Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1892-08-10
PRINTING BACKWARD.
Suggestions for Some Novel Forms of Ty
nOPranhy

Suggestions for Some Novel Forms ofTy-
Biography.
Some time ago the Companion pub
Gshed an example of proposed new
method of printing, in which each alter
nate line was made to read from right
to left, instead of from left to right.
The object of the change was to save
the reader the necessity of making a
useless trip with his eyes from the end
of each line to the beginning of the
next, and to enable the eyes to read, so
to speak, while going both ways. There
are certain strong mechanical objec-
lions to this method of printing, even if
1t were thought worth while to learn to
read both from left to right and from
right to left. The plan would involve
the turning of the letters around, so
that the entire word should read back
ward.
The change would make necessary a
peculiar kind of type and a separate
printers case to set in it: and the prin-
ter, to set it up, would require left
2 handed composing stick, would be
obliged to set it'up with his left hand;
and every right TO left line would have
to be transferred plaboriously from ibis
left7handed- stick. as fast as it was set
up,ctQ the. right7hapded one, in order
that the alternated lines should come in
the proper order.
This would more than double the ex-
pense of typesetting, and would make a
newspaper set after. such a system a
practical impossibi1ity.
A cOrreSnOTIdent of tho r, ;jS,,,
thinks that he has hit upon "a more
practicable method of saving the eye
the, continual useless trip across the
page or column. He. proposes that. in=
stead of reversing the letters in the al
ternate line, the order of the words in
that line shall be changed so that they
shall be read from left to right
As a matter of curious interest, we
print the opening paragraph of the
Declaration.ofI Independence. in. the way
suggested es,o 80. $3.50, ,...,....... 49,.
When, in the course OF human events. it be-
the dissolve to people one for necessary comes
political bonds which have connected them with
the OF powers the among assume to and another
earth. the separate and equal station to which the
them entitle God natures of and nature of laws
decent respect to the opinion of mankind re-
causes the declare should they that quires
which impel them to the separation.
A passage from the same document.
which is written in short paragraphs,
looks, when printed In this way. even
queerer than the above ''
He has kept among us in times of peace
our of consent the without armies standing
legislature. ain, ....
He has affected to render the military indie
power civil the to superiOur and of pendant
This plan involves a mechanical diff
Guilty only less serious than the other
The compositor, in putting the words
into type, would have to set them up
by very slow and laborious process,
and the difficulty of 's'distributing, or
restoring the type. to the printers case
for use again, you'd be vastly in
creased.
But there is another and still more
serious objection. Instead of making
one quick trip with the eye in reading
backward to the beginning of each
line; it would be neeessary-unless the
words were all very short, so that the
eye could take them in as well. back
ward as forward-to make several little
backward journeys. one word at time
There would be. in the case of most
readers, a double movement of the eve
when the alternate baciSward-printei
line was readtone general movement
from right to Left and another special
movement, the her way at EACH word.
to see what it .ETas, This process would
be much more veXatious and wasteful
of time than the process which it is de-
sired to be rid Of 49, - .
Another 'fhethod'of accomplishing the
same result would be simple enough
geographically but would not be likely
to be agreeable to readers. 1t would
not, however, be especially hard to read.
This method would consist of turning
the alternate line wrong side upEa
process Witch would bring the Begin
ming of every other lime immediately
below the end of the one which went
before it.
" The introductory paragraph, of the
declaration of independence treated in
this way, would appear thus:
When, in the course of human events. It
sATossIp o. eIioed Gus IoI~6IBssaosu ssmooeu
the political bands which have connected them
sIeMod Qua SuouR '9uiuSss OF pug 'Ieqlous ulIM
of the earth. the separate and equal station Co
pop S. oInlP5I 10 pUB eIn2Bu 10 sMsI a4l>qo1QA
entitle them, d"cant respect to the opinion of
eql eIVIo9p rlncUe A.ul q8ai sSrTbei pufStisGiii
causes which impcl ,hss2 the separation
After an eXamina ti;.n of these various
devices to save the reader the trouble
OF this frequent little journey with his
eyes, it is quite likely that he will con-
clude that he would rather take the
journey, end that the old way of print
ing is best, .afGcr all.-Youth's Compan-
ion.