Back in our early stenopool days, we young typists were taught the importance of penmanship. It went something like this: Good penmanship = civil society.
Well, if that formula still stood today, we'd be in big trouble because penmanship has taken a nosedive in the era of keyboard communication.
It's probably not surprising that the Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association or WIMA has declared 23 January National Handwriting Day. They want you to "rekindle that creative feeling through a handwritten note, poem, letter or journal entry."
Handwriting allows us to be artists and individuals during a time when we often use computers, faxes and e-mail to communicate. Fonts are the same no matter what computer you use or how you use it. Fonts lack a personal touch. Handwriting can add intimacy to a letter and reveal details about the writer’s personality. Throughout history, handwritten documents have sparked love affairs, started wars, established peace, freed slaves, created movements and declared independence.
This typist says here here to handwriting. After a long day on the type writer there's nothing more satisfying than picking up a nice well-balanced pen and practicing some lovely up-and-down cursive italic. When done properly and consistently, cursive italic is art. Here are some examples of the italic family, including cursive.
WIMA sponsors National Handwriting Day every January 23 in conjunction with John Hancock’s birthday. Hancock was the first to sign the US Declaration of Independence and is famous for his large, bold signature.
