The western recorder., 1898-03-03
PRINTERS ERRORS.
some Very Funny Mistakes That Com.
from Wrong punetuntian.


Many OF the humors OF. the compos-
Ing room arise from mistakes In pune
tuation. says Macmillans Magazine.
FOR example the following was prefix
ed to a contribution In the poets cor
ner OF Cumberland Journal: These
lines were written nearly fifty years
ago. by gentleman who has for sew
eral years lain in the grave for his
own amusement" Another paper, In
reporting suicide. say: Deceased
blew out his brains after bidding his
wife goodbye with a gun" After the
last Egyptian campaign, London
evening paper printed the following
paragraph, headed. "a Cabman's Cen
erosity:" ITO show the enthusiasm
with which our troops have been re-
eeived. we may mention that we have
been told Of several instances where
eabmen have driven soldiers from
Egypt to the barracks without charge"
Ihis was generous. no doubt, but the
journey must have been hard upon the
horses. To a writer in one of the
many ladies' journals we are indebted
for the news that "it has become quite
the fashion of late for ladies to take
their tea In their hats and gloves" But
the ladies' suffered stlll more severely
at the hands OF Washington reporter
who. describing the costumes at the
presidential reception. had intended to
say that Mrs. B. wore nothing in the
nature of dress that was remarka-
BILE" He left hurriedly for the west
next day when he opened his paper and
read: Mrs. b. wore nothing in the
nature of dress. That was remark
able London paper reported on
one occasion the capture In "mid-chan-
mel of large man eating shark" A
provincial Journal. copying the para
graph. but less careful about the pune
tuation. gave different version of the
incident: "A large man. eating shark,
was captured In mid channel" The
omission OF comma once gave an
awkward Interpretation of paragraph
in Dublin newspaper, which ran:
"A very handsome memorial has been
erected in st. Jerome's cemetery 10
the late Mr.. John Phillips. accidentally
shot as mark of affection by his
brother" In the following instance
1t was no doubt n bachelor compositor
who. setting up the toast. Woman.
without her, man would be savage"
by a trihe transposItion OF the comma
made the sentence read: Woman.
without her man, would be a savage,"
In sermon on drunkenness, which
appeared recently In a Dublin paper,
the reverend gentleman was made to
gay; at was only last Sunday that Il
airI fatI - r.
of this church. while | was preaching
in beastly state of intoxicatlon." Mr..
Herbert Spencer once wrote: Whales
are not fish because they possess fms
and a fishlite tall" but what the pub
lie read was: Whales are not nsh,
because they possess fins and fish
like tall" which truly Is a most re-
markable reason why whales are not
fish. In Ireland there prevails among
Roman Catholics pious custom OF
inserting in the weekly religious jour
mails advertisements asking for pray
ers for certain intentions. A lady
sent the following to one OF these news
papers: "a husband going to sea,
his wife desires the prayers OF the
faithful" but as 1t appeared, the faith
full were asked to pray for "a husband
going to see his wife" May heaven
cherish and keep you from yours af-
fectionately Peter d." was the way an
other Irish paper rendered the CON
Guiding portion OF a letter written by
soldier serving in the late Soudan
campaign to his wife In Cork. But
perhaps the most amusing instance OF
the ludicrous effects of wrong punctu-
alton is afforded in the following de-
scription OF the jubilee procession.
which appeared in an East Anglican
weekly paper: Next came Lord Rob-
erts riding. On gray Arab steed
wearing a splendid scarlet uniform.
covered with medals on his head. a
field marshal's hat with plumes in his
hand. the baton OF field marshal on
his rugged feature; a smile of pleasure
as he acknowledged the laundering
cheers of the crowdI'