HOW TO CUT A PENCIL.
Hold the pencil firmly in the left hand, as in the drawing, allowing about an inch to project beyond the fingers, and turn it gradually as the knife removes the wood. The knife should be held so that the blade alone projects beyond the fingers, and the part of it nearest the handle used for cutting. The pencil should be placed against the inside of the thumb of the right hand, as in the drawing ([fig. 56]), and the wood removed by slight shaving. The lead should not be cut at the same time as the wood, but rested on the thumb and pared gently afterwards; by attention to these directions the pencil will be economized.