River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1883-11-01
W HllSNulSi ht5 Aottl'
Tvn0arauhiCal Errors,

On the HrSt page OF Jne heBlSIeT
last week was "a racy and readable &C
count of the mishaps which several
of the lady writers of Wisconsin have
suffered at various times in the way of
typographical errors in their printed
contributions to the press. The SUBJ
ject is one full of interest in every ed
itOr's sanctum, and is never given a
chance to be forgotten. Typography
cal errors are as annoying as weeds i'll
a choice garden and quite as full Of
life and persistency. The spirit OF
mischief and malice, which often
seems to inhabit inanimate things, es-
pecially delights to dwell in the met
al types which print our books and
newspapers. It is said that no book
was ever printed that was entirely free
from the fault known as Typographical
errors, and only two have less than
five errOrs,- one an Oxford Bible and
the other an English edition of
Horace. The story is told that the
proof on the Bible was read eight
times and large reward was offered
for the discovery of an error, and
that, after the edition was issued, one
was found on the title page.
The difficulty in the way OF proof
reading and proof correcting are often
,iescanted upon but are difficult to real
ize. Each column of a paper like the
Register contains about 1000 pieces of
metal. each one of which belongs in
q certain place. The proof reader hast
tly looks over his proof ana Is laDle
to miss some of them; especially Is this
true in a country office. me large pa
pers have two or more proof readers,
some reading for Typographical errors
and the others for the sense. 1t is diff
ficnlt for one person to do both these
at the same time. A proof reader who
is locking for letters out of place Is not
ant to notice even absurd plumbers in
figures, names, days OF the week or
month or other combinations which
make good gramm itical sense. A no.
lice recently ran under the eye OF the
proof reader in this office which read,
IS printed that certain ladies society
would meet on Tuesday. lie him
self had written the notice and had
written Thursday instead of tues
day" but his mind was hunting for
turned letters or mispelled words
and so Tuesday went by unchanged
further than to see that the Ia came
before the "e', in the first syilaale.
When he was reproached with the
wretched blunder he offered to make
reparations by calling upon each lady
of the society, with an individual ex-
PLANTATION; but the secretary, who com
bined in needless prOfusion and poten-
CIV both official and domestic authorl-
y. sternly sat down on the PROPOSE
tion. To begin back with the origin
IF typographical errors, it is very
certain thing that there are very few
good type settlers. The proper way to
set type is to take a whole sentence OF
he copy in the memory at time and
set it up. and then take another SEN
tence or part of a sentence. But most
typ,s set mechanically, word or even
a letter at time, as it happens to look
TO the eve. without regard to sense or
construction. And this is the source of
the innumerable blunders which con-
front the proof reader with every issue
of the paper. For many kinds of mat
ter the only safe way is to read by
copy. But after the proof reader has
done his work perfectly. come other
perils: the printer who Is to make the
indicated changes may fail in his duty;
then the man who makes up the forms
and lifts the properly corrected mat
ter, may drop here and there letter
and get it back upside down or in a
wrong place. Old Horace said she
who first entrusted his frail ship to
the sea, was bound about with solid
oak and triple brass; but far stronger
is the bulwark and panoply which a
writer of sensitive spirit needs who
commits himself to the unmercifui
whims and capriees of type and press.