“To have legible handwriting is the first rule of politeness,” wrote Russian historian Vasily Klyuchevsky. Handwriting Day celebrated annually on January 23rd. The holiday was established to remind a person that in the age of electronic technology, handwriting is the little thing that can still express his individuality. This curious, at first glance, holiday was invented by the Association of Manufacturers of Writing Instruments, so that in the age of super-technologies, not to let humanity forget about such an important skill - the ability to write by hand. It is celebrated on January 23 in honour of the birthday of Congress President John Hancock*, who was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

Since ancient times, people have used paper letters to communicate and information circulation. Handwriting is an assemblage of human emotions, moods, a feature of a person’s character, his style of life. It develops the ability to express one's thoughts well not only on paper, but in colloquial speech as well. Handwriting is not only gorgeous or illegible letters, but the indicator of the person character and psychological state. With the advent of computer technology, it is becoming increasingly difficult for a person in the modern world to express his thoughts in writing. Computer typing is impersonal, the electronic letters reflect only his mechanical skill. A standard text message on the phone can simply be forgotten or lost. At the same time, a paper document written in a unique, characteristic for a peculiar person handwriting, will remain with a loved one as a good memory. It evokes a thrilling feeling when you find a letter in your mailbox. Correspondence by paper letters arouses amazing emotions, teaches us to reveal our thoughts on paper and introduces us to wonderful people who can tell us something new about life, the world. There are also negative factors of a paper letter - a long wait for an answer, sometimes - the loss of letters, the inability of the defendant to express his thoughts well on paper, because of this, the text turns out to be boring, jerky and slurred.

Handwriting has been proven to stimulate brain activity. By writing a long text, one can adjust his emotional state. Psychologists say that with the help of writing, one can even work through his psychological problems. Handwriting is the most obvious and most mysterious manifestation of the human psyche, a kind of a personality mirror. A letter, a signature, a simple stroke of a pen can tell a lot about its creator. Therefore, throughout the existence of letters, people tried to determine a person’s character by his handwriting. Hence, the term "graphology" (ancient Greek γράφω - I write and λόγος - teaching), which today defines the field of knowledge about handwriting and methods of its study in connection with the individual mental state, was primarily used by the French abbot Jean-Hippolyte Michon** only in 1875 year. At the same time, handwriting is not only a mirror of the personality of one person; it is a reflection of the character of each nation. Finally, letters and postcards written by hand are a storehouse of warmth, mood and soul of the person that wrote them. Human handwriting cannot be imitated. Nothing depends on the hand when writing; it is only an instrument of the brain. Therefore, in the era of template SMS and computer means of communication, handwritten text is a reminder of the uniqueness of each of us.

Summarizing the findings of various studies, according to which writing by hand is more useful than typing:

• Hand writing develops the brain;
• Promotes long-term memorization;
• Makes it easier and clearer to formulate thoughts;
• Is the key to man's mental world;
• Promotes retentive concentration.

For the Day of Handwriting, we have prepared a thematic photo album, which is posted in the museum "Photo Gallery".

ON THE COVER: Alebrije - dragonfly fountain pen. Brazil, 2019
Quispe Aparicio, ST Dupont (pen)

*John Hancock (January 23, 1737 - October 8, 1793) was an American political leader and supporter of the American Revolution. Hancock served as president of the Second Continental Congress and became the first governor of Massachusetts. In American culture, he gained great fame for his especially large signature under the Declaration of Independence of the United States.

** Jean Hippolyte Michon (1806-1881), Catholic priest, teacher, preacher, archaeologist, writer, undisputed father of graphology.

Ref.: https://realnoevremya.ru/articles/163862-kakie-tayny-mozhet-raskryt-pocherk
Chernyshev N.D. MAOU "Secondary School No. 10"