Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1884-09-18
Special Correspondence of the Sentinel.

Lne WOrSnlpIu1 reduer SnOulu Hdppeu
to be somewhat at loss to understand
the significance of my peculiar initial
headline, I will here obligingly ex-
plain that the word "Typocosmy"
means "a representation of the world"
and the phrase "Typocosmy of the
Typos % ga representation OF the world
of printers"
Not that [ can undertake to do as
much as that in one letter-to hold
up to your gaze panorama OF an ar
my of craftsmen more numerous and
mi ghty than the legions of Caesar or
Napoleon. That would indeed be more
than Herculean labor of pages upon
pages and volumes upon volumes.
But shall outline the whole fraterni
ty so distinctly that anybody who
wishes can lay on the color-daubs and
fill up the nainat;oe at his leisure.
Well now, my courteous reader, let
me inform you, Cif you don't know it
already,) that the Corporation of
Printerdom is made up of three dis
tinct and time-honored classes, viz:
1. The devils;
2. The jours;
8. The foremen.
/ put the devils first for several
good reasons, among which the main
and substantially incontrovertible one
is that the devil is nearly the very
first created character we read of in
History, (only second, | believe, Ad-
am and Eve preceding him on the
record); and he is also nearly the first
fellow you meet and who rivets your
attention when you enter the door of
a printing office. He is as often as
any other way widows son or an
out-and-out orphan, learning the
trade" for its knowledge and his vict-
uals and clothes; and so bespattered
and begrimed and bedaubed with ink
ashes and dirt as to most accurately
confgurate veritable flesh and blood
representative of his spiritual name
sake He is mostly chained by ap-
prentice's articles for five years; but
wears his shackles with such hearty
and devil-may- gusto, that to see
him peddling his Christmas address,
You would take him to be the jolliest
and freest spirit of boy in the whole
borough or city. / would say to the
unintiated that if, on a sunshiny
day, you see cloud at the farther
end of the office, be sure the same is
the devil; and if the foreman or any
of the jours cuss, be sure it's him
they're cussin'. He is the inky daddy
of typographical storms-the b1under-
ing scape-goat ON whose broad back
rest the sins of the whole office. Is
the ornamental job type found mixed
up in the long primer, plea and bre-
vier cases, the newspaper form pied in
going to press, the editors shirt dirty
or the jours all drunk? Of course the
devil did it, every bit of it, and no
body else.
Secondly, ahem! please allow me tc
introduce you, visiting reader, with
my very best bow and clearest classi.
cal enunciation, to the most extraor
binary character OF the human race
the jour- As delineated behind the
footlights of the Typocosmical Typo
graph Theatre by Old Singletery, who
had walked several times around the
world, (barring the ship-board,) and
never used vulgar steam-cars, steam
boats or horses, he is head and shoul
ders above Macbeth, Iago, Shylock OIL
any other musty Shakesperian por
traiture. He has been just everywhere
to every spot where there is print
. ing ofice-even to the moon and tixeC
stars, be assured, if there are any
presses and cases and composition
rooms and justified forms and damna
BILE messes of pi in those sublime re
gions. Cosmopolitan in his very nat
ure, he and he only is the bona jSd'
"Citizen of the World" depicted by
the illustrious Goldsmith Ohungry
young seekers for knowledge, form hi.
acquaintance! He's got more in hi
Uranium than half your college pro
fessors, and could command an army
or preside over Senate as gracefully
and easilyas he makes the old type
and spaces muster up with double
quick click-step into his steel compos
ing-stick.
But we must hurry ON round. Here
behind the editor captains chair
stands his lieutenant, the foreman
Shake hands-feel his grip-it's th'
honest paw of man Of firmness ant
decision of character Iron Duk'
one who is the very potentate o
those dreaded emergencies which max
common folks tremble. From you'll
a citizen of the nation of devils ant
iours, he has been elected a Worship
full Master or Sachem among them
He is the nsagna1s bonus homo of ever,
Office, whose sceptre even the arche
, type devil acknowledges. If the edi
tor is gone upon journey, or b,
t chance is drunk or dead, you vii
) never know it, SO faithfully does MI
t Foreman fill up the gap.
Well, but who is that, 1 hear yol
: ask with ..bated breath, ~ ON the land
: ing of the long flight of steps leadin
: up into the second story office, looking
), like a big grey spider fercely watch
: ing for flies That, sir, is the fighting
l editor. He is the redoubtable Samson
: the invincible Lancelot, the incorrur
5 tib1e guardian Cerberus of this-estat
: lishment. He has been known
kick seven fools down those steps j