL LETTERS, AND FIGURES

Pupils who have studied and followed the explanations, suggestions, and instructions so far, will have sufficient control of the muscular movement to master easily the letters on this page.

Those who have not been thorough in studying the instruction and practicing the drills should review. Nothing less than failure can follow superficial study.

The capitals, small letters, and figures are given at this point for convenient reference, and an effort should be made hereafter to employ these forms in all the written work.

=One lesson each week should be devoted to special study and practice
of the capitals until they are mastered.=

Capitals, small letters, and figures will all be taught thoroughly in the following lessons.

=A few minutes in the right way are worth more than hours of practice in
the wrong way.=

LESSON 14

=Drill 12=

Cross line practice is very helpful in developing light, elastic, gliding motion.

First make the letters on the lines; then turn the paper and make them across.

LESSON 15

MORE ABOUT COUNTING

In writing, as in music, regularity of movement is an important factor. A jerky, spasmodic motion is to be avoided, and successful teachers of writing have found that some method to mark the time of making parts of letters is helpful. Some use a metronome, some a chalk box and a ruler, others musical instruments; but we prefer that wonderful machine, the human voice, and a process of counting to fit the letters. In individual home practice the counting process is of as much value as in the school-room, and pupils should learn to use it.

When a letter is poorly made, it may be due to one or all of four causes—first, the position may be poor; second, the muscles may be rigid, preventing easy action; third, the mind may not have a good picture of the form; and fourth, movement direction may be wrong. As an example, when small m and n are made too sharp at the top, it is because there is not enough over-motion.

The special object of drill thirteen is to develop the over-motion for m and n. As you practice this drill, count 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, for each section, or use a verbal count as follows: Over, over, over, over, over, light, light, light, light, light. In the first line the exercise should occupy one-half the space between ruled lines; and in the second, the height should be the same as small o, one-sixteenth of an inch.

=Drill 13=

Remember that the larger part of the right arm just in front of the elbow, should rest on the desk, and the third and fourth fingers of the right hand be bent well under; that the position of the pen in the hand must be comfortable and the right arm well out from the side. Now push the hand forward and backward to test the freedom and movement power. If the muscles move easily, let the pen touch the paper, moving lightly and rapidly. About fourteen completed sections of the first line should be made in a minute and sixteen of the second.

LESSON 16

=Drill 14=

Test the movement by tracing the first stroke in the air. Start the motion below the base line, and as the pen moves rapidly upward let it strike the paper at the beginning point. Drive the pen through the exercise rapidly and lightly. Make four connected m’s before lifting the pen, and three such groups across a line. You will make the letters too large, irregular, and awkward at first, and will have trouble with the union (connecting lines), but keep right on. Make the four lines in a minute and move the paper after each group. As taught in drill thirteen, lesson fifteen, the parts of small m are made with over-motion, but to use an over-motion between letters would give no connective line and hence no dividing line between the letters. Keep in mind as you practice, that the over-motion makes the parts of m, and that the opposite or under-motion forms the connecting lines. You may count 1, 2, 3; or slide, 2, 3; or over, over, under. Drill fourteen should be practiced a minute or more at the beginning of each practice period. Four drills have now been suggested for use at the beginning of every practice period. They should be practiced, not only in the beginning stages, but until the entire course has been mastered. These drills furnish the very best movement exercises, and at the same time give the right kind of practice in form building. Students who thoroughly master them in size, form, and speed application will find the remaining drills easy. As it teaches the correct use of the under-motion in connecting letters, small m is perhaps the most important of the four.

LESSON 17

From this point each lesson should start with the compact two-space oval; drill eleven, small o; and drill fourteen, small m. It will pay to devote from three to five minutes of each practice period to these three drills.

=Drill 15=

For small m, a count of three is used; and in n, a count of two. Thus, the count for drill fifteen will be 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, etc., or for five connected letters, 1–2, 3–4, 5–6, 7–8, 9–10. The speed should be the same relatively as in the small m drill.

LESSON 18

=Drill 16=

Make the small m in groups of four, three groups to a line, and five or more rows; then turn the paper and make groups of small n. Make frequent comparisons with the drill as you practice.

LESSON 19

=Drill 17=

Small i being made entirely with an under-motion, has a sharp point at the top. Count 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, for each group; make the downward as light as the upward strokes and try to make them equal distances apart.

=Drill 18=

A space in width is the distance between the points of small u. This is sometimes called a lateral space. For each group of four connected letters, count 1–2, 3–4, 5–6, 7–8.

=Drill 19=

Extend small i about two and one-half times its height, cross with a short horizontal line, and the result will be small t. An effort should be made to bring the upward and downward strokes of small t together at the top, but if a very short narrow loop is sometimes made as a result of rapid movement, it will not conflict with legibility. The small t should always be a little shorter than the small l and its companions, b, h, k, and f. The practice speed for t in groups of five is twenty groups, or one hundred letters, to the minute. There is no special value in this letter as a movement drill, but a little practice of it in group formation will be an aid to its mastery.

As you gain more control of the muscular movement, you should become more skillful in its application, and the result should be constant improvement in form, spacing, and uniformity of size. Use your eyes constantly, comparing your letters with the drills you are trying to imitate; do your best, and rapid improvement is sure to follow.

LESSON 20

After the usual practice of the compact two-space oval and the small m
and n review lesson nineteen.

=Drill 20=

The count for small e in groups of five, is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Try to make the letter but one-sixteenth of an inch high. For purposes of comparison, it would be well occasionally to make rows of small o’s and m’s on lines close to your small e drills. The three letters should be of the same height. Making small e in groups of five, twenty-eight groups, or one hundred and forty letters, should be made in a minute.

LESSON 21

=Drill 21=

=Wrong practice will lead you in the wrong direction! The instructions
tell you how to practice.=

Number twenty-one is our first word drill with a capital. Do not neglect the study of the motion and its applications to form.

Write fourteen or more words to a minute, and do not let them occupy more space than the copies. In drill six the final line in capital A drops below the base line. This is done to give a rhythmic movement drill. In writing words beginning with capital A it is better to connect the last line with the small letters following, as in the second line in drill twenty-one.

LESSON 22

=Drill 22=

Write fourteen words in a minute. Write a few lines and then compare your work with the drill. Review often.

LESSON 23

=Drill 23=

Be sure that the motion is oval in starting capital O. Trace the letter with the pen in the air. Let the pen strike the paper when moving rapidly downward.

If all conditions are favorable and the movement is free, about sixteen of these should be written in a minute.

LESSON 24

=Drills 24 and 25=

Study the upper line closely, and notice particularly that the nine exercises at the right are the enlarged form of an inverted figure six.

Fix clearly in your mind the direction of the moving pen as it comes into contact with the paper in making the beginning loop. Do not make this loop larger than it is in the drill. For business writing it would be better to make a dot than a large loop. Energetic practice of the drill at the left in the first line will help to develop the right motion. In that part of the drill a count of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, should be used. In the nine forms at the right in the first line, the count may be 1–2, down over; or down, over; or one stop for each; but each form should stop abruptly at the base line in a blunt stroke.

As this form is used for the beginning of twelve capitals, it should be thoroughly studied and practiced now, and frequently reviewed.

In the lower line, observe that five drills extend across the page, with ten parts in each drill; with the paper held in the right position, the downward strokes should be made toward the center of the body, and the over-motion is applied in making the turns at the top. The count should be 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and sixteen completed exercises should be made to the minute.

Turn to page twenty-nine and pick out the twelve capitals in which the inverted figure six is used. Use this style hereafter in beginning those capitals.

This is a lesson that should be reviewed frequently.

LESSON 25

You should not forget the usual three to five minute practice period devoted to the compact oval, and the small o and m drills.

=Drills 26 and 27=

Study capitals M and N closely before trying to make them. Compare their parts in relation to slant, height, and width. Your attention is particularly directed to the finishing lines in M and N. Dropping this line below the base, and lifting the pen without stopping the motion, forces freedom, continues the rotary motion and develops an automatic movement preceding and following each letter, so that the motion is continued, even when you are not actually forming the letters.

The capital M should be made in a count of 1, 2, 3, 4, at the rate of thirty a minute, and capital N in a count of 1, 2, 3, at the rate of forty a minute.

LESSON 26

Review lessons twenty-four and twenty-five.

LESSON 27

Perhaps you have forgotten something; perhaps you were about to begin your practice of drill twenty-eight without the review of the compact oval, and small o and m. If so, do not forget again.

=Drill 28=

In penmanship, constant repetition is essential, and in connection with drill twenty-eight the best results will be secured by practicing the word several minutes. We prefer to have pupils at first use the style of capital given in the first line, in which the finishing stroke is carried below the base, and the pen lifted from the paper before the small letters are made. Later the final stroke in capital M may be connected directly with any small letters following, as in the second line. You are expected to write six words on a line, as in the copy, writing from fourteen to seventeen a minute.

=To the Teacher=: If you have studied the lessons in advance, have practiced the different drills and mastered them before giving them to your pupils, a good plan to follow in word-practice is sometimes to sit at your desk, or a pupil’s desk writing the words with them and spelling as you write. Thus: M-o-o-n, M-o-o-n. This will enable you to help your boys and girls to master the correct speed, and to secure uniform motion.

Never attempt to use the count for individual letters when practicing words; it is confusing.

LESSON 28

=Drill 29=

Make a few lines of capital N as a movement drill before practicing the word Noon. Repeated letters and words should always be considered movement drills. Strive for a firmer, lighter motion constantly. Examine all letters and words practiced with special reference to firm, smooth lines, their direction, size, distances between letters, height and width of the different parts, connecting lines, the finishing lines in the final letters, and every little detail.

Write from fifteen to eighteen words a minute.

LESSON 29

FOR STUDY AND COMPARISON

Small a is, in the main, a reduced copy of capital A, and the first parts of small d, g, and q are identical with it. Fix the resemblance in the mind; it will help you. In business writing it is best to make the looped small d. It is just as legible as the stem and can be made more rapidly. The loop below the base line in small g should be made without finger motion. We favor the blunt style of small g and y at the end of words, and this ending should be shorter than the loop. Fix in your mind the length of this abbreviated g. Small q is a little shorter below the base line than g. The g ending bluntly below the base line, is just like the figure nine.

=Drill 30=

It will pay you to practice the small a drill a great deal. Try to make a half-dozen or more lines of letters as small and as uniform as the copy. Students should not forget to study the copy constantly and to make frequent comparisons of their work with it. A count of 1, 2, should be used for each small a, and in connecting five letters it is a good plan to count 1–2, 3–4, 5–6, 7–8, 9–10.

Small a in groups of five should be made at the rate of seventy a minute.

LESSON 30

=Drill 31=

Reckoning small o, one-sixteenth of an inch high, as one space, small g should extend three spaces, or three-sixteenths of an inch below the base line, while the loop of q and abbreviated g should extend two spaces below.

The loop of d extends about two and one-half spaces above the base.

Writing which is good in other respects is often spoiled in the written page because the loops are too long, extending into the lines above and below.

The count for each letter in groups of five should be 1–2, 3–4, 5–6, 7–8, 9–10, and the speed should be: small d, from sixty-five to seventy; g, from sixty to sixty-five; and q, about fifty to the minute.

=Are you studying the instructions? They tell you just how to succeed.=

LESSON 31

=Drill 32=

Review lesson thirty before you study and practice this drill.

If you use your eyes to good advantage, you will see that the first g begins one space above the base line, there being no initial line starting from the base; also that the first parts of small g and d are of the same height as a, o, m, and n, to which special reference has already been made. Practice speed, twelve words in a minute.

LESSON 32

The basis of the extended loop letters, b, f, h, and k, is small l. These five letters should extend the same distance above the base line. The practice of small l should be thorough now, and it should be reviewed often. In fact, it would be well to add it to the group of compact ovals, and small m’s and o’s, to be practiced at the beginning of each lesson.

=Height=—Reference has already been made to one-sixteenth of an inch as representing a space in height for the minimum (one-space) letters a, c, e, i, m, n, o, u, v, w, and x. The small r and s are in the same class, but are made a quarter space higher than the others.

These minimum letters should always be used as a standard of one-space measurement to regulate the height of all other small letters. On that basis small l should be four spaces—four-sixteenths, or one-fourth of an inch high. As there are six-sixteenths of an inch between the ruled lines in the practice paper generally used, and in all the Palmer Method practice paper, there should be two-sixteenths (one-eighth) of an inch between the top of the loop and the ruled line above.

It should be remembered that a space in height is the height of the minimum letters in the style you are practicing. As an example, in copy-books used in former years, the one-space letters were one-eighth of an inch, or twice as high as in these lessons. The loop letters were three spaces, or three-eighths of an inch high, which is two-sixteenths of an inch higher than the loops in these lessons.

=Movement Used=—In business writing, all loops below the line should be made with pure muscular movement. In making those above the line, the fingers should be relaxed, and as the arm slides forward, a slight extension of the fingers will help to make the upper part of the loop. The combination of the two movements is perfectly natural to most hands, and little encouragement need be given to the use of the fingers. The student must guard against using much of it. Keep an eye on your wrist to see that it moves forward and backward in unison with the other movements. Under no circumstances allow the fleshy part of the hand in front of the wrist to touch the paper.

=Cautions=—You will find your first difficulty in getting enough curve on the upward stroke. A half hour’s determined practice will do much to overcome this. Keep the paper at such an angle as will make the downward strokes straight toward the middle of the body. Above all, preserve unity in height, in slant and in spacing. Do not shade.

=Drill 33=

There is a slight check in the motion on the downward strokes, but no pause at the base line. After a little practice, loops as good as the above should be made at the rate of from one hundred to one hundred and twenty-five to the minute. The count in groups of five is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5—one for each letter.

LESSON 33

=Drill 34=

More study, more practice. Study and practice should be constant companions in developing good writing. One without the other will lead to one-sided results. Don’t be one-sided.

Drill thirty-four offers good movement practice. Close observation will indicate just how it is done. The small traced oval is about one-half the capital in height, and the upper loop is also one-half the entire height of the letter. If you have a sharp eye and a responsive mind, you have been able to grasp these details without any suggestions, and you have gone further. You have noted the curve in the main downward stroke, the flatness of the lower loop on the base line, and the dropping of the finishing stroke below the base.

Six is the count for the traced oval and two for L, as follows, 1–2–3–4–5–6, 1–2. The count of 1–2, for the capital L should be a little slower than for the ovals. This exercise should be made ten times on a line, in groups of five, and two lines, or twenty exercises a minute.

=A few minutes in the right way are worth hours of practice in the wrong
way.=

=Drill 35=

Swing for the L, swing for the L, swing for the L. In other words, study the letter closely, and swing the pen in its direction a few times before making it. The first line starts about one-half the distance from the base to the top, and dips under; the upper loop is one-half the entire length of the letter; the lower loop rests on the base line; and the finishing line is carried below the base. This letter makes one of the best movement drills so far given. After each group of five the paper should be moved.

The count is 1–2, for each letter, or slide two, or slide L, or swing L. From fifty to fifty-five should be made in a minute.

LESSON 34

Review lesson thirty-three.

=Drill 36=

Study, practice, and compare.

Begin small a at the top just as it is in drill thirty; make the abbreviated g short below the base line, and be sure to write four words to a line. Practice speed, ten to twelve words a minute.

LESSON 35

=Drill 37=

Write two lines and then make careful comparisons with the models. Are your small l’s shorter than the capitals; are both l’s the same height; and do they cross one space above the base? Compare slant, the parts of letters and letters complete. Study the spacings between the letters, and try to show improvement in each line. Practice speed, the same as for drill thirty-six.

=You cannot fail, if you study the instructions and follow them.=

LESSON 36

=Drill 38=

Small a should be reviewed frequently as a movement drill.

=Drill 39=

The first part of small a serves as the foundation of small c. In making connective lines, an over-motion must be used. If an under-motion is used from the ending of one c to the dot at the top of the next, there will be a loop, and the letter will be too large. After making a few lines, compare the height of c with o, a, m, and n. You will, of course, frequently compare with the copy. The count is 1–2, 3–4, 5–6, 7–8, 9–10; or dot over, dot over, dot over, dot over, dot over, for each group of five. The speed should be sixteen groups of five, or eighty letters a minute.

LESSON 37

=Drill 40=

The small r given in the first line in drill forty cannot be made at a high rate of speed, as the form requires a checking of movement at the top to form the shoulder. Study the parts of the letter shown before the first completed form.

The form in the second line can be made at much higher speed, and, while somewhat difficult to learn, is much easier in execution when mastered. The first part of it is just like the first part of small m or n. The downward stroke is retraced to a point about one-fourth of a space above the first part; a stop (hardly noticeable) and a dot are made before the swinging curve to the next letter. If the connective lines between letters of this style are made with too much under-curve, perhaps touching the base line, they will more nearly resemble small x than r. Guard against this fault.

Close study of the form while practicing will be necessary. After its mastery, ninety connected letters to the minute will be a good rate of speed. Unquestionably, the first few trials will be discouraging, but faithful practice will be rewarded. Stick to it.

Eighteen groups of five should be made to the minute.

=Drill 41=

The count for this small r in drill forty-one for each group of five is 1–2, 3–4, 5–6, 7–8, 9–10; or one-dot, two-dot, three-dot, four-dot, five-dot; or one-stop, two-stop, three-stop, four-stop, five-stop. A conversational count similar to that in small o, drill eleven, may be used to advantage in small r, thus—You-stop, you-stop, you-stop, you-stop, at-the-top. How long, do you stop, at the top? Not long, but you stop, every time at the top. What for, what for, what for? To make a dot, to make a dot, to make a dot, etc.

=Drill 42=

The rate of practice speed in this drill should be twenty or more words
to the minute.

=Drill 43=

There is no initial line before small o; it begins at the top.

LESSON 38

As before mentioned, small r and s are companion letters, and both may be made one-fourth higher than other letters of the minimum class; not because of any technical rule, but rather because it generally is agreed that they look better so made. Small s should be pointed, not looped, at the top, and entirely closed on the base line. Be sure to use just the right amount of under-curve in the beginning stroke, and the width will depend upon the amount of curve in the last part. Practice, study, and compare.

=Drill 44=

The count for each group of five is 1–2, 3–4, 5–6, 7–8, 9–10. A conversational count similar to that given in the small o drill could be used to advantage; thus, swing one, swing two, swing three, swing four, swing five; or curve one, curve two, curve three, curve four, curve five. Nearly or quite seventeen groups of five should be made to the minute.

LESSONS 39, 40, 41, 42, AND 43

At least five lessons at this point should be devoted to reviewing all
the lessons that have gone before.

THE FREQUENCY OF REVIEWS

=To Teachers=: Assuming that teachers of the Palmer Method master the lessons in their order before attempting to teach them, they are to decide when lessons and drills have not been mastered and need reviewing. Without knowing the pupils and seeing their daily work in penmanship, it would hardly be possible for the author to decide with unerring accuracy, when they should review.

LESSON 44

=Drill 45=

The first two parts of small w form u. As explained in lesson nineteen, the distance between the points in small u represents a lateral (running) space. Keeping this space in mind, carry the third or finishing part of small w one-half space to the right of the second, or finishing point in small u. The connecting stroke is slightly curved.

Eighteen or twenty groups of three should be made to the minute and the count for each letter is 1, 2, 3; 1, 2, 3; 1, 2, 3; or one, two, dot; one, two, dot; one, two, dot.

=Drill 46=

LESSON 45

=Drill 47=

Small x is simple in construction. Study closely before practicing it. The crossing may be made either upward or downward. In writing a word containing it, complete the word before crossing the letter. Make the crossing short.

=Drill 48=

LESSON 46

=Drill 49=

The first part of small v is the same as the first part of small x, and it is ended with the form used in finishing small w. Don’t close this letter at the top. It must be left open. Count 1–2, 3–4, 5–6, 7–8, 9–10, for each group of five letters.

=Drill 50=

LESSON 47

=Drill 51=

The loop in h is small l, brought to the base in a straight line on the main slant, the second part is one section of small m. Notice that the first and last parts of small h meet on the base in a point. Study until you see just how it is done.

A count of 1–2, should be used for one h, and a count of 1–2, 3–4, 5–6, 7–8, 9–10, for a group of five. From fourteen to fifteen groups of five should be made in a minute.

Study an inverted h, and if correctly made you will see that in that position it is small y. At this point it would be well to study and practice small y. Count 1–2, 3–4, 5–6, 7–8, 9–10, for each group of five.

=Drill 52=

LESSON 48

Review lessons forty-seven and forty-eight, and then give attention to
the following.

=Drill 53=

The practice speed should be twenty or more of the first two words and sixteen or more of the third word to the minute.

Guard against making h higher than l. All loop letters above the base should be the same length.

LESSON 49

THE REVERSE OVAL AND ITS APPLICATION

An application of the reverse oval motion is made in forming capital J. The reverse oval, it must be understood, begins with an upward stroke on the left side. Before attempting capital J, make reverse ovals four or five minutes, and if the movement is then light and uniform, the copy may be safely practiced. The oval is used as the developing and driving force.

=Drill 54=

Make the oval to a count of six, lift the pen from the paper at the top, and without checking the motion swing the pen in its natural course above the paper, to the right and below the base to the point of contact with the paper in starting the letter. Do not stop the motion, but strike the paper in an upward course at full speed for the beginning stroke of J. If the explanation of applied motion is not fully understood, study until it is, and then fill at least a half page with the copy.

Do not neglect the form, but note carefully the following points: J should begin with an upward stroke from a point just below the base line; the turn at the top should be round; the upper part should be a little longer than the lower part, and twice its width.

LESSON 50

=Drill 55=

If slant is troublesome, study and practice this drill faithfully.

=Drill 56=

This copy is given as a drill on both movement and form. From the beginning stroke of J to the finishing of small s the pen should not be lifted. Write the word from beginning to end with a steady, light and uniform movement. Eighteen or twenty words to the minute will be a fair rate of speed for practice.

LESSON 51

=Drill 57=

Make capital I, and continue with the reverse oval. The count should be two for I and six for the oval, as follows: 1, 2; 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Apply enough speed to make the lines smooth and clear-cut.

=Drill 58=

Question: Where and how does capital I begin? Answer: Below the base line with upward motion. Question: How wide is the upper part? Answer: A little less than half the width of the lower part. Question: How is it finished? Answer: With a full left curve and a dot at the end. Question: Where do the first upward and the first downward lines cross? Answer: At the height of small o. Question: What part of the space between the ruled lines is occupied by I? Answer: About three-fourths. You should analyze every letter you practice just as completely as is done in these questions and answers. Then you will have good mental pictures of the letters, will see at once when they are poorly made, and will make them well as soon as you have good control of the movement. Without the good mental picture, you will never write well, no matter how perfect your control of motive power may be.

With a count of 1, 2, for each letter, make forty-five or more to a minute.

=Drill 59=

To form the angle at the left, there must be a full stop in this style of capital I. It is hoped that you have remembered and tried to apply the instructions of an earlier lesson about stops in making all angular connections.

This is a particularly good style of capital I to use in beginning a word, as shown in the following drill. Count 1, 2, 3; or 1, 2, swing.

=Drill 60=

MOVEMENT DRILL DESIGN

It is often a good plan to encourage students to give full play to their inventive and constructive ability in adapting the drills to different designs. Such work, however, should be done largely out of school hours. A great variety of such designs from schools where the Palmer Method is in use may be seen on the walls of the author’s offices. In the drills mentioned are mainly used the straight line; compact, open and interlaced ovals, large and small; small m, n, e, o, c, l, h, and b. Among these designs are houses, carriages, crosses, battleships, and many curious designs for which we do not find names. Many are worked out in colored inks and the effect, on the whole, is pleasing.

Herewith we give a drill that is a favorite exercise with many teachers. Let the student use pencil outlines to indicate length of lines and width of ovals.

=YOU CANNOT FAIL, IF YOU STUDY THE INSTRUCTIONS AND FOLLOW THEM=

LESSONS 52 AND 53

Not forgetting or neglecting the two-space compact oval drill with which each lesson should start, the practice periods of two days might well be spent in study and practice of the letters on page 52.

LESSON 54

=Drill 61=

This copy furnishes all the movement drill necessary in beginning this lesson. Count ten for each drill, two for capital S, and eight for the reverse traced oval. About sixteen complete drills should be made to the minute. This drill is especially recommended to those who find the development of a light, quick movement difficult.

=Drill 62=

Study the curve of the first stroke; study the loop at the top, and give especial attention to the fact that the loop (upper part of S) is one-half the entire length of the letter. With an easy, light movement make from forty-five to fifty letters to the minute. Count 1, 2, for each letter.

=Drill 63=

The angular finishing stroke shown in drill sixty-three is very popular with many excellent teachers of business writing. Almost the same number of letters should be made in a minute as in drill sixty-two. Its practical feature is the direction taken by the finishing stroke, which may be joined to any letter following. Count 1, 2, swing; or 1, 2, 3, for each letter.

LESSON 55

=Drill 64=

Write a page of this copy; more if you have sufficient time. A continuous steady movement should be used. Do not lift the pen from the beginning to the ending of the word.

LESSON 56

=Drill 65=

In this drill, capital G is made first to a count of three, and then, without lifting the pen, followed with six revolutions of the reverse traced oval. Make seventeen completed exercises in a minute. Count as follows: 1, 2–3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.

=Drill 66=

Study the form of capital G closely before attempting to make it; be sure that you not only know when you make a poor letter, but that you know why it is poor. One bad stroke may spoil an otherwise good letter. Learn to locate the bad strokes. Make from forty to fifty letters to the minute. Count 1, 2, 3; or 1, stop, 3, for each letter.

=Drill 67=

This is a good business form. Special instruction is unnecessary. Use
your eyes. Make as many as fifty in a minute.

=Drill 68=

The angular finishing stroke gives a connective line for any letter that may follow, and admits of joining the capitals for an extended drill as well. Count 1, 2, for each letter, or 1–2, 3–4, 5–6, for each group of three. Make eighteen groups in a minute.

=You aim before you shoot. You should study the instructions before you
practice the drills.=

LESSON 57

=Drill 69=

Nothing can be better at this stage of the work than easy words constantly repeated. Through a series of repetitions, strength in movement is developed, and faults are seen. Twelve or fourteen words to a minute should be the practice speed.

LESSON 58

CAUTION TO THE STUDENT

Never begin to practice until you are sure you know how. Languid, thoughtless practice should be avoided. Put ambition, put energy, put the fire of determined will behind your practice, and the results will be astonishing. Take advantage of all favorable conditions. Not only keep the muscles of the right arm in a relaxed condition, but guard against tension in any part of the body. Keep the side of the hand and the wrist free from the desk; keep the right arm well out from the side; keep the right hand in front of the eyes; keep a right angle at the right elbow, and remember that the propelling power is located above the right elbow. If you think you are in a good position for writing, test the movement without touching the pen to the paper, and study the conditions under which you are trying to work. Be sure you are right before you go ahead.

=Drill 70=

Not much movement drill of a special character is necessary in opening this lesson, the connected small p affording an excellent exercise. Study the form with care. Note particularly the point at the top, the loop below the base line, the length above and below the base, and the point where the left curve from below the base crosses the main line.

Sixty connected letters should be made to the minute. Make frequent comparisons and write a page.

The count for each group is 1–2, 3–4, 5–6, 7–8, 9–10.

=Drill 71=

Average rate of speed, twenty words to the minute. If small l is difficult, turn to drill thirty-three, study the instructions, and practice small l as there presented.

=Drill 72=

The practice speed should be fourteen words to a minute.

LESSON 59

=Drill 73=

Make a few imaginary letters as a preliminary movement drill before beginning active work. As will be seen, nearly all the main oval part is at the left of the beginning stroke. Count 1, 2, and repeat; or 1–2, 3–4, 5–6, 7–8, 9–10 for each group of five. Move the paper after each group of five. From fifty to sixty letters should be made to the minute. Make a full page and practice steadily, not spasmodically. This letter lends itself readily to a light, easy, swinging, and rhythmic movement. For that reason, it is an excellent movement drill, and the best style of capital P to adopt.

=Drill 74=

Also make a page of this letter. It is a good movement drill. Count three and be sure to join the last part to the first with a loop a little above the center of the letter. Forty-five good letters should be made to the minute. Count 1, 2, 3.

=Drill 75=

Count 1–2, 3–4, 5–6, 7–8, 9–10, for each group of five, and make twelve
groups or sixty letters to the minute.

LESSON 60

Review lessons fifty-eight and fifty-nine.

=Drill 76=

Write from ten to twelve words a minute, four to a line, eight inches long. This is a good movement drill if properly practiced.

LESSON 61

BUSINESS FIGURES

Nothing is more important to the average bookkeeper or office clerk than good figures. In many lines of accounting, thousands of business figures are made without the writing of a single word.

This, in a measure, is true in many branches of statistical work connected with railroad bookkeeping where headings are printed and page after page is filled with figures. The first requisite is legibility, and its importance cannot be emphasized too much. Letters in a word may be known by the context, but each figure must depend upon itself for legibility. It is very important, then, that each figure should be so formed that its value, in groups or by itself, cannot be mistaken.

AN OBJECT-LESSON, FOR STUDY

Through the adoption of the Palmer Method figures, made small and well within the spaces, the New England Telephone Co. has reduced errors of its employes to a minimum, and saved thousands of dollars a year.

Figures should be made small; students sometimes think that large figures are necessarily plainer, but such is not the case. Examine carefully the diagram. At the left are figures that are absolutely plain; one could not be mistaken for another, and yet their extreme size in the small spaces makes them difficult to read. At the right are the same figures, no more perfect, but not so large. Please note carefully that these, surrounded by white paper, and much smaller, are more legible, even at a distance, than the large figures at the left.

Students who have practiced in copy-books almost invariably make figures three or four times too large. Our models are large enough for ordinary use. If occasion demands, it will be easy to make them larger. One-eighth of an inch is perhaps high enough for ordinary figures, while in some places it will be an advantage to make them even smaller.

FOR STUDY

HOW TO PRACTICE

In making figure one, draw the hand toward you with a quick light motion, sliding on the third and fourth fingers. Uniformity in the height and slant are the two important points to observe.

The development and application of a lateral oval motion will aid in the construction of figure two. In making it in class drill a count of three should be used, thus—one, two, three, one, two, three, etc., or dot, two, three.

Notice the exercise preceding figure three in lesson sixty-five. The motion used in that exercise will produce a good figure if properly applied. One, two, three, or dot, two, three, is the count used. A count of three is used in figures four and five also, but for figures six, seven, and nine, use a count of two.

Several lessons should be given to drilling on the figures singly before grouping them, but as soon as the forms are mastered and the student can make them at a fair rate of speed, it is best to drill in miscellaneous order somewhat as follows: 1, 0, 2, 6, 9, 8, 5, 4, 3, 0, 9, 6, 7, 2, 2, 8, 9, 3, 5, 6, 9, 1, 5, 8, 6, 9, 5, 4, 6, 9, 3, 7, 8, etc. No particular order is necessary, but the aim should be to repeat one as often as another.

LESSON 62

=Drill 77=

LESSON 63

=Drill 78=

It is truly interesting to watch the development and improvement in figure practice in a class where the work is well and systematically done. Two weeks should be devoted to this practice and there should be frequent reviews.

Some teachers place great emphasis upon the order of simplicity, but as a matter of fact, no two students will be able to agree on this and, since we are going to devote some time to drilling on each figure during a period of two weeks, there is little use in attempting any arrangement on such a basis. If there is a difference, the difficult figures should be given most practice.

LESSON 64

=Drill 79=

As soon as fair progress has been made in making figure two, an effort should be made to bring the rate of speed to seventy-five a minute. Count one, two, three, or dot, two, three, for each figure made in class practice.

LESSON 65

=Drill 80=

In the author’s classes the method here presented of teaching figure 3 has proved more satisfactory than any other that he has tested. The motion produces the figure; learn this motion thoroughly. Count one, two, three, or dot, two, three, and make seventy figures a minute.

=The Palmer Method is a text-book on practical writing. The Instructions
should be studied, and followed.=

LESSON 66

=Drill 81=

Figure five is in a large measure dependent upon the horizontal stroke at the top for its legibility. This horizontal line should be made last. Study the form as well as practice it. About seventy good figures should be made to the minute. This speed may be increased later. Count one, two, three.

LESSON 67

=Drill 82=

Seven extends below the base. Make this figure in a count of one, two, at the rate of about eighty-five to the minute.

LESSON 68

=Drill 83=

Four rests on the base line, and usually the last part extends above the first. Count one, two, three, and make from sixty to seventy a minute.

LESSON 69

=Drill 84=

The compound curve at the left on the first line in drill 84, and the arrow in the first figure show how 8 begins.

After a few minutes’ drill on figure eight at a speed of sixty to seventy a minute, miscellaneous figures should be introduced. In class work these figures should be made from the dictation of the teacher, and the practice speed should be from ninety to one hundred figures to the minute. The author usually makes the figures on the blackboard as they are dictated to the class. A fairly rapid penman can make from one hundred to one hundred and twenty-five of these in a minute. Compare your figures with the copies and make all figures small and disconnected.

MISCELLANEOUS FIGURES FOR STUDY AND PRACTICE

LESSON 70

=Drill 85=

SPECIAL POINTS TO OBSERVE

Capital E is made with an application of the oval motion, as developed in capitals O, A and C, the application varying but little.

The upper part of capital E is about one-third the entire height of the letter. The finishing oval should not exceed one-half the entire height, and the loop marking two-thirds the height of the letter points downward at about a right angle with the main slant.

Practice the first row as a movement drill. Make the small (upper) oval first, and swing into the lower and larger oval without lifting the pen. Make five traced ovals for the upper, and the same for the lower part, thus permitting a count of ten for each completed exercise.

The abbreviated E in the second line is used by good business penmen more than any other, but the form used in the next line, finished with an oval, should be practiced and mastered. The count for each should be 1, 2, 3, or dot, 2, 3. From forty-five to fifty of the abbreviated form and but few less of the other should be made to the minute. Count the number of letters on a line, and make as many in the same space. The abbreviated capital E, followed with the small e, may be practiced as a movement drill to good advantage now and during future practice periods. The count for it is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or dot, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.

Review this lesson often until you make a good capital E.

=It is not Palmer Method if the lines are tremulous. Study the
instructions for speed requirements.=

LESSON 71

=Drill 86=

The framework of capital B is clearly shown in the models below. The straight line starting at a point about three-fourths of the distance from the base is purely a guide line, a prop upon which the remainder rests. Without it, beginners make very feeble letters. Although usually lost in the retraced line, the author considers it a very essential part of the letter.

Definiteness is essential in business writing. There should be a definite starting-point and a definite ending-point in every letter. Every curve and every loop should be definite and have a definite place in the plan of construction. In studying the forms of the letters here given, bear this in mind. Capital B may end in a dot as shown above, or it may end in an angular form, furnishing a connective stroke for the letters following.

The count for capital B is 1, 2, 3, and a fair practice speed is forty to the minute when the letters are disconnected, and a little higher rate when the letters are connected as in drill eighty-seven.

=Drill 87=

LESSON 72

=Drill 88=

Study small b. The lower part of the letter should be as wide as the loop through the widest part, and some good penmen make it a little wider than this. Do not make your letters larger than those in the copy. Make line after line until you are able to make the letters easily and at a fair rate of speed. Sixteen groups or eighty letters to the minute is not a high rate for this drill. The count for each group is 1–2, 3–4, 5–6, 7–8, 9–10, with the emphasis on the finishing point in each letter. The connective stroke is slightly curved.

LESSON 73

=Drill 89=

Students are expected to practice the above words as movement drills. The speed in the first two lines should be from twenty to twenty-five words a minute. At this rate, form can be improved while movement is being developed. The word “billing” may be practiced at from twelve to fourteen a minute.

LESSON 74

=Drill 90=

Study the form before attempting the drill. Make ten sets of five each, or fifty small k’s to the minute. Keep the letters down to the size of the copies. Count 1, 2, 3, for each letter with a slight check on the 2.

LESSON 75

=Drill 91=

This writing is large enough. In studying size, students should make frequent comparisons. The practice speed should be, for the first word, twenty, and for the word “killing” twelve to the minute. See the following page.

LESSON 76

TO RELIEVE MUSCULAR TENSION

It is often advantageous to go over the path of the letter, or exercise, with a dry pen. This method is especially helpful to a student whose muscles are hard, and who finds difficulty in overcoming the tendency to keep the muscles of the arm and body in a rigid condition. This plan has been suggested in former lessons, and we consider it of sufficient importance to receive emphasis here.

Another plan which the author has found helpful to students who write with strained muscles, is to place a weight on the paper, and write with the left arm hanging down. The tension of the right arm is relieved at once.