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Hokitika Guardian, 23 February 1928, Page 2

OvitlNO the last week the South Island School Committees’ Federation passed a resolution condemning the practice of script writing. The attempt to substitute, on the plea of neatness, a modified form of printing for the cursive hand which most people have been taught has made considerable headway in our schools, and in the opinion of the delegates to this conference it ought to be cheeked. r l he chief practical objection to the now method, says a contemporary, is based on commercial considerations, “hrom the business man’s point of view,” said one of the delegates, “script writing lends to an easy method of forging.” 1 1 Was stated that when a position was recently advertised in Dunedin, all the script writers who applied wore summarily rejected; and it is wellknown that bankers in particular, for obvious reasons, view the new style of script with marked disfavour. Clearly a method of writing which aims at mechanical uniformity, and thus suppresses the individual character of the writer and his work, from the commercial standard, to say nothing of the psychological, is open to serious criticism. The matter should lie carefully considered by the Department. Handwriting is not the material consideration it once was—since the days of the typewriter; the mechanical method however does not cover all purposes, and neat handwriting is still necessity. Legible handwriting is something to he desired in many "avs. vet it is often rather disappointing to find scholars leaving school with v ery indiffernt writing ns a defective accomplishment. The protest made in the matter is not without foundation, and it is hoped will lead to more attention being devoted to the subject it the various schools.