Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-04-22
JOKES IN JOURNALISM.
Blu niers Made in the Editors Sanctum
That Raise q Smile.


That Raise a Smile.
Much has been written of newspaper
jokes, but there is an infnity of humor
within the walls of an editors sanctum
VIII CHI scarcely ever reaches the ears or
ticlles the mind of the public. Were
many of the plumbers which accident
ally creep into reports before they see
the light of publication allowed to go
uncorrected, newspapers would always
be humorous, and more largely pur-
cha ied than at present.
The staff of the reading department of
a newspaper Office are compensated in
the WEAKNESS of their work by the
amusing errors which come under their
notice while reading printers proofs.
What would have been thought of the
following had it escaped the eagle eye
of the subeditor and found its way into
print, the effusion of country CORE
spondent: "At - petty sessions, A
was charged with game trespass and
B with assault. The latter being
dead, did not appear"
An excellent example may be quoted
from report handed in few days ago,
which must have been hurriedly writ
ten. 1t was descriptive of a county
council election, and birth was given to
new species of ornithology, for 1.-The
successful candidates were followed by
a large crow(dl, which loudly cheered. I"
1t was only few weeks ago that a
highly respectable Midland journal an
nounced that an admiral was buried
with musical honors."
B. far the most common form of typo-
graphical laundering is the insertion of
one letter in place of another. Not long
since newspaper, reporting the danger
that an express train had run in conse-
quence of a COW getting upon the line,
said: "As the safest way, the engine
driver put ON full steam, dashed up
against the COW and literally cut it into
calvesr There are many farmers who
would, no doubt be glad to know when
that engine driver is to be on a train
again.
Mistakes are not always the fault of
the compositor; they frequently arise
from illegible writing on the part of
those who supply copy" or from re-
porters failing TO catch the exact words
used by speaker The late Mr.. John
Brig ut was generally heard with perfect
dlstl1ctness i'll every corner of the house
of commons; but on one occasion, when
he spoke of "attenders of clubs" these
aristccratic gentlemen appeared as
vendors of gloves"
Another orator, speaking of the Ital-
ian struggle, said: What do the Ital-
ians want? They simply want to be a
nation" What do the Italians want?'
said the report "They simply want to
be in Asia"
A journal once announced that COM
pany of policemen marched down
street, dressed in blue and white
gloves" The reporter who attended an
inquest at which a verdict of death
from recent hemorrhage" was recorded,
conc uded his report by stating that the
jury returned a verdict of death from
her recent marriage"
Awell known paper, which has large
circulation in North Wales, reported
that a man who had been recently mar
ried had been presented with firearms"
instead of fire irons and another pa
per, in the same part of the country,
urged its readers ito take q retrospect
of the future" A gentleman speaking
of Mr.. John Bright termed him 'the
Gamaliel of Birmingham, but a certain
newspaper said he was 1.-The gamecock
of Birmingham. London Tit-Bits.