The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1866-01-25
The Art of Printing.
ny BAyARp TAYLOR.

ny BAYARD TAYLOR.
Perhaps there is no department Of
enterprise whose details are less under
stood by intelligent people than the
Fart prescryatiye the achievement Of
types.
Every day, their life long, they are
accustomed TO read the newspaper, to
find fault with lie statements, its ar.
rangements, its looks; 70 plume them
selves upon the discovery Of some
roguish aud acrobatic type that get,
into frolic aud stands upon its head;
.or Of some waste letter or two in il; bat
Of the process by which the newspaper
Is made, Of the myrisds of motions and
thousand Of pieces necessary to its com.
position, they know little and think
less.
They imagine they discourse Of a
woudor, indeed, When they speak Of the
fair white carpet woven. for thought to
walk on, Of the rags tha, autiered upon
the back Of the bcggar yesterday.
But there is something more won
dcrfal still When VIC look a, the
hundred and fity.two little boxes,
somewhat shaded with the touch Of
fingers, that compose the printers caso,
noisclcss, except the clicking Of the
types, as oho by one they take their
places in growing line, We think We
have found the marvel Of the art.
We think how many fancics in frag.
mcn,s there arc in the boxes, how many
atoms Of poetry aaa cloquencc the
printer can make here aud tharc, II he
only had little chart 10 work by. how
many facts ia small handful, how
much truth ia chaos
Now he picks mp the scattered cle-
monis, until he holds IN his hands a
s,Anza Of Graya Elegy, or mouody
upon Grimes oall bu,toned up before, "
aud now Parsdisc Lost" lo arrays h
bride in SMALL CAPS" aud sonnc,
in "nonparcilj' he announces that the
languishing live in oue sentence,
trausposcs the word. and doplores tho
days that are few aud "eyil, in the
next
4 poor jest tricks it's way slowly into
the printars hand like clock just
running down, aud strain Of eloqucuon
marches into line letter BY letter W.
fancy We eau tell the difference by hear.
Ing Of the ear, bu' perhaps not
Tho typos that told a wedding yes.
tcrday announce burial Tomorrow.
perhaps the solfsainc letters.
They are the elements to make a
world of these types arc world with
something IN il as beautiful as spring
as rich as summer aud as grand as au'
tumn flowers that frost cannot wilt
fruit that shall ripen for all time.
The newspaper has become the log
book of the age; it tells at what rate
the world is running; We cannot find
our reckoning without It,
True, the green grocer may bundle
up pound Of candles in our last OK.
pressed thoughts, but il is only coming
TO base uses, aud that is done times in
Vulnerable
We console ourselves by thinking
that Que can make of that newspaper
what he cannot make of living oaks: d
bridge for time, that he can fling il
over the chasm of the dead years and
walk safely back upon the shadowy ser
into the fair past. The singer shal
not end his song, nor the true soul bC
eloquent no more
The realm of the Press is enchanted
ground. Sometimes the editor has the
happiness Of knowing that he has de
Tended the right, exposed the wrong
protected the weak, that he had given
utterance to sentiment that ha'
cheered somebody'y solitary hour, made
somebody happier, kindled a smile upor
sad face. or hope in heavy heart.
He may meet with that sentiment
many years after it may have lost al
charm of its paternity, but he, feels af
fection for it. lie welcomes it as I
long absent child He reads it as fol
the first time, and wonders if, indeed
he wrote it, for he has changed since
then. Perhaps he could not give ut
terance to the sentiment now: perhaps
he would not if he could.
1t seems like the voice of his former
self calling to its parents, and there Il