will go down to
future generations. Even fifty years will suffice to decompose many an
attractive volume at present on the shelves of our libraries, or fade
the writing of finely engraved and important documents. The quality of
the ink and paper selected is therefore of greatest importance.
Typewritten copies particularly are subject to the ravages of time,
and ought to be avoided when preservation for years to come is the
principal consideration, as for instance in the case of wills, etc.,
which ought to be made in one's own handwriting whenever practicable.

Briefly, I may state that all the safeguards employed on commercial
papers or legal documents, outside of the actual protection afforded,
have the beneficial effect or tendency to make forgeries, erasures or
alterations more difficult, at the same time warning prospective
forgers to keep a respectful distance.

The inks used, the position of the writing, the paper on which it is
written, the employment of certain chemical, mechanical and clerical
preventatives are all to be thoughtfully considered by those who
desire to protect themselves against losses resulting from fraudulent
handwriting.

With regard to expert testimony it may be said in conclusion that it
is most effective if governed solely by the evidence submitted, and
not by information otherwise obtained. The microscopic and
photographic examination of papers and documents, as well as their
mechanical and chemical treatment, require in all cases the trained
eye, the skilled hand and the extensive experience of the expert, in
order to fully utilize the available material and to arrive at
conclusions which are in entire accord with the facts under
consideration, thereby aiding in the just and equitable settlement of
weighty questions of profit or loss, affluence or poverty, liberty or
imprisonment, life or death.

Another expert in handwriting says that regarding the methods made use
of to determine authorship, specialists are naturally reticent. Some
of them have admitted, however, the nature of the leading principles'
which guide them. The philosophy of the matter rests mainly on the
fact that it is very rare for any two persons to write hands similar
enough to deceive a careful observer, unless one is imitating the
other. "Fists," like faces, have all some special idiosyncrasy, and
the imitator has not merely to copy that of some one else but to
disguise his own.

By careful and frequent practic