The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-10-18
Our LITERARY BUDGET.
PET Phrases Turned Into Nonsense by The
Intelligent Compassion.
AMUSING TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS.
The Blacksmith OF the Printing shop-The
Experiences of Many Distinguished Au-
thors-Othsr Selections of Interest.

Nothing can os so disheartening to q writer
90 10 find his pet phrases turned into nom
sense by tho intelligent compositor. The
printer of Longfslo owl Dante" says Colonel
L. w. Higginson. told me that the poet had
looked forward with eager anticipation to its
appearance. and when the first volume of the
sumptuous book was laid upon the breakfast
table lie opened at once upon-a mispriIt. 1t
was many weeks, my informant said, before
the poet could revert with any satisfaction TO
what he then regarded as bis greatest work. v
Baron Grimm. in his memoirs. relates the not
improbable story Of French writer who died
in y tit OF anger when he found his favorite
work revised by himself with great care
had been printed with more than
three hundred errors. half of them
made by tue corrsctor OF the press
But it is a little more difficult 10 swallow the
unauthenticatel snecdote OF the italian poet.
who, when on his way to present copy OF
verses 10 the Pope. found mistake OF
single letter. which broke his heart OF cha
grin. so that he died the day after. We can
sympAthZs with the author OF religious
work mentioned by Disraeli, which consisted
of only ono hundred and seyentJ-tvo pages.
Of which fifteen we're devoted 10 errata. We
can even pardon the vanity which led him to
which the book might WELD. had tampered
with the types. and that the very printers Lad
worked under the same mallgn influence.
Nevertheless 1t IS easy 70 ind Iess
startling explanation for the ordl-
nary typographical errors. Biunders oil
this sort may DO roughly grouped under thtes
heads errors of the ear, errors OF the eye ana
errors arising from what printers call a foul
case" A comp0sitor while at work reads
over few words of the copy and retains
them IN his memory until his fingers have
picked up the necessary types. Mhne the
memory IS thus repeating q phrase, IL IS
only natural for certain words to be sup
planted by others similar in sound-thus,
mistake" might appear IN type as must
take" as. IN fact, it did. in the first
folio of Hamlet. act s. scene !.
Idle Yotarist' lTimon, act 4. scene
81. into Idol Votarlst" and Long de
laws. Titus" into Long Days The
eve often deceivss the compositor especially
when the copy ia more OF less illeglble. Take
away dot and this time goes manly" Mac
beth act 4, scene 3 becomes this tune goes
manly The third class Of errors needs
moro explanation. A c0mpositor works at
what is called q case wooden drawer
divided into numerous recsptacles, each CON
tanning one letter only. say all as or all BIS.
When from a shake or other accident the let
tiers become misplaced tho result is technl-
cslly known as a foul case" The compost
tor fingers may. under those circumstances,
readily pick out tho wrong letter from the
right box without being CONSCIOUS OF the TACT.
These ara mistakes 20 which even the intel
ligent cOmp0sitor Ii liable, but II Is hardly
necessary to say that all compositors are not
intelligent. The machine printer, or black
smith az he 10 technically called, IS famll-
iar figure in every printing Office. 1t is he
who makes n hurried guess at tie COPY before
hun. without caring whether 1t makes sense
or not who substitutes comic Tor COS
mic" human for known" plant for
planet" 81 am better for "Gambstta." mo
COWS. no cream" for mo cross. no crown"
and shaving the QUEEN for showing the
queer" This is the sort of printer who made
IA distinguished traveller die IN the richness
Of SIM instead Of the interior OF ASIA and
who described q Chicago e1qu site as one
whose manners would alarm a drowning
man. " when what the writer really said was
that they would adOrn "a drawing room"
Richard 4. Proctor records the most re-
change the printers ever arranged
for him as occurring IN tie proof OF
little book on ''Spectroscopic Analysis"
which he wrote for the Society for Promoting
Christian knowledge. The words which IN
the work itself now sppear as they were GER
tainly written. Lines. Bands and Strla IN the
violet part OF spectra," were printed IN the
Or of Links. Bonds and stripes tor tie vio-
lent kind of spectres.' An editor, who wished
TO compliment soldier as Oattle -schfreu
veteran wac so deeply grieVed when be
found tho types had made him speak OF "a
veteran that the next day he
inserted an apology and an erretum, which
read the bottled-scsrred veteran Il re-
says writer in American Notes
and Queries. TO have written something
about a concert at which was sung Mlllards
Ave Maria. and it actually appeared that
Miss So and SO had sung with much feeling
Mulligan's Avenue Maria AT musicale in
The same neghborhood young lady played
upon the piano a ballad in Flat Major. The
local paper had it that she had sung ballad
called A fat major. ILLUSTRATED American.