Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1878-09-12
Typographical Errors.
ST. LCuiS Post.

There is one species of modification and
chagrin, deeper. perhaps. and more poign-
ant than any that can be suffered over tie
smaller disappointments of life, which is
known only to writers for the press. and
more especially to editors. 1t is that caused
by the typographical error. The peculiar
twinge which is felt when the writer sees
in type, marriug and perhaps running
thought or paragraph which he had taken
pains to express clearly and to round out
llarmoniously. some b'under of the print
er, must be felt to be appreciated. One
element OF its sharpness is its irremedia-
bleness. 1t is done; it has gone forth; a
correction can no more overtake it than
can IL retraction oyertake a scandal. There
is no he lip for it, and as Flora McFlimsey
said about her clothes: This kind of
grief cannot find in religion the slightest
relief
Nor can any satisfaction be gained by
laying the blame on somebody. Some
times. indeed, writer's. especially for the
newspapers. are the victims of printers Or
proofreadtrs who undertake to interpret
what the writer means to say. and to make
it clearer by the change Or substitution Of
word. No direction needs De more
sternly enforced in a well regulated print
ing Office than that of follow copy" But
often among experienced printers may be
found those whose interest in the success
of the writer apparently causes them TO
want TO give tie article tic benefit OF all
the literary knowledge they possess. They
will cut out or slip in q capital letter, or
change the spelling ola word. or rcdnce s
compound word, to simple ones. evident
" Will, the best of intentions. but often
with the most disastrous result to the
peace OF niilI and literary "xactncss of the
writer.
1t is sometimes offered in consolation to
the unfortunate victim OF types that read
ers will know there is blunder, and at
tribute it to the types, Or that they will be
able to supply the proper words. In very
rare instances is this any sat!sf elton, that
| it is curious fact that sometimes even
the writer cannot imagine what word he
did originally use instead Of the one rong-
ly substituted. 1t is often indeed tnat the
types so horribly misrepresent one. as IL
the case of the young poet who wrote:
''He kissed her under the sile.t s.ars,''
| and read instead:
''He kicked her undcr the cellar stairs,''
but when one writes Of i political friend
that he is 1.-The main stay of his party
and the types change it into 1.-The meanest
of bis party the temptation to take VEN
geance on somebody or something is eN-
tremc. Nor is it less intolerabIe when the
change in ore or two letters simply makes
| one ridiculous. MAN did not make and
cannot mar" quoted a writer from Emer-
son, but neither Emerson nor the writer
recognized the quotation when it read,
Man did not make and cannot wear"
! But no one who has not had experience
can have any idea of the care and labor re
quircd to send forth from the press an ar
,icle or work strictly free from typo
graphicni errors. In book wcrk it woGldl
seem as if this might be accomplished,
where time and opportunity for correction
are abundant; yet there are few books pub
l;sllcd even by the best firms that are
wholly free from such errors. a London
book firm which greatly prides itself tor
its excellence in this direction, once offered
reward of five hundred pounds for the
discovery Of an error in proot-sheets of an
edition of the New Testament. This Offer
was Il standing one unlil the whole edition
was printed, when three errors were dis
covered on the very first page, one of them
in the very first line.