The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-05-29
PRINTERS, MISTAKES.
",leruSalenI"

as the exclamation OF the managing editor
as he threw himself into his easy chair and
wiped the Precipitation from his brow.
Anything wrong?" asked one of his associ-
ates who had been too busy to peruse the morn
ing s.W PAPER; w.on,. han, ,,o m .o.,
my leader ON The Situation in FYanceY'
The cause for the managing editors indigna-
ton was just and 1t was about as follows:
lie had taken extra pains to prepare an ed
ltorlal on The situation in France, and had
occasion to write "when Louis PHILIPPE ascend
cd the throne of France"
The intelligent compositoI setin type "when
sam Phillipps abSconded the thieves of
France"
When the editor saw the proof he he was too
iuil Tor utterance, and with dash of the pen
he wrote on tho margin "Who the hell is
sam Phillips?" never dreaming but what
the printer would accept the rebul1e and SEQ
copy and set it as the editor had written.
The printer failed TO see any robuke in the
matter, but on the contrary seemed eated over
his skill in having sot a half column from tho
editors handwrite with only one "out," as he
took the words on the margin TO mean.
Tho compositor soon had the matter run
over, and the addition of "who the hell is Sam
ihilllpS" met the eyes of the astonished and
indignant editor in the morning paper
The general public cannot be made to UNI
derstand how easy it is for a blunder to appear
III their mornings paper.
TX,
arranges and cuts into "takes"-little pieces
from an inch to inch and half then it is put
upon hook and the printer gets it from there
A man may get dozen lines from the middle
OF an article that has no connection to begin
or end. 1t is numbered II Il, "2 b." etc, or
II A, "2 a" etc. The printers understand
these marks andlputtheir type ON the ''galleys"
accordingly. EVERYTHING is thus kept CLOSED
up" and is unavoidable in a large Office, but
accounts for q great many errors that appear
a al III n Mt 1nsn tiptDi in
decipering bad copy he loses money, and con-
sequently he sets things up just as it strikes
his eye and trusts to the proof-reader for the
balance.
There is no malicious intent in the errors of
the compositor. Sometimes he may perpetrate
Joke upon some fellow who writes an extra
ordinary bad hand, as in the instance of the
Rev. Leftwitch's papers, in the Block contro-
versy, a line OF comas, periods, etc, We're set
mp, at the bottom OF the column, with inStruc-
tons for the reader to put them just where he
pleased The doctor enjoyed the joke, and
the only time that a frown posed upon his face
during that arduous task of letter writing was
when he had occasion to write Jesus Christ"
and the compositor, i'll setting il up, left out
Jesus" and which, upon being marked in by
the doctor, the printer put u. Christ" and
innocently remarked when tho doctor remon-
strated that his papers were not for fools to
read that he thought any person with sense
would know who -. Christ" was.
The most careful man l ever knew had the
line, "Ncarer my God to Thee" appear in
print as "Nearer my Girl to Thee"
The same man had "a man found dead in
the cellar of a house." appear in the paper as
found dead in the collar of a horse"
Such errors seem ridiculous, but they arc
the consequence of bad copy and haste, and
this should inspire those who are disposed to DO
careless in their writing to be careful The
general reader cannot imagine how many per-
SONS send important letters, that call for an
swers, into a large printing office with
omissions that makes it impossible for
them to receive attention. A public that is so
careless in matters of material interest TO
themselves are oftener careless Of tho interest
OF the Intelligent compositoE"
Ben Hill was the printers friend among
public men. His copy was clear and smooth
and he never made change On the other
hand M. Stephens was reckless. and there
could read his band a! all Senator Brown
change, Toombs WIS SSspS tesSkleSs aad played
havoc with the printers "string@
OF professional newspaper men, the Rev.
Sam Small beats the world in the preparation
OF copy, while the brilliant Grady will have an
eloquent flourish OF n temperance article,
with threadbare coat and hectic flush" go in
as with threadbone coat and hectic flush"
AS an illustration OF the hand
told that upon ono occasion he
wrote one of his assistants in the office a So
we're reprimand for some neglect of duty, and
the individual turned it to advantage by using
it as O letter of recommendation.
Occasionally is met ono of these bad writers
who dislike to DO told about it.. This was so
with the late Comptroller Peterson Thweatt
He had to pay extra composition for his job
work, and he was sensitive on the question.
On one occasion, / remember, printer, in q
spirit of fun, set up in type and slipped into
some matter that was being proved for him to
read, the following lines Of doggerel:
Look down. We Gods, and take one sight
Of the cursed hand this man doth write,
And you will grant us what we seek
dcliverance from Comptroller Thweatt
We would not have you kill him yet
Until he doth forgiveness get
But by some supernatural freak,
Deliver us from Com ptroler Thweatt.
The old gentleman always carried large
walking cane and thatprinter was Away care
full TO not get in reach Of the same.
Judge Beckley is tho printers smart man,
and yet he wrote ode minims non curat lex"
in such manner that one of the most "intel-
ligent" deciphered it "the miners now curse at
tax"
One could write indefinitely OF these errors,
but must close with Editor Reeds chat lit
tie bug, the doodle" which went through MS
"bonny, the double" SARGE.