Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1880-10-28
Proof Reading.

There are few of these not practical,
engaged IN printing who cOmprehenS
the enormous difficulties in the way 80
producing single page typographicaVv
correct. Leaving out OF cousideratioy
the variations from rules of capitalize
ton and punctuation, TO which there ana
as many exceptions as there ale to spg
of the sO-called rules" Of English =;
biography, the labor of Reediug on,
literal errors is one which taxes the ps.
tience and assiduity Of the reader 10 IN
utmost Errors which may strike the
casual reader as so plain aud easily dis.
cernable rs to raise a conclusive Ore.
sumption Of Carelessness, may have
passed half a dozen careful readings I'm.
noticed.
Many suppose that these errors might
have been avoided. in the first instance
by due care ON the part of the printer
This to a certain extent is true, but NOT
20 the extent supposed. 1t might be
proper to charge him with all these
errors if he had nothing else to consider
in performing his work but correct com.
position. But there is certain demand
made upon him for quantity as well as
quality. In order to render his laborre.
u y
set during the working hours a sufficient
amount to entitle him to a living com.
pensation, according to the standard by
which the reading public are willing to
pay. This, he cannot do If he devoteS
his entire time TO accuracy.
When even a careless reader, who is
sufficiently well informed to enable him
TO detect errors, deyOtes an hour to the
coming Of a single page, with mind
fresh and unclouded by other cares, he
NAV discover errors which the proof
re. der has overlooked. But the profess
siJnai reader brings to the daily dis
charge Of his eXactnG duties constitu-
ton similar to that of those engaged in
other vocations. He, like every one else,
is subject to the ills that unfit him for
close application and careful discrimina-
ton. The most competent have days
when their minds are distracted by
anxieties that draw their attention from
the work in hand, which they necessarily
perform in a perfunctory manner. The
very continuity Of this peculiar labor by
which their faculties become habituated,
and their eyes expert to detect errors
has the effect, by the intellectual drudg-
cry, to blunt their interest and tire their
minds So that the verdict should often
be- instead of careless pro0f-readers, Over
worked proof-readeTs.
There is probably not periodical pub.
Iication in this, or any other country,
which is entirely free from errors. To
illustrate the difficulty, the following ex-
ample is offered:
The superintendent Of one Of our lead
| ing railroads employed an expert to
prepare a table of rates for freight be-
tween the different stations on single
line of road running through one state.
Bent upon having this absolutely cor
rect. he had it examined and re-exam-
! med until 10 error could be discovered.
4 The calculations were all simple. After
! the table was prepared i'll manuscript, it
was printed and then submitted to ex-
pert proof-readers. All the operations
were gone over and proved. The cost Of
preparing this table was $4,000. When
/ it was completed and pronounced per.
/ feet by several readers, it was subjected
to the test of a calculating machine
which could not err, and in less than
| half an hour an error was detected. Two
! or three hours work with the machine
/ discovered upwards of thirty mistakes
/ in calculations, either of which was clear
/ Iy apparent to any one acquainted with
/ the simple rules of arithmetic, the mo-
ment his attention was directed to the
single calculation, unbiased by any pre-
conceived notions Of its correctness or
/ iucorrcCtness.
This merely goes TO prove the fall
/ ibility of the mental mechanism to
which are compelled to submit all
prnted matter for final judgment upon
its accuracy. When some one can in
vent proof-reading machine we may
arrive at absolute perfection, but not till
then. The most that can be hoped for
with the means at hand is approximate
accuracy-Haetstqg's Monthly.