Is the school around the corner just the same?
Even though the kids there play a different game, We are still the same at heart though we’re many years apart, Yes, the school around the corner’s just the same.
Is the School around the corner just the same? In September conversations inevitably turn to a return to school, uniforms, books and class numbers and which teacher will be teaching our children. Television and radio shows will be mentioning all those starting their first day of school, recording the tears, recording the joys. When asked to write a school themed article for my column in the What’s on in West Cork, the lyrics of that all too familiar radio show and later television programme (from the 1980s and earlier) echoed in my mind. The question at the start of the show was always “is the school around the corner still the same?”. How has the passage of time changed teaching methods, teaching technology and was the student experience very different to that of the children’s parents and grandparents’ generations. In many instances I remember the evaluations at the end of each show were resoundingly positive. Things had changed.
But one thing I do remember were the changes in the implements, biros – pens- fountain pens, print or cursive script (joined writing), pencil cases – wooden ones, cloth or plastic… the choices. These were very often the things that mattered first to young people returning after the summer recess. Let’s look at the development of a few of these varied and diverse writing instruments throughout the last few centuries.
Egyptian and Roman Texts – how did they write?
The earliest form of a pencil or biro- writing instrument was used in ancient texts was a stylus. Writing on papyrus usually took the form of a type of stylus or reed dipped into a natural concoction usually from berries or colours extracted from rocks and nature. Even primitive humans in many cave drawings had to use more than their fingers perhaps. They too made use of the elements in nature to create their own stylus. Later the monastics in the ecclesiastical sites all over Ireland were doing something similar to create, write, draw and paint their works of art, for example the Book of Kells. They brought their inky concoctions to an altogether different level of excellence. Writing was the preserve of the fortunate, even up to the early 1960s the rate of illiteracy in Ireland was quite high.
As a historian, one only needs to look at old documents and census returns to see how high that incidence of illiteracy was in Ireland in 1901 and 1911. Most “Heads of Family” in the Census, left a mark. An “X” was inserted usually between a Christian name and the surname. It was witnessed in the presence of the enumerator or some other official justice of the peace etc. Too often, these Heads of Families were born immediately after the Famine. It was their children and grandchildren who are listed in the census as being under 18 years of age and are identified as having an occupation as “scholar” who “could read and write”. The Education Acts were in their infancy in the late 1830s and were stymied by the events of the Famine Years. Later, school at least secondary school was the preserve of the wealthy. Many even in the 1950s left primary school after the 6th class exam.
The Humble Pencil
The humble pencil or “peann luaidhe” in Gaeilge, owes its origins to a simple lead rod being used to write with in the medieval ages. This was often high lighted with different coloured inks. It took some years before the idea of encapsulating the lead or graphite in a wooden rod took hold. There are various people credited with inventing the first pencil. According to a blog post by a member of the Museum of Writing Research Collection in the British Library, the Aztecs were the first people to avail of the use of graphite.
In Europe, graphite was discovered in Bavaria in Germany in the 15th century. The oldest pencil in the world was found in a house that dated back to 1630. If you like pencils and stationery, this will be of interest -one design studio credits an Italian couple named Simonio and Lyndiana Bernacotti for inventing the first wooden pencil in 1560. Chiselled out of a juniper stick with an oval shape to prevent roll-away. Early pencils were primarily used by tradesmen.
It was found that graphite left varying shades of darkness on paper and graphite gained a foothold in the writing stakes. As graphite was brittle it needed to be encased in something stronger. Wooden pieces were glued together and the pencil as we know it was born. Nuremberg – Germany saw the first mass production of pencils in 1662. Faber- Castell, Staedtler and others followed suit, with most writing instrument companies being established in the mid to late 1700s. This was fortuitous as pencils really became a necessity for sketching for inventors and planners of 19th century industrial revolution.
Promoting the popularity of the pencil was assisted by a major discovery of a large graphite deposit in Britain in Borrowdale, Keswick in the Lake District in 1564. By the 19th century there was a flourishing industry in Keswick, a factory opened in 1832 and is now today known as the Cumberland Pencil Company. These were considered the industry standard at the time. In Europe, the most modern version of the pencil is said to be the brainchild of Nicholas Jacques Conte in 1795. He was a scientist serving in Napoleon’s Army. Conte’s manufacturing process involved heating the clay and graphite with water in a kiln. He then discovered that different proportions left a different mark on paper and hence was born the gradation system of pencils, such as HB, 2H etc. As a child Conte -Water Colour pencils were a regular Christmas Stocking staple in my house.
Since then, various brands have come and gone but many original brands continue. Ireland can boast that Fabre Castell, one of the greats of the writing industry, has a base in Fermoy since 1950s. Fabre Castell has something for every budget but their high- end items, especially the Graf Von Fabre Castell are outstanding, just look at their product line. Developments in pencil manufacture over the years have been extensive. Colouring pencils, aqua pencils, and various drawing techniques have ensured that the humble pencil has not gone out of fashion.
Cursive Script- from Quill & Ink to Fountain Pen
Do you remember learning cursive script? aka joined writing. In Ireland, we learned to print and write with pencils in infant school but a move to the big second class usually brought with it all the drama of the cursive script. Having to learn to write or draw the shapes of letters now in a way that was totally different to what we had learned for the last three years…I think most of us really wondered what were we doing. The copy book was like a musical manuscript score sheet, with different colour lines to indicate where to curve the letter or go up and around or over and back…remember those instructions…Is the school around the corner still the same…I wonder?
We usually progressed to using a common bic – biro in the eighties. Possibly the same is true today. But for our grandparents’ and earlier generations, there’s was a messier experience. It was called the “fountain pen” from which the ink literally flowed and sometimes it flowed just about everywhere. Nibs, ink bottles and blotting sheets were commonplace and there was a thriving industry in the various accoutrements that came along these fountain pens. Some were embellished and quite ornate in silver or gold. Others were plain ordinary, rudimentary and functional.
The precursor to the fountain pen as we know it was the feather pen or quill and ink. Harry Potter fans will find this easily recognisable. I suppose it also is quite famous when you consider that most important historical documents and treaties of the medieval period were signed using a quill and ink, for example the Magna Carta in 1215 and later in 1776 the American Declaration of Independence. Over these 500 years little changed in terms of the Quill. In the early years the feather’s nib was cut at an angle to hold the ink and the feather was dipped in ink before writing. At this time, writing was an art form, any letters were usually sealed with a wax seal and embossed using a metal stamper. Again, these implements were the preserve of the wealthy. Throughout the 1800s inventors experimented with the idea of a reservoir to hold the ink, various feathers and nibs were considered using various types of plumes from small birds to swan feathers.
We are all familiar with industry names such as Cross, Waterman and Parker in terms of fountain pens, regular pens and biros. America became the mass market for much of the industry. In the early 1800s many tried to upgrade the feather-pen. In 1870s Cross and McKinnon created a stylised fountain pen which used a dropper to fill the reservoir chamber. These looked well but when closed they tended to leak into their caps. By 1884, Lewis Waterman invented the more modern version of the fountain pen. It used gravity to allow ink to flow and the nib – various sizes allowed for regulation of the writing style and size.
One of its main advantages was it reduced the number of leaks that arose from the quill & ink method. The next issue was how to fill the ink chamber with a suction type of self-filler of ink. This development was the main concern with the development of the fountain pen at the turn of the 20th century. At this time Schaeffer, Waterman and Parker were excelling in these areas. In Europe advances in rubber and plastics in the 20th century ensured that reservoirs in the fountain pens became easier to make and the fountain pen increased in popularity and use. By the 1960s the cartridge option was replacing the bottles of ink in each house.
However, the ballpoint pen made its way onto the writing stage. Initially, it was seen as clean, expensive and the preserve of the rich. Its invention was largely attributed to an American who took out a patent for a ballpoint pen, which essentially was a tiny rotating rolling ball at the end of thin tube filled with ink. This was in 1888 and was a patent issued to J. Loud.
However, the “biro” as we know it today owed its name to the Hungarian, Laslo Bíró, a Hungarian Newspaper Editor. Bíró secured a British patent for his “biro” in 1938. Bíró and his brother fled Hungary during the Second World War and settled in Argentina where they established a factory. Many companies later followed the Bíró Brothers and set up companies producing ballpoint pens.
In the early years ballpoint pens were the preserve of the wealthy, by the 1980s the roll was reversed, more and more people saw the ballpoint pen as functional, clean and reliable. The fountain pen seemed to become more of – a rare occasion use. You will notice that whenever you see a political or important document/treaty being signed by politicians, that frequently there is a specially commissioned fountain pen used for the occasion. Additionally, luxury fountain pens and commemorative ballpoint pens have found their way into the market as gift items and many tourist destinations have their own merchandise which includes ballpoint pens, fountain pens and pencils.
The next time you reach for the humble pen or pencil, remind yourself of the historical background that allowed you to hold that Bic, Staedtler, Conte, Cross, Parker or Papermate in your hand…and be thankful we no longer need blotting paper or endure an inky mess!
