Kimberley March 28th 1898
My dear Joe
I received your last, short, interesting, but very badly written letter, of March 9th, a few days ago. You must have awful pens at Seafield park. You used to write very nicely some time ago, but lately you seem to have adopted a new style of penmanship, which is not an improvement on the old. Perhaps you do not give yourself time, and write too fast. Until your hand is formed - that is for several years yet - you must take pains and always try and write your best - write slowly. Perhaps you are endeavouring to imitate Sir Edmond Currie's handwriting. Now for heavens sake don't do that; more awful writing than Sir Edmund's I have seldom seen. That is from the point of view of legibility. Your report also says "Dictation improved - writing slovenly"!
