The Meeker herald., 1896-01-04
SETTING TYPE in JAPAN.
-seh compositor Has . Room to Him.
self and . Number of Assistnnta.


SELF and . Number of Assistants.
The composing room of a Japanese
printing Office would appaII nm Ameri-
can printer. The ordinary Japanese 70.
caDulary is represented by 4,427 differ
ent characters or ideographs and forty
seven simple characters, known as hana,
winch are used to connect and COM
plete them. 1t would require at least
oo'Voo varieties of letters to answer all
possible demands of japanese published
Iilerature. Think of n printers case
containing $4,000 compartments.
1ne government Is endeavorIng to
ellapilfy the japanese vocabulary aud
reduce 1t to reasonable limits. A COM
mission OF scholars and philologists was
appointed some time ago by the minis
yer OF education upon the recommends
tlon OF national teachers convention,
ana they are said to be making some
progrcss, although their task is most
difficult one.
font Of Japanese type occupies a
space about eight or ten feet square
~ Is Il pen Of racks and cases, arrayed
In the form of hollow square, with a
narrow passage to afford an entrance
and exit. The chief compostor sits at
a table In the center with n case con-
taning supply of the forty-seven kama
before him and n long pecullar-looking
composing stick in his hand. He cuts
his copy into small "takes' and gives
one TO each of his five or six assistants,
who are usually small boys and girls
with amazing memories. They have
thsS own composing sticks. and, with
theit takes" held deftly with the COM
posing sticks in their left hands, they
rush &ound in front of the cases and
PICK tlN type that are needed from tho
Dewildeflg mass of cases, singing
niouu theuame Of the character until
they find IT.. The work Of composition
IS thercforeNa bedlam, which would
drive an Amesican printer out of his
wits.
When boy ascollccted all the char
acters In his "takev he places the com
posing stick with he copy upon the
table before the chIei compos,tor, who
wears 4 big pair Of strong magnifying
glasses, and he srranees them In his
own stick in their proper order, insert
Ing the kama from his own case when
they are needed. Then he dumps them
on galley and turns them over to TIL 1
proper attendant, who pulls proof and
takes 1t with the copy to the proof
reader, who reads 1t aloud while his as
slstant holds the copy and follows him.
1t is explained that children are used to
assist the compositor because they have
better memories than adults, and their
little fingers are more dcft In picking
the type out Of the narrow slips, and
the extraordinary memory of child
compositor Is always amazing to the
stranger in Japan.
A case of type is about three feet
long and two feet wide. divided into
two grand divisions by horizontal par
tltlon. Then each division is subdivid-
ed into equal little narrow slips just
wide enough to admit tho type, which
are all Of the same size. and stand on
end with their faces upward. There
are usually forty slips i'll each division
and eighty in each case. The case arc
usually double. and therefore contain
100 different characters. On each racl
are twelve cases and 1 500 kinds of typt
ON each rack, so that twelve racks viii
faEry eilE Egs very fgl! font Of type, contain IN
to supply almost any demand. The or
dlnary composing room contains nbou
SIX racks, or 10000 variety OF type
with plenty Of room for sorts.-Chicagc
Record.