22 January 21

Tomorrow (Saturday, 23 January) is National Handwriting Day, honoring the birthday of John Hancock (1737-1793). Hancock was a merchant and statesman, most famous for his giant, bold signature on the Declaration of Independence -- reputed to be written so large that the King of England could read it without his spectacles. My tie shows the cursive penmanship practice lines familiar to second- and third-grade pupils from ancient times through the 1970s. Penmanship now seems to have lost its flourish. My mother had beautiful handwriting but my own is frequently inscrutable.