The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-09-08
RAPID TYPESETTING.
ty INVENTION THAT WILL REloLO'
TToyIzE SEWsPAPEB WORK.
The Important Place That the Typesotnng
Machine Ia Destined to Make IN All
Big Newspaper Offices.

/
ION Gin Any device that will reduce the
| cost of the production Of a manufactured
article % per cent cannot be ignored. The
pewsnauer Is a manufactured article Type
setting by machinery does reduce the cost
of its production at least 53 per cent. There
fore the machine is the life preseryer Of the
modern newspaper
With the perfection Of the printing ma
chine came the invention Of the typewriter,
and while their relation is not obvious at
| first there is no doubt that their interde-
pendence can be shown and that the sue
cess Of the typewriter has FASTENED the per-
lection Of the typosstting machine
We can all remember how crude were
| the first typewriting machines; how mac
CITRATE their alignment and how slow their
production OF copy. Today no well up
pointed newspaper or lawyers ofiicels com
plete without them. Many successful cor
respondents and special writers do their
own work wholly by dictatiOn directly to
the typewriter. So great is the speed of the
expert operator today that he or she can
readily keep pace with the average rate Of
speaking The typewriter has become
great source Of comfort TO the copy reader
and editor. Bad English IS more readily
detected. proper names are more accurately
put in type from the printed page, and the
general result is more satisfactory TO both
the writer and the reader Of the paper
The theory upon which the copy reading
desk exists IN every newspaper Office is that
it is for the purpose Of making matter in
tended for publication more readable and
more concise, but, above all, Of purging it
of libelous and indicate matter and bad
| English.
1t is n matter Of sincere modification to
the experienced writer upon the newspaper
press to feel that the average copy reader
Is copy butcher While not entirely 70
blame for this. because he is instructed by
his superior TO read for space, the haste
under which the work generally has 10 be
| performed does not initiate IN fayoro OF nice
distinctions in the use OF words, In the
turning Of phrases or in the selection OF
subheads Very much-ah, too often-the
individuality Of the writer is destroyed, and
the plan upon which he or she constructed
the account Of a disaster, a murder or a
town meeting is utterly eradicated.
| can remember TO have heard in The
Tribune Office during the days Of Horace
Greeley bumiliating rebukes administered
TO reporters upon It's staff who ventured to
cleverly turn phrase or to be unduly IA
miliar with an adjective. IL those days OF
the blue pencil the copy readers broke
hearts and slsshed manuscript never stop
ping 20 consider that they were destroying
instead Of creating capable newspaper re-
porters and correspondents.
IaoL otrar a ~ o.rpartor,co ~ roor
" quarter of centuryin New York, |
cannot recall a single clever literary man
who endured that harsh schooling for three
or four years whose love Of his work sur
viyed. The blue pencil, with mere car
penter behind it, Is the destroyer Of style,
the dissipator Of ambition.
The typeSetting machine already looms
up as valuable coadiutor Of the working
newspaper man-whether he be reporter,
editor or special writer The compac,ness
of the typesetting machine Of today; the
possibility Of running il with small dyna-
mo and jet of gas; the fact that one man
can do the work of four and can produce
type in columns ready for use with nearly
the same rapidity that the expert typewrit-
er can place words in Il row upon blank pa
per, suggest that the writer talk directly TO
the cOmpositor.
Before many years | confidently expect
to see the typesetting machine, with the eX-
pert compositor behind it, take place at
the right hand Of every writing editors
desk in every newspaper Office in this coun-
try.
The manual drudgery Of composition is
already relieved by the introduction Of the
stenographer and typewriter, but at crit
ical hours OF the night, when every minute
is worth saving. there is no reason why de-
lay should be suffered by writer who de-
sires 10 turn into copy ideas that are ready
TO flow from his pen upon the white paper.
Why longer submit 90 the tyranny of tho
copy readerY Why shall not each "starn
reporter hire his typesetting machine Just
as he already employs his typewriter?
There are many arguments In favor OF
| this idea
The writer win be able TO exactly fill the
| space allotted TO him for his article. If
| there DO any 'oyerset," he will know it be-
fore the article goes into the hands of the
night editor. Again he will be able to re-
tain all his peouhnrities Of style, and the
proofreader will only revise for typograph-
iCdl rIlNlo All hSulbiDu lAf WAAbtI Will DO
able 10 produce three times as much copy
every night as be can possibly put IN hand
by the old system OF writing out his ideas.
As an evidence that this system is thor
oughly practical l have undertaken 10
compose this articledirectly 10 the machine.
The crdities Of expression that may be APP
parent are due 10 the fact that what / have
said went into solid type There is a IA
nous maxim, "Littera scripta manet."
Here the spoken word is cast into hard
metal almost as soon as uttered, and from
its silver face can be no appeal, no altera-
ton, no retractiOnl
AS an experiment IL is interesting, and
am sure that this is what we shall all come
to eventually.
In time we may be better writers, more
capable Of accurate and regular dictation.
The saving Of time in our brief and active
human existence is worth so much tousall
that we cannot afford 10 ignore its POSSIBLE
titles. Julius Chambers in New York Re
cOrder.
War Is Very Expensive.
War is a very expensive business. Stats
tics of some Of the great wars Of the past
are az follows: The Crimean war cost 81
OOO, 100000 and 10000 lives. The Italian
war of 1859, $500 900 600 aud IS, 900 lives: the