Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1883-07-05
Bad Writing.
PEOPLE WHO CAN READ THEIR owN MANU-
SCRIPTS.
AND OTHER PEOPLE WHO CAN'T.



There are some very lnscrutable writers in
the world-people who can read their ow n
pen and ink blind staggers, and are shocked
and grieyed If Others can not. The other
day We received by mail an advertisement of
a patent medicine. the name of which was
indicated by an ii and long waving line
The compositor exercised all the reason a,
command and set up the heroglyphic. The
first mail brought card from the advertiser
stating that the word wasn't III land long
waving line,) " but III (and long crooked
line.)' Some people seem to think that a
newspaper composltor can read any kind of
writing-and they can almost-but some
times they have to draw the line.
Ministers are about the worst writers that
newspapers have to contend with. One time
minister promised to give us an abstract OF
a particularly able Sunday sermon. He
started to write it out in his study on large
sheet Of paper, and just as he got few
lines written the hired girl came and called
him down into the parlor to marry couple
from St. George. Being hat absent
minded the minister forgot the abstract, and
after the ceremony put on his hat and went
down street to buy two pounds of lard for
around in the study and presently pumped
down into the lnk-wel. With great effort
the fly managed to extricate himself from
his dangerous situation, and gaining the edge
Of the ink well, fell over exhausted upon the
clean sheet Of paper that had been left BY
the minister. After season, the fly 5
strength gradually returning, it crawled back
and forth over the hitherto unsulied paper
until freed from its load of ink, and then
spreading its wings with a joyous buzz flew
out of the open window, and fell to worry
ing a bald-headed man next door who was
trying to go to sleep in hammock. The
minister returned soon after, noted the pa
per. saw as he supposed that the abstract
was finished, though he didn't clearly recol-
lect having completed it, and brought the
manuscript in for our deectation. We gave
it out to compositor who has the dyspepsia
and is used to seeing nightmare, and the
struggle began. We were frequently inter
rupted by groans and sounds as of suppress
ed rawlings from the composing room, and
occasionally the compositor would come
down in tears to ask if daub and nebu-
lous trail across the page meant "Jerusalem''
or "utilitarianism," or a hole in the sheet
and zigzag track ending in an exclama-
ton point stood for "telephonic communica-
ton" or ''transubstantiation," and we inva-
riably said that according to our best judg-
ment it did. The minister went out of town
and couldn't see the proof and so the sab
stract" went in without revision We
thought it would make trouble, but the min
lister came in the next day and compliment
ed US on the correctness of the report, say
ing that there were only one or two errors
and they we're too triAing to mention.
Next to minister, lawyer is the worst
writer known to modern science. There are
lawyers making trouble for people right here
in this city who have written friendly letters
70 parties, inviting them to call at the Office
J saa sanpAs = ae1 eaz Il sigaz,. saa III