My Paean to the Ballpoint Pen, Part 3

       When the ballpoint pen came out, the question for a time was, would the teachers accept work written in ballpoint?  But I was one of the most eager to obtain one, for no one could expect from the ballpoint that freeflowing, elegant, and ultimate handwriting of the dipped pen.  The ballpoint was more sparing of its ink supply and more jealous of its release onto the page. 

       Besides, hadn't it been advertised with such marvelous appeal as being able to write under water, as being able to write over butter...I guess they meant paper that had been impregnated with oily butter....Who could resist being the possessor of such a marvelous instrument?

       And it could make carbon copies like a typewriter or pencil.  Disregard the fact that I had no use for carbon copies and had never made one up to that time...the new pen could do it!  And it was another point of appeal for its purchase.