LESSON V. Write one page of mm, setting eight of them on a line. Write eight
lines on a page, leaving two spaces between the lines. Do you all understand what
is meant by a space? Well, take care of the spaces. A little care will prevent
mistakes.
LESSON VI. Write one page of oo, setting about eighteen of them on a line, and
joining them together by a waving hair stroke. Most letters are formed of straight
and curved lines combined. The o is formed of curved lines only, a curved shade
on the left, and a curved hair line on the right. It is commenced and finished at the
top. It forms a part of c, d, g, and q.
LESSON VII. Write one page of ce; drawing about twenty-two of them on a line.
This letter is of an oval form, like the o, and should, in coarse hand, be commenced
and finished at the top.
LESSON VIII. The size of the mm in this lesson, is only two spaces. Draw about
twelve of them on a line, and write ten lines on a page, leaving two spaces between
the lines. Draw the parts of m equi-distant; slope them alike, and join them near the
bottom.
LESSON IX. Write ten lines on a page of this lesson, taking care to draw word
under word, in regular columns. Perpendicular ruled lines, lightly drawn with a
pencil, will assist you in preserving this regularity of columns. Form the dot over
t by a circular movement of the pen, rather than by a sudden pressure.
LESSON X. Write seven lines of gg on a page, leaving one space between the
lines. Draw about twenty of them on a line. Count off five spaces for the length of
g; and set a small dot in the margin, at the bottom of the fifth space, then draw the
first letter on the line, down as far as the dot, then the whole line may be written
without making mistakes in the length. If necessary, let this be done at the begin-
ning of every line of long letters. Make the loops of gg two spaces and a half long.
LESSON XI. Write seven lines of pp on a page, drawing the stem five spaces long,
and leaving one space between the lines. Write about twenty of them on a line,
joining them together. If you can make a good p, you can make a good h. Almost
all the small manuscript letters in the alphabet, are formed by combining in various
ways, six or seven characters, or first principles.
LESSON XII. Write seven lines of yy on a page, leaving one space between the
lines. Draw about twenty of them on a line; make the loops two spaces and a
half long. The last part of y is the same as the last part of g; and the lower or main
part of f.
LESSON XIII. Write ten lines, or a page of this lesson, taking care to draw word
under word, in regular columns. The top, or point of short s, is carried a little
higher than the other short letters. The dot or bulb of s should be set on the hair
line, like the copy, with the hair line running through the centre. The bulb, or
last part of r, should be made light and delicate. Young writers generally make
the bulb of r, t, m, and b, too coarse and clumsy.
LESSON XIV. Write the words ammunition and examination, so as to fill a line
with the two-words; allowing half an inch for an outer margin, and the same for an
inner margin. The coarse part of x is like the last part of n, except it is not made
so sloping. Or x made with dots and bulbs, is like c joined to an inverted e.
LESSON XV. Write eight lines of this lesson on a page, drawing word under word,
in regular columns. Make t three spaces, and b, d, and f, four spaces in length.
The last part of h should be written with great care.
LESSON XVI & XVII. Write four pages of capitals; two pages of the first line, or
sixteenth lesson, and two pages of the second line, or seventeenth lesson. Write
ten lines on a page, leaving one space between the lines. The learner, in order to
render the capitals easy, and execute them correctly, should, before he begins to
write them, take a pen without ink in it, and run over each capital, a dozen times or
more, and accustom his hand to touch lightly with the pen where the hair lines are,
and give a gradual waving and curving pressure on the shades, or coarse marks.
Hair lines should be made with the right corner of the pen. Coarse marks should be
made by an equal pressure on both teeth of the pen, and without painting or daubing.
LESSON XVIII. Write one page of figures. Set fourteen lines on a page, leaving
one space between the lines.
LESSON XIX. Write a page of the word compliment, drawing eight lines on a page,
writing it twice on a line, and leaving three spaces between the lines.
LESSON XX. Write a page of the word implement, observing the foregoing rule.
Finally, write a page of each remaining lesson, and your book will be filled. Do
not hurry over these lessons, but write them with great care, so that when this
book is finished, you may be prepared to write Book Second. Be careful to make
every letter, whether long or short, of the same length, size, shape, and slope as
your copy. In a word—imitate your copy.