Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1891-04-17
LIFE OF THE PRIyMEn.

work performed in a. newsnanar Office
NC printers, when the labors Incl
dent to bringing into existence a new
eu,'ion are over, and they JOIN in
light and airy salIies of wit and m;rtb
ana exhibit other evidences of a sense
oi temporary release from bondage,
as the papers spread their white wings
ana soar from the press, and the roll.
ers clatter and rattle as they 90 forth
on their mission to blacken the up.
turned face of the silent form that
lmparts IN an instant as it is kissed
by the white, cleaning sheet, tales
OF woe and of rejoicing, sparkles of
wit and bursts of eloquence, scien-
tihc' political and other events, hap
penings great and small from far and
near-the printers, we were about to
say, when the labors of getting the
material together for paper are ov.
er, and the edition is issuing from the
press, are very frequently greeted by
such bit of soothing information as
this: swell, your work of this issue
is pretty nigh done. Got nothin' to
do now till next press day." No man
can arrive at such a correct conclu-
Sion in matter of this kind, in which
he has had no experience, by any
method of calculation or logical reas-
oning. He delves down through the
hard granite country rock of solid
mysticism and arrives at the true
fssure deposit of well-defned, con-
tact fact, and he gets there by virtue
OF the force of pure instinct, or in
spiration, or both. At any rate, he
gets there, digs out the fact and
wheelbarrows it out into the open air
of day much as miner would wheel
out load of high-grade specimens of
free milling ore, then he wears be-
nigh look as would one who had com
mitted humanitarian act. How he
can get right down to the true in
wardness of fact so obscure to the
unlnltiated, is more than mystery
1t is a small paper that does 1ot re-
quire 10000 type to be distributed
and set for each issue, and they do
not march In phalanxes, but in single
file, and go out of and into tho cases
one at a time. Sometimes the prn.
ters handle the type-put them in
place to form words and sentences,
but do this only occasionally, for
pastime, when they can find nothing
else to do. The type, if let alone,
do all this work unaided. They arise
on their hind legs and jump into the
stick, and the only labor the printer
needs to perform is to place the copy
on the case, SO it can be seen by the
busy, intelligent little type. The
scissors ever and anon opens his am
pie mouth and chews out w2ds OF
copy, and the pencil sharpens its wits
and one end of its anatomy and turns
out original matter by the yard. All
the editor has to do is to name the
subjects to be dealt with. All this
automatical labor is performed prin.
cipally in the dark and Silly night,
and this is why great many ignorant
people firmly believe that all printing
offices are haunted. The steady tread
of the little type, the ghostly racket
of the scissors and the low, rasping
sound of the pencil as its sharp point
traces out the letters of "hifalutin' "
words which combine to form the elo-
quent and high grade sentences which
the unthinking multitude read and
marvel muchly thereat, are enough
to cause those who are not initiated
into the mysteries of the art preserva-
tive, to instinctively arrive at the
conclusion that ghosts and fairies as
sembls in printing offices at the dead
hours OF night to calarop and have
high time. The man who instructive
ly arrives at the conclusion that al
the work the force in print shop
has to do is to ''run off" the edition
arrives at a conclusion that is an un'
, vanished, unwhiskered, bald-headec
fact. The force has nothing to dc
but "chaw" good grub and smoke the
, pipe of peace and happy oententment
and allow his thoughts to ramole a
will in the swest-smslling clover an'
blooming flower gardens of his pic
turesque Imagination.
Y THE WORLD received a lette
' Wednesday from Capt. w. l. Smart
J, dated Boston, April 10th. The Cap
: tain said he would be out here some
time next month.