Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-12-08
Printing.


strides In certain departments within lev years
and Il IL no longer possible to deny that the work
Of American presses can, and 10 some instances
does excel the finest productions o! the Euro
pean prea.
Ia the mtre matter OF topographic execution,
the pages Of the books published IN the fifteenth
century will bear favorable comparison with
the finest work OF modern times. It's remark
able fact that the art Of printing has made but
very little it any advance IN four centuries IN
that department which j. specially designated a.
type setting The Improvements have been
mainly in the press, giving speed, eheapeuine
work aud saving manual labor but NC use
type scarcely differing from the type Of Gutton-
brig; &C gather them up by the hand In the
same way. collect them In sticks and galleys ard
between column rules. laY them on the impos
log stone aud lock them up IN the chase, just IS
Gutenberg aud Caxton dd the same work IN
the fifteenth century II II curious fact That
the method OF holding type together Ia form for
the press j. precisely The same as Invented b,
the fathers Of printing, aud no improvement has
been suggested nor DO practical printers believe
10 is possible To invent an improvement on thu
old style To the reader who II not acquantef
with the practical workings OF printing office
II may DC interesting To think for moment OF
the manner In which newspaper il manuiac
tured. and the tact will then appear more ca
tlotr tlat 80 lltftf Cnafkt HAS UttU hauc VA lut
art Of gathering and holding together the larg'
masses OF type The two outside pages of the
Journal of Commerce make one form" of type
and the two inside pages another form. This
form I. AZ present the largest known form Of type
in the world. IL - iuclosed in an iron band or
frame. with a cross-bar running between tn" two
pages THIS band Is called the chase. Each
page contains "a many types as there are letter.
on the page, and an Immense number OF blank
which divide the words and oil up the vacant
places Besides the letter types there are leads.
which separate lines as in editorial matter; rules,
which separate columns and various dashes AMI
other varieties of type rough estimate shows
that in two pages Of thi. paper there are not les
than five hundred and seventy-hve thousand
pieces of metal. each OF which must be picked
up by the hngers OF a man aud placed In posi-.
ton morning edition of the Journal Of Com
merce then requires more than .l5 200 piece
Of type metal TO be collected In torn This,
of course. IL not all done IA one day, con
siderable amount of advertising stands over from
DAY to day But the remarkable fact il that this
mass OF small pieces of metal comprising very
valuable aud costly lot OF type. u held together
in the form and preserved from " pi aud de-
structon only by wooden wedges driven in
around the mass OF type. between the sidestick-
aud thu iron " chase which surrounds the
whole These wooden wedges were used BY
Guuenburg for the same purpose and although
screws are sometimes substituted in small forms
Of type. tho wooden quoins " are always used
around large forms. aud the printers assert hat
nothing can be invented TO take their place This
vast mass of tjpe is dependent Tor its safety on
these wooden wedges. We have been somewhat
particular in the description, tor the purpose Of
showing how little advance in the typographical
art has been made in the composing room since
the early days. We have confidence that sue
cessiul machines for setting type will soon be in
general use. "A some are in special depart
ments But IL eocs not seem likely that We shall
soon lose the tools of Gutenberg in the office
liz is not wonderful. therefore. that the early
Typography equals the modern in all that consti-
tutes the true beauty and perfection of the art
For the early printers handled both, types aud
presses slowly. examined carefully. did then
press-work by hand. and were well paid for the
work when turned on Aldus could well afford
the care be gave to bis superb editions. and the
error which bis modern rival in London made. 20
his cost. was ia failing 10 consider that men will
not pay now. even in Europe. for that kind OF
care aud labor. ~ they did IN The days OF the
Anchor and Dolphin. And this fact. more gen
orally true in America than ia Europe accounts
for the repUted infcriority of American TO Eng
lish topographic work. More costly books aTe
published there than here. and such books sre
held by the public a. examples Of progress in the
art. novel which j. sold in England ~ a
guincs would not sell twenty copies here az thai
price. Hence. while ne see trashy novels issued
there on elegant paper, with fine execution. We
Zee The reprint here, or the original American
copyright novel; published go a 10 sell for from
twenty i've cents 20 dollar ard half IL l. a
great error 10 compare American dollar books
with English guinea books. Cheap books re-
quire cheap work. and i j. the triumph Of The
art OF printing TO furnish cheap books in sbuud-
ance But IL il nevertheless true that when the
American press il paid fitting price ior IL
work Il il now able 10 equal the finest work
Of the English press, and in ordinary work. AZ
medium price. j; decidedly excels the Eng
lish. For example. the edition OF Mervsle's
History OF the Romans. published by ID Ap-
pleton / Co the Nocte. Ambrosiaue pub
lisked by Middleton. the issues OF the
Riverside press. at Boston. from which come
many VI Ticknof 4 Fields publications.. The reg
ular issues Of the Hnrpers. OF Sheldon and other
houses in this city, when compared with books
published AZ the same prices IN England. are
found very much hneF in execution. The regu
lar work OF Alvcrd's presses IN New York is de.
cidedly IN advance of work sold al 81 per cent
higher prices in England We NAV challenge
foreign rivalry with The juvenile books Of various
American presses. even At 30 per cent. higher
prices.
A.. expensive books the American press nov
excels We have heretofore spoke Of the large
paper edilion of Gen McCieilan's report. OF
which only TWO hundred and hity copies are
printed Afford his in this book produced =
specimen OF type cut under his own direction.
and OF typography executed by himself. which
equals, and IN some respects surpasses the finest
issues OF the foreign press
We have not issued mtny work. of this char
scier from the American press for comparison
With foreign issues. But We regard the Wet
Point. the various privately printed editions Of
" Washington and other documents. aud the latse
paper editions OF teW books which have been
pf'nled here. a. fully S0rlhF COMPARISON Nth
sns eXtsnt workmanship Wherever American
printers have 0een encouraged by the price paid
and the appreciation Of purchasers. they have
shown Their ability to surpsss all others Aud
when ~e compare book OF the s,me prize. we
have 90 hesitation in pronounoing American work
DECIDEDLY superior
We NAV confidently claim for the American
pres full equality with the European 10 eI-
pensise york. and decided Superiority in work for
the masses. sheh Is the great triumph OF the
printing press. aud the special glory Of Gutten
btrg's nsention.-N \ Journal OF Commerce