Welcome back to the Gentleman's
Gazette. In today's video, we'll discuss why the art of penmanship
seems to have faded in recent history, but why we believe this gentlemanly
pursuit still has a place today. [Gentlemen's Gazette theme plays] Fountain pens are a regular topic of discussion
for us here at the Gentleman's Gazette as evidenced by this playlist. But, a true gentleman
knows that not even a fancy fountain pen like a Waterman can compensate for poor handwriting.
So, a gentleman often endeavors to make sure that his handwriting is as clear and beautiful
as the ideas he's attempting to put on the page. For centuries, from the illuminated manuscripts
of the Middle Ages to the florid, personal correspondence of the 18th and 19th centuries,
the ability to produce writing that was not only legible but also beautiful was a sought
after and highly vaunted skill. Over the 20th and into the 21st centuries, however,
cultural and technological changes have many people convinced that handwritten
correspondence is a thing of the past, and as such, an emphasis on good handwriting has
also declined precipitously in recent decades. [An example of bad handwriting] [Horror music plays] [Horror music intensifies] Printed script is used only when
filling out forms or scribbling notes, and, for many, cursive has become
consigned exclusively to signatures. So, to find out how this all occurred, we're going
to investigate the recent history of penmanship with a special emphasis on the fountain pen and
try to uncover the various factors that led to its decline. And, for the sake of brevity, we
will be focusing on penmanship from a largely Anglophonic perspective and looking only at fairly
recent history. The modern history of penmanship begins in the middle of the 18th century when a
culture of written correspondence through letters proliferated in Europe and North America. It was
considered a mark of intelligence and good social standing for one to be able to write beautifully
and legibly, so handwriting was taught in both public and private institutions. In fact, some
special schools arose that catered exclusively to teaching penmanship. Guide books were also
offered, and the first North American volume entitled "The American Instructor" was published
in 1748. While there came to be many methodologies for proper handwriting and penmanship, one
of the most influential arose in 1809 from Joseph Carstairs, a British educator. He believed
that writing ought to be formed smoothly and made up of one continuous stroke rather than having
letters formed from multiple individual strokes as had been done previously. The result was a broad
and fluid script that could be written quickly and efficiently utilizing the movement of the entire
arm to maintain speed and control without cramping in the wrist or in the fingers. This fluid style
was particularly useful when writing in cursive. Penmanship courses during this period covered both
cursive and printed script, but because cursive allowed one to write quickly as the pen didn't
need to be removed from the pages often, it was favored for most handwritten documents. And, as
cursive was the favored script beginning around the middle of the 19th century, the fountain pen
became the favored writing instrument. We won't delve fully into the fountain pen and all of its
intricacies today. But, for an extensive analysis including how it works and its history, you can
find our comprehensive guide on the subject here. For now, suffice it to say that by the end of
the 19th century, the fountain pen had become the almost universal instrument for written
correspondence and for good reason; the fountain pen's nib allowed for a multitude of fine
detailing and precise strokes, as well as for the even distribution of good quality ink that easily
maintained a consistent flow, and, in particular, the internal ink reservoir of most fountain pens
eliminated the need to return to an inkwell or inkpot to refill the pen as one had to do when
using a dip pen or its antecedent, the quill pen. As the 20th century began, penmanship was
considered fundamental to elementary education, and the fountain pen reigned supreme among writing
instruments. Armed during grammar school with sharpened pencils, students of good handwriting
in the 19th and 20th centuries would dutifully copy out individual letters and later phrases,
sometimes filling up entire copy books as they practiced. While dozens of different writing
manuals were employed in North America at this time, the most popular of which were the Palmer
and Zaner-Bloser methods; nearly all of them assumed that students were preparing to write with
fountain pens. Even later, writing systems like the D'Nealian method that was developed in 1978
maintained norms established by the Palmer method, such as the suggested writing grip that were
more suitable to fountain pens than ballpoint pens. As students in the mid to late-20th
century rose through the schooling ranks and entered the working world, however, many
of them began to write with ballpoint pens; again, for their low cost and perceived
convenience. Indeed, ballpoint pens also came to be distributed in schools for this
same reason. And, as you might expect, because there was a discord between
the tools used and the methods taught, penmanship in schools did decline somewhat.
Despite these impediments, cursive handwriting continued to be taught in American schools well
into the 1990s, though it was increasingly seen as archaic. In addition, to the many drawbacks we
already mentioned, many teachers thought that the method of teaching cursive handwriting, which
relied on rote skills and repetitive practices, amounted to simple drudgery. Other schools
de-emphasized cursive handwriting or removed the course entirely, perhaps to focus on
increasing amounts of standardized testing that were coming into vogue around that time. Today,
the vast majority of American schools do provide rudimentary instruction in basic penmanship, but
cursive is exceedingly rarely taught. In Europe, meanwhile, courses on cursive and penmanship
are still somewhat more widely taught, and some students are even instructed on how to
use a fountain pen. But, all of this instruction is somewhat in decline in Europe as well. Speaking
personally, I was taught the D'Nealian method for printing in elementary school and was also
instructed in cursive as a third grader in 2003. Cursive wouldn't be emphasized in further years
of my schooling, however. I did stick with it, although I'm sure that some of my letterforms
have taken on unique shapes over the years. Although, I did notice that I was
one of a small handful of students out of my larger class of 200 or so who did
keep up with writing in cursive. So, what then brings us to our current state of affairs
where penmanship is considered a dying art and fountain pens are nothing more than an elegant
relic? One of the first causes for the decline in penmanship came from the invention of new
pen technologies. For all of its many benefits, the fountain pen wasn't without drawbacks.
In particular, the refilling process could be time-consuming and indelicate handling
could lead to ink stains and spills. Also, fountain pen nibs were very delicate and could
be easily damaged, especially on rough surfaces. Massachusetts inventor John J. Loud attempted
to fix the delicate nib issue by creating, in 1888, a pen that dispensed ink via a tiny ball
at its point. That is to say, a "ballpoint pen." Loud's pen, though, had difficulty maintaining
ink flow and its practical utility was severely limited. He himself had only intended for it to
be used to write on industrial materials like the rough leather used by tanners in the late
1930s. László Bíró, a Hungarian journalist, improved on Loud's design by introducing a new,
more viscous ink developed by his chemist brother György. This new more paste-like ink could still
be delivered through the ball at the pen's point, but with a more consistent rate of flow that led
to more legible writing. Bíró's pen design grew in popularity and, shortly after the conclusion of
World War II, the design was sold to Marcel Bich, the co-founder of the now-famous Bic pen
company. And, by the 1970s, a variation on the ballpoint pen with a more smoothly flowing ink was
introduced this became known as "the rollerball" or "gel rollerball pen." So, how did these newer
pen designs precipitate the decline of penmanship? Well, remember first that the ballpoint pen wasn't
originally designed for fine writing. Loud wanted a way to write on rough surfaces like leather,
and Bíró needed a pen that wouldn't need to be refilled often and would be good for scribbling
out notes or editing newspaper stories. So, the ballpoint is fundamentally a utilitarian pen.
It's good for writing things out in simple script, but it doesn't lend itself well to the more
beautiful art of traditional handwriting. The round tip, unlike a fountain pen's nib, can't be used to create lines of varying thickness
and can't be finely controlled. And dispensing the paste ink requires firm and consistent pressure
that can lead to a more uncomfortable experience and indeed cramping of the hand, and also
doesn't allow for use of the whole arm. This will affect not only comfort, but also speed
and will make it difficult to continue writing for long periods of time. And, while gel
rollerballs have much-improved ink flow and do address many of these concerns, they also
can't produce lines of varying thickness and, like ballpoints, gel rollerballs also tend to be
more poorly balanced as compared to fountain pens. One can certainly achieve fine handwriting with
a ballpoint pen or gel rollerball, of course, but their designs aren't conducive to fine penmanship.
Ultimately, they're more of a convenient option. But, even so, how did the new pen styles manage to
supplant the superior fountain pen so quickly? One of the major reasons, as you might expect, is
cost. When the modern ballpoint pen was first introduced in 1945, it sold at a price of $10,
which when adjusted for inflation would be about a hundred and twenty dollars
today. This was only slightly less expensive than fountain pens of the time.
But, to better compete with fountain pens, ballpoint pen manufacturers found a way
to reduce costs by utilizing cheap labor, materials, and manufacturing. In 1959, Bic debuted
its Cristal ballpoint pen, which retailed for just 19 cents or about $1.70 in today's money. And
today, of course, you can get a multi-pack of Bic Cristals for less than 5 cents per pen. Consumers
in the mid to late-20th century flocked to what was cheap, convenient, and disposable,
so the ballpoint pen became ubiquitous. But, as standards in both workmanship and ink
declined, the problems inherent to ballpoint pens only became further exacerbated. The pursuit
of ever-cheaper prices advanced a pen that was poorly suited to the art of fine writing and,
thus, negatively impacted the art of penmanship overall. Ultimately then, quality penmanship best
requires a quality pen. And, as you might expect, quality has a cost to it. However, this doesn't
necessarily have to be a high cost. There are excellent fountain pens available today that
cost not much more than what you would see from a quality ballpoint pen. For example, the Pilot
Metropolitan, which retails for around $15, is one of our picks in our roundup of inexpensive
fountain pens, which you can find here. But, if you're continuing on your fountain pen
journey and looking for a step up from the base level models, you can find our guide
to intermediately priced fountain pens here and our assessment of the Montblanc Meisterstück
and whether it's worth it here. A perfectly honed instrument like a fountain pen is fundamentally an
investment then. And you should expect to invest not only money but also time and practice.
Indeed, no matter the pen you choose to use, good penmanship requires time and
dedication to master. So, while it is true that mastering the art of fine penmanship
does require a considerable amount of work, one will typically find that putting in the
investment will give exceptional dividends and, indeed, a good deal of the strife and frustration
that some associate with practicing penmanship can be alleviated simply by practicing with a
fountain pen instead of a ballpoint or rollerball. On that note, this guide will teach a beginner
everything they need to know about writing with a fountain pen, and also, be sure not to miss our
video on the most common fountain pen mistakes here. Fortunately, learning to write
with a fountain pen is a skill that a gentleman can easily master
in the comfort of his own home. All he needs to do is find a set
of letterforms that he likes, copy the upper and lower case letters, and
then get to work practicing them. Then, once he's mastered the letterforms,
he can start trying sentences. Pangrams like "the quick brown fox
jumps over the lazy dog" will ensure that he gets practice with every letter and
multiple loop and ligature arrangements. But, to return to the central
question of today's video, improper pen usage, lower quality writing
instruments, and a decreased focus on teaching penmanship in schools led,
somewhat, to the decline of penmanship. However, this wasn't the only factor and
certainly not what delivered the death blow. While the widening distribution of typewriters in
the 1930s and 40s caused some to prophesize that this would lead to the death of handwriting,
these predictions were largely ill-founded. [Typewriter ad excerpt plays]
"You know something? The minute you get your hands on this wonderful portable, you find yourself with an urge to express
yourself. Now, that can be mighty important, not only in school but in later life."
[Typewriter ad excerpt ends] Other than business and legal correspondence and
other professional applications, the typewriter was too expensive and too impractical in most
circumstances for everyday activities like taking notes or writing letters, and so, penmanship
persisted. But, all this changed at the close of the 20th century when access to cheap word
processors and desktop computers made it easy for anyone to type almost anything. Schools that had
previously taught penmanship began to teach typing and keyboarding, instead, and home printers made
it more convenient to print out rather than write out school or work assignments and even personal
correspondence. And with the rise of email and online chatting, handwritten letters were
dismissed as snail mail, and digital communication was the preferred way to keep in touch for a
generation fixated on lightning fast speed, minimal effort, and the
latest technological trends. Finally here, mobile phones and, especially,
smartphones provided a convenient, adaptable, and omnipresent way to almost totally eliminate
even quotidian forms of writing like shopping lists, schedules, and short personal notes through
specialized apps. Today, some schools have even organized all digital curricula, outfitting their
students with individual laptops or tablets. Does all this mean that we've finally reached the
last days of handwriting then and that soon, all communication is going to be digital? In short, we
don't think so. Commentators have been predicting the death of handwriting for decades now and
while new technologies have definitely supplanted handwriting in some areas and are easier and
more convenient, there are certain things that digital communication simply can't do as well as
handwriting. It should be no surprise that here at the Gentleman's Gazette, we often prefer to
do things the classic or old-fashioned way, and there's nothing more classic (not to mention warm
and personal) than a handwritten thank you card to a great client, a personal letter to a friend,
or even a humble postcard to one's parents. We've discussed these types of correspondence in
this article here. It should also be reinforced that penmanship is a valuable art in and of itself
as it will allow you to create something unique and beautiful. And for some, copying out letters
while practicing your penmanship or falling into the trance of writing a long letter can have
a relaxing and almost meditative quality. And when you take into consideration that
studies have shown writing things out by hand improves memory retention and speeds
mastery of new information, we think that there's definitely still a place for focusing
on penmanship today. And after all, if there weren't a place for focusing on penmanship, what
good would all these fountain pens we have be? [Animation of Raphael with
fountain pen as toothpick] So, if we've made one thing clear
today, we hope it's that penmanship and the particular charm of a handwritten
letter are not bygone relics. But instead, personal and beautiful mementos of a more
elegant age. We hope that you'll consider taking up a fountain pen, practicing your
penmanship, and writing out more letters and thank you cards soon. In today's
video, I'm wearing a more casual outfit, good for sitting around the house and
writing out some handwritten correspondence. It consists of a heavily-textured brown cardigan
sweater worn over an off-white shirt and navy blue trousers with a subtle bird's eye pattern to
their weave. While the shirt is French cuffed, I've just got simple black links in the cuffs
today, and they're configured in a barrel style to fit more easily under the sleeves of the
sweater. My shoes are dark chocolate brown, suede penny loafers to harmonize somewhat with
the sweater and my remaining accessories are from Fort Belvedere. These include my pale
yellow knit tie in silk and my socks, which are two-toned shadow striped
models in navy blue and yellow to harmonize with both the trousers and the tie.
You can find the tie and socks that I'm wearing, as well as a wide array of other menswear
accessories in the Fort Belvedere shop here. [Gentlemen's Gazette theme plays]p
