You know I can't resist an old penmanship practice notebook, each its own thing and interesting for different reasons, including for how the sentences written over and over and over again embody the values of the times in this which they were completed, and what was being drilled into the brains of students at that time. This one, dated 1892, is I believe the first I've seen that actually included the sentence "Children should be seen and not heard." Ack! And "All students should be orderly and quiet," too. Both a reminder that the 1890s were not at all the best of times relative to free expression, but rather one of heavy policing relative to morality and personal behavior. (And this the decade our current president lauds over all others.) Still, some lessons here we might do well to heed, such as "Honor to whom honor is due," and "It is not how much we do but how well." And of course, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Some Shakespeare here too: "To be or not to be, that is the question." I am personally partial to a whole page of "The earth revolves around the sun"--maybe a good reminder that we are not in fact at the center of the universe.
8 7/16" x 6 7/16", 8 leafs filled front and back. Good condition, completely full, holding together very well. Mostly ink then a few pages of graphite, all strong and entirely readable, better and darker than my photos.
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