Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1885-12-03
ANNOYING Habits.

There are a number of interesting
experiments performed by the compos-
itor, in the several processes of setting,
correcting and distributing type, that
may be classified as outside the pale of
topographic tolerance. As long as the
offender is unnoticed or not discovered
in his pernicious habits. so long will
he continue to exercise them. These
practices, as we all know, are confined
only to the more incompetent, or to the
Intentionally slovenly workman. They
mark his course at every turn in the
office, and require but little inyestiga-
ton to establish their rightful origina-
tor.
What a fruitful source of annoyance
it is to the careful man, to lift hand
full of matter, and. when putting it in
case, to find it plentifully interlarded
with bent spaces. This is the graphic
illustration of the lazy man or the
SLOUGH. A bent space might accident
ally occur in the matter-such fact
might be forgiven; but where the pre-
meditated reminder of laziness occurs
again and again, it is beyond the power
of the sufferer to withhold remon-
STRANGE. A simple method for the dis
covery OF the perpetrator is to scan the
matter on the galleys of the various
workmen. No skilful eye is required
to detect the worm-fence justification,
and the author will be found at the
front OF his springy architecture. Such
man will ruin all the spaces in fount
in a short time, and his imprint will
be found in every space-box in the office.
Many other playful idiosnyncrasies
may also be attributed to the space
bender. When he is blessed with a
fat line or take of consecutive fat
matter, in justifying his lines he will
place his spaces between the quads
rather than between the closing word
and the quad, by this causing double
work in distribution; for if the spaces
were properly placed the whole line of
quads could be slid into the box with
the one motion.
He is the man that gives the handful
of matter a slanting crash on the inn
posing-stone to loosen the type one
from another.
He is the man that has the edges of
his case ornamented with pied Italic
words taken from his matter. He is
the man who, when he goes to the Ital-
ic case, shuts his eyes and let's the
hated letters fly indiscriminately in all
directions; and has conscience-smit-
ing feeling, when next he requires a
word in ltalic, that he will be COM
PEELED to fish all over the case for the
letters he wants, or, if he sets from
the proper boxes, arrives at meaning
less minglinc type.
In correct the form he will pick
out a type 3ne thickness and re-
place it with another of a different
thickness, if possible without justify
ing it.
He will be guilty of mixing his spaces
and OF keeping dirty case generally.
tie viii correct his form on galley
on his stand, throwing the type off
their feet, rather than travel few
times between the imposing-stone and
his stand, to make his corrections.
After locking-Ip his form he is liable
to drop the mallet on the face of an
adjacent form ON the stone, and the
planer he is sure to lay face downward.
He is the man that will cut and de-
stroy the labor-saving leads and brass
rule, and will demoralize the complete
economy of an office.
This autocrat of indefensible breach
es OF the correct customs governing
the printing fraternity viii be frequent
y met with, especially in offices en-
ploying considerable number of work
men.
The employment of steady system
of discharge with such characters may
work IN ultimate reform, but bad nab
Its as rule cling to them with Such
tenacity that their betterment seems
but hopeless task.