gether with the quills of home
growth--but how to serve a letter-writing population?

The ancient reign of the quill-pen was first seriously disturbed about
twenty-five years ago. An abortive imitation of the _form_ of a pen was
produced before that time; a clumsy, inelastic, metal tube fastened in a
bone or ivory handle, and sold for half-a-crown. A man might make his mark
with one--but as to writing, it was a mere delusion. In due course came
more carefully finished inventions for the luxurious, under the tempting
names of ruby pen, or diamond pen--with the plain gold pen, and the rhodium
pen, for those who were skeptical as to the jewelry of the inkstand. The
economical use of the quill received also the attention of science. A
machine was invented to divide the barrel lengthwise into two halves; and,
by the same mechanical means, these halves were subdivided into small
pieces, cut pen-shape, slit, and nibbed. But the pressure upon the quill
supply grew more and more intense. A new power had risen up in our world--a
new seed sown--the source of all good, or the dragon's teeth of Cadmus. In
1818 there were only one hundred and sixty-five thousand scholars in the
monitorial schools--the new schools, which were being established under the
auspices of the National Society, and the British and Foreign School
Society. Fifteen years afterward, in 1833, there were three hundred and
ninety thousand. Ten years later, the numbers exceeded a million. Even a
quarter of a century ago two-thirds of the male population of England, and
one-half of the female, were learning to write; for in the Report of the
Registrar-General for 1846, we find this passage--"Persons when they are
married are required to sign the marriage register; if they can not write
their names, they sign with a mark: the result has hitherto been, that
nearly one man in three, and one woman in two, married, sign with marks."
This remark applies to the period between 1839 and 1845. Taking the
average age of men at marriage as twenty-seven years, and the average age
of boys during their education as ten years, the marriage-register is an
educational test of male instruction for the years 1824-28. But the gross
number of the population of England and Wales was rapidly advancing. In
1821 it was twelve millions; in 1831, fourteen millions; in 1841, sixteen
millions; in 1851, taking the rate of increase at fourteen per cent., it
will be eighteen millions and a half. The ex