Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1896-04-04
BROTHERS
New York Cash Store.
HEARD IN THE PROOFROOM.
How Poetry, Prose and Advertisements
Sound Via the Copylolder.


Sound Via the Copylholder.
If one Of ,,ur modern graduate
elocu tiMnists could hear a copyhold.
er reading aloud in tho proofroom
of a daily newspaper, it would be
very apt to drive tho elocutionist to
drink. For the benefit of those who
have never heard this class of read
ing an imitation thereof in type may
be of passing interest.
In the first place, be it under
stood, copyholder is q proofread-
er's assistant, and it is his Tor hcr)
business to read aloud the copy, il.
Guiding punctuation, spelling of
names, ETC., SO that the proofrcadcr
may have correct understanding
of just what the copy is without
bothering to look and see for him.
self.
This is about the way it sounds
when the copyholder starts in:
"The Gram. me- Machine-thrt ,
up-E type-period. In tho diagram
before you A B-two small caps-:s
ring of soft iron-comma-with
its ends connected so as to form q
continuous circuit-period. This
ring can be made to rotate on its AK
is between the poles N s-two small
caps-of an neutrality-suspicious.
pounded-period. How tho magnet
ism of the electro-magnot-com-
pounded-is established will be eX-
planned by.and-by-compounded-
no on by-colon-for the present
I simply assume that N-small cap
and s-small cap-are two mag
netio poles - comma - north and
south neutrality-suspicious.
no dash. :"
Perhaps the next bit of copy is n
news item, and wo hear: Accident
in Newark-H i. About o'clock
this morning as Willia,n-abbrevi-
ated-Clarke-with an e-was cross
ing Evan st-comma-near the
corner of Clover-comlna-he was
struck by trolley -car-compounded
No. AZ figures - comma - and
thrown to the ground on ono side,
just in time to fall under the wheels
of passing wagon-periOd. He
was picked up unconscious and con-
veyed to G-r-o.s.v.e.n-o.r hospital
comma-where his injuries were
pronounced dangerous - period -
more to come"
Possibly little poetic gem may
be the next thing on the proof, and
this is how it sounds:
Miss P-e.g-g.y.pos.s Bonnet -
three up-K type Poetry-begins
flush. Tho century was six years
old-comma-one em-Miss Peggy
two up-just sixteen-spelled, of
course - comma - dash-flush-not
yet woman-comma nor Il child
-comma-one em-but that sweet
age between-comma- which
borrows charms from either side
comma-dash-one EN- the dim
pied smile of four-spelled again
comma - f1ush-with gentle mien
and glance serene - one EN- - Of
twenty. one-hyphened-or more
scarce--stanZa.
Next an advertisement appears,
and as this is more important than
poetry or news the copy reader 8
pace slackens very perceptibly, and
we catch: 1.-TWO inches-daily-top
of column-third page-send five
proofs-four blank lines-avoid con-
sumption-3s-1 line-pica old style
lower next-begins fush-don't wait
until the hacking cough-all caps
has weakened the system and strain
ed the Lungs-one up-period-take
break - S-m-i.t-h-pos-s E-m-u-l-
s-i-o.n-two lines 27-upper and low
Observation-Disclosures OH in
plea old style-fush--the cream
one up-of Cod liver-cod up-hy-
phened Oil upland Hypophos.
phates-up-comma-to supply the
nourishment your system Graves
period-no address-that's funny
better show it to the boss and see if
it goes
And thus the copyholder hurries
along, dissecting his material at a
rate only printer can properly ap-
1,raciafa -American Bnnkmakar