It is the purpose of the study reported in this article to show, on the basis of objective measurements, the relative legibility and rate of production of two forms of handwriting, namely, manuscript writing and cursive writing. Measurements were made of specimens secured from pupils in Grades II-VI. Specimens of both types in Grade VI were secured from public schools in Winnetka, Illinois. Specimens of cursive writing in Grades II-V were secured from public schools in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and specimens of manuscript writing in Grades II-V were secured from the public school in Paw Paw, Michigan. The number of specimens of each form of writing which were read is as follows: Grade II, seventeen; Grade III, twenty; Grade IV, twenty-four; Grade V, eighteen; and Grade VI, thirty-six. While the data obtained from the study are not in themselves sufficient to warrant final conclusions, they are indicative of important differences between the two forms of writing, and they emphasize the need for further study. The legibility of writing can be determined by the rapidity with which it can be read. Therefore, in order to determine the relative legibility of the two forms of writing, it was necessary to find some method by which the time required for the reading could be measured. A suitable method is difficult to devise because adult readers have learned to identify words without taking into consideration all the details. The method finally adopted was to make the reading so difficult that all the details of the words read must be utilized before the words could be identified. The reader was required to read the specimens as they appeared upside down in a mirror placed at the top of the page. This method made it possible to pronounce the words more rapidly than they could be comprehended. The reading was done orally to avoid omitting any words and to make it easier 780