The Daily Tombstone., 1886-08-06
The ssChaDeI.''

as ked by persons outside the printing trade what the name "Chapel," as ap- piled to printing-houses, meant. find the following from John South ward, 2 well-known English author ity !olq the "art preservative,n in the Printers Register, August 6, 1885. He copies from the Gentleman's Magazine-a paper printed in TAO which republished it from long-de- fupct periodical called the Craftsman. 1t is in the shape of a letter and gives an account of the customs prevailing in the trade about l5Q years ago. It says:
 l wonder that neither you nor any other authors who have written so many learned Discourses in Defense of the Liberty of the Press, and upon the Usefulness of the Art of Printing, never gave us any Account of the Hierarchy (for so I may call it) of a Printing House. I shall therefore endeayor to supply that Defect in the following Letter:
 You cannot be ignorant, sir, that the first Printing Press in England was set up in a Chapel in Westmin- ster Abbey, or some other religious House; from whence that Part of the House which is assigned for Printing hath ever since been called Chapel, and constituted in an ecclesiastical Manner, with diverse religious Rites and Ceremonies. When 8 Printer first sets up, if it is an House that was never used for Printing be- fore, the Part designed for that pur- pose is consecrated, which is perform ed by the senior Foreman the Master employs, who is the Father or Dean of the Chapel; and the chief Cere- mony is drinking success to the Master, sprinkling the Walls with strong Beer, and singing the Cuz's Anthem, at the Conclusion of which there is supper given by the Mas ter. All the Workmen are called Chapellonians, who are obliged to submit to laws, all of which are calculated for the Good of the Whole Body, and for the well-carrying on of the Masters Business. To the Breach of these Laws is annex'd a Penalty, which an obstinate Member sometimes refuses to pay; upon which it is left to the Majority of the Chapel, ill Convention assembled, whether he shall be continued any longer a Chapellonian; and if his Sentence is to be discontinued, he is then declared a Birthstone; that is, an excommun- icated Person, and deprived of all shares of the Money given by the Gentlemen, Authors, Booksellers and Others, to make them drink, especially that great annual Solemnity, com monly call'd the Way-Goose Feast"
 In commenting on the above, MT. Southward says:
 That Caxton set up his press within the precincts of Westminster Abbey is, of course, an error, as was shown by MT. Blades in his Life of Caxtop. The error, however, is constantly re- peated, even to this day. The refer ence to the chapel in the above ex- tract reminds one of the lines of John McCreery, the printer-poet:
 Our art was hailed from kingdoms far abroad, And cherished in the hallowed house of God; {; From which we learn the homage it received And how our sires it's heavenly birth believed Each printer hence howe'er unblest his walls, Fen to this day his house "ChapeP calls.
 It need hardly be pointed out, how ever, that it is the meeting of the journeymen. not the place of meeting, that is now called chapel"
 Men.
 MT. Jack Demsey P. R, has ex-