The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-11-15
Legi BILE Manuscript.


There is no class of people that has to deal
with more kinds Of manuscript than composit-
tors. They are daily expected to put in type
the different kinds OF penmanship, from that
which resembles the wire from broom handle
to that which closely resemble the handle it.
self. He whe can write neat, plain hand is in
possession of good mplishment; and moth
ing pleases printer more than to have placed
in his hands an article plainly written, proper
names, at least, spelled correctly, paragra phs
properly made, and an occasional point TO
guide him through the long sentences SO that
be may know the meaning at glance, and
thus save much time and annoying perplexi.y.
great many people know the principles of
neat peDmanship; but few there are who prac-
tlce 1T; and tits TO be regretted that SO many
people make 1T point to write a scrawling
hand. When such an article is referred book
to the author, and he is required to assist in
decphering some word, Horace Greeley and
his notorious penmanship are Immediately
made the subject of COMMENT but it should
be remembered hat Horace Greeley did not
win his fame by being poor penman. His
lame was won through the efforts Of a few
pluoky printers who put his ideas into print
50 that the masses could read them.
1t is necessary that manuscript should be
legibly written. An experienced compositor
Will not make many errors If the article is to
be read, instead of being worked out like
problem; if the latter, errors can always be
found. Many people, in writing for the press,
throw their ideas together in jumbled mass
of straight marks and hourishes, excusing
themselves on the ground that the printer will
bring 1t out all right; but ht W often they are
mistaken! An author of such manuscript IL
often mortified to find his article in print with
dozen or more mispelled proper names-the
very words of all that should appear correctly,
and the very ones also that the printer should
in no wise bo pXnpctad To smell
The habit OF spelling proper names incorrect
~ and OF writing poor copy in general, is more
common among the numerous country COR
respondents" who assist nearly every country
paper in the State. We have been compelled
many times in setting up country items to in
sert dashes for names OF course, in doing so,
it destroys the sense of the item; and the only
object in publishing the correspondence would
be to give the author hint to write more legi-
bly, r. j. Burdetfe, of the Burlington Hawk
eye, once said: eff you see figure - with
wavy line attached, You may know it stands for
Jno. Morrison But it would bring
Jno. Morrison too prominently before the gaze
OF the public eye to construe all the wavy lines
having figure head into his name; rather
iet the name be spelled correctly, and thus dis
tribute the honor to whom honor is due.
punctuation plays very important part in
leglole manuscript. By the great mass OF con-
trlDutors to the press, this matter is left wholly
TO the printer; and he is expected TO insert
each AID every point in its proper place. This
should not be So for there are often cases
where, If point were omitted, the sentence
would be ambiguous and two meanings could
be given by placing it on either side OF par
tic6iar word. In such cases no one but the au-
thor would know what the idea was which he
intended to convey; and this illustrates the
necessity of an occasional punctuation mark
Too much is expected of a compostor 1t is
not properly competitors business even to
punctuate an article, nor should he be required
10 view of the present low wages paid to print
ers, TO spend so much of his valuable time in
declphering poorly written manuscript.