The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1894-05-24
~rYPE-WRITr2S' NERVES.
7&.rp Is n New Disease Among the Girls
Who Pound the hey Board.


A M typewriter sat at that
d,eariest of ali tasks, officiating a
stereotyped letter to be mailed To
various Mayors over the United
States, remarks the Gu cago Tribune.
There were 800 letters to be written,
and the tyoung lady had already
finished 300. For one week she bad
plo1ded patiently oNcr the same copy
until she was now a mach inc herself.
moving in the same groove as the
printing apparatus before her.
Click" 'click. 'click." with tiring
but rapid monotcny her fingers had
gone over the kegs. while IN her
brain went running: Dear Sir: Find
inclose copies of our" etc, and Dear
Sir: Fine inclOse copies of our" etc,
and so on to the end. Period. comma.
space. Would she never finish? LET
me see''-then she counted the num-
Der written that day. Forty nine"
she said. ':and | must get 80 to-day.
Oh, can't l get something else'"
Just then her employer pressed the
little alarm at his desk and the
muttied sound came likei a locust in
MAY. 1t was Il welcome noise to the
worker. Her fingers dropped from
the keys with a relief akin TO JOY.
She arose and went into the "A
ayers room.
Miss Grace" he said, II want
another 800 Of those letters written
al once How long will IT take
Nou:"
The same letter | am now copy
ing?" she asked.
"Ycs, exactly the Same-only to
another list of names"
We'll. / cannot do them. 1t is
impossible. | value my health too
much for that. | shall have them
done outside any pay for them my
Sclf-but l cannot-cannOt attempt
such work again.
But it is necessary that you do
the work. You are familiar with the
copy, you are a rapid worker, and be-
sides l dc not care to trust my bust
ness to outsiders. What is the
trouble:"
Just this: This letter goes ring
ing through my head from morning
ulIl uISllG tO'iS VII J III VI
nothing else; coming down 30 the
office it keeps my brain in a giddy
whirl. while at night it is a night
mare. | have seen Clara Morris 30
mad Oh the stage. telling how some
thing or somebody has something TO
say to you something 10 say to you
until hcr brain spins around like a
top ard she loses her reason. That is
acting: this is a living reality. have
scarcely slept tor a week thinking OF
that letter to the Mayors tor it is
with me at every thought. EXhauS-
tion only augncnts my'tOrture: read
ing IA paper will not rid me of my
spectcr. no matter how interesting
the topic. and 1 find. Dear Sir: in
closed copies as plainly visible on
the paper as if it were before me on
the machine. lam haunted. literally
haunted by that letter and ! would
sacrifice my position rather than ever
continue the work | have at hand. |
had determined to tinisn ii copies
more to-day. Dut YOUR request O
forces me to even decline to do that
much. Don't ask me please. sir. y
And the poor girl drew her apron to
her eyes and sobbed like a child.
The above scene coming to the
knowledge OF a reporter OF the Trl-
bune from the gentleman in question
himself. IA tour Of inquire was made
among a number OF type-writers en-
plOyed by some Of The leading Offices
in the city and what was learned
only confirmed the story. A gentle
man connec,ed with the Ferris
Wheel Company in the Rookery
Building, when told about the nerv-
u excitement produced on type
writers by this constant duplication
OF the same letter said:
Yes. Iknow it is true. Some
months ago we had about 5000 let
tiers to send ont to the leading news
papers all I'VE the country. Now do
you know the gentleman continued.
that simple letter vas more than
once given up: Yes sir, and we
had a hard time TO get the number
finished Two young ladies gave it
up entirely and went away completely
wrought up TO a pitch OF intense
nervous excitement. / shall never
give another typewriter work Of that
character. Besides, it is Of no special
value, anyway. The art Of printing
the Sc days has reached such perfN-
ton that all the standard type
writers are so closely initiated nat
ii is only necessary'to fill in the names
and addresses OF the printed letters,
and it's Just as good"
At one OF the big type.writing
bureaus the manager SAID: The
matter is not new TO US. OF course
we have agreat deal Of copying to do
and We keep from 20 to 30 young
women engaged all the time. but we