Abstract
Why did German-speaking settlers of southeastern Pennsylvania create ornately written and illuminated religious manuscripts? Using one manuscript form—the Vorschrift, or handwriting sample—this article explores the connections that Pennsylvania’s German speakers forged between reading, handwriting, and spiritualism. A statistical analysis of Vorschrift design and text content demonstrates the manuscripts’ most important purpose: teaching youth how to learn God’s will and live piously. The Vorschrift embodies spiritual literacy education that set students on a course toward faith. The article recasts Pennsylvania German manuscript-making as an authorial process, presenting research that places manuscripts’ design and function in transatlantic context.
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