The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1885-07-24
The LIFE OF a TYPO.

gsteresting Reading to Those Who Know
Nothing About 1t.
To the careless observer the print
er's trade may seem very simple one
and easy to learn. but it is in reality q
calling that requires for its mastery
and its highest rewards service al
most as long and arduous as that
which Jacob underwent in order to Sc
cure his chosen Rachel No hurried
requirement or extraordinary abil ty
will entitle the novice to any short
cut to the full privileges of the trade.
The lines are drawn in newspaper
Offices, at least, as hard and tense
upon him as the divisions of the
castles in India. He must begin at
the bottom as 4 "galley-boy." and
spends four years in fitting himself
for full membcrsh. p in the printers
organizat' on. Not unit he has done
so is he on level with a printer who
has fully learned his trade, nor can
he secure the wages of such an one.
Foremen say it Is difficult to find a
boy who is really fit to learn the trade,
but many of them will keep one who
is inefficient because the work gal
ley-boy is required to do does not re-
quire special skill or ability. A boy
Is first set at ''proving galleys," as it
is called, or taking proofs of the mat
ter that has been put in type for ex-
animation and correct on by the proof
reader. He usually spends a year in
this work, and the second yeax is al
lowed to set type on small weekly
salary. During the third and fourth
years he is allowed two-thirds pr.ce for
the type he sets. In the third
year he is admitted to the Topographic
cal Union as an apprenticed member,
and in the fourth year as full men,
Der. He is then allowed full price for
his work, and is good printer. if it is
possible for him to become srch.
There are two classes of journeymen
printers, those who are good printers
and travel from choice and those who
are inferior and travel from necessity.
One-third of the newspaper printers are
tramps. If there is anything in q print
er tramp will develop it, and print
ing is the best business in which to
tramp. Every paper has its regular
printers and usually half as many sub
stItutes or s'subs." who work when
some of the regulars lay of. This
makes it an easy matter to get work in
almost any city unless bus ness is very
dull.
The amount OF money that PRINTER
makes depends chiefly on his rapidity
and accuracy, and to some extent on
his luck. He is compelled to take the
piece of copy which is first on the hook,
and If it is fiat" composition, or has
perchance, in it, he is in
luck. while If he happens to get list
O.. proper names the fates have frowned
upon him. Some matter is paid for at
double rates, because in such matter it
is necessary to insert rules or adjust
figures accurately beneath one anoth-
er, as in the scores of baseball games.
etc. Other matter is paid for at one
and one-half rates. In this city print
ers are paid by the week for set
ting advertisements. The ra-
pidity with which compostor
works, Of course, depends largely on
the legibility Of the manuscript. The
chief editors writing is usually the
worst. The fastest compositors make
about a q day. Others will make
less. and the slower ones average about
81. 90. The amount and quality q
work done depends somewhat q The
nervous cond;ti& One
mans work win vary greatly 81 guam
tity from day to day. 1t is not always
the man who is moving his hands the
most rapidly who is doing the most
work. He must not make false move
ments. such as reaching for letter in
the wrong place, knocking it against
the case, as many do from habit and
swaying his body from side to side.
He is retarded by any movements that
do not add directly to his progress. A
printer sometimes has good memory
and is able to remember things and read
illegible words by the context or by his
general information, and yet has not
certain mechanical skill which is nec-
essarv to efficiency. He does not see
the letter IS he places it in the ''stick. y
but tells from the hicks on it which
side is up. The copy in Offices where
rapid competition is necessary. as in
establishments. is cut mp
into very small takes. and the COM
positor u often obliged to start in the
middle Of . word or sentence. with no
context to aid him, and familiar. ty with
different styles of handwriting is ex-
oeedinRly valuable. There are extra.
for avoid.ng typograph-
ical errors. When the proof is read
nwA ,p~Ax,exna4 - tho v,rrsS,f.v,nadar IL II