New-York tribune., 1898-09-23

An old compostor Of the Blackwood firm tells
In "The Scotsman amusing stories con-
cerning the bad hands Of various famous
writer's of the last haf-century. The first
ticle he helped to set up one by Professor
Aytoun. who had a small cosey hand. and who
always used light-blue foolscap folio. 1t was
such pleasure to compose from this MS. that
1t was poor preparation for a tussle with one
OF Bulwer's MSS His Of the very bad
hands Of 'Blackwood and when his pothooks
showed themselves In the printing office the
compositors had good reason for displaying very
rueful countenances; for they knew that they
were about to lose time temper and money
in deciphering his miserable scrawlings and
very likely get a rousing headache into the
bargain" AS for Christopher North he had
what the old compositor calls IAN intensely bad
ramstam hand"-whatever that may be- The
last article he wrote for 'Blackwood' un-
decipherable that the men who got II to set up
(of whom l was one) after examining IT, handed
It back to the editor. saying ii beyond
their power to make anything of IT. AT length,
on being told that they might charge anything
they liked for their trouble, they tackled 10,
and got I'D this literary mess in kind Of way.
the many blanks in the proof. when it was
sent TO the author. testifyng 10 the worry
the compositors had to suffer and their inabil-
ity to decipher the professors efforts at callig
raphy. Double the usual sum was afterward
paid for IT to the compositions
The printer acknowledges gravely that all
the late Mrs. Oliphant's works showed she
was a serious. Christian lady" but her cal
lgraphy was of worrying sort. her hand
was very small. and her habit Of neglecting 10
punctuate her sentences added to the difficulty
- l1ot ot@ha haI-
received from her few months before she
died 1t is fairly written. and indicates how.
when not in the throes Of getting up an ar
ticle. she could write plainly enough. Printers
ought always to be thankful for such vou-
minous writer's she was The compositors
got fourpence extra for every page OF Black
wood they composed from her MS. to recoIp
them for worry and loss of time Poor charles
Lever was also sore trial All his writing was
done on small, fimsy notepaper-"very clear and
clean TO look at but. alas for the poor printer
who had 10 earn his dinner by composing from
It,"
Mr. Nathan Haskell Dole has written ro-
nance of old Persia which he calls omar the
Tent-Maker."
In his latest paper in "Cosmopolis." concern
ing his Indian friends Professor Max Muller
admits that considerable deductions must be
made from the panegyrics which sometimes MI
the letters OF Indian correspondents, but asserts
that Il would be wrong TO accuse them of in
territorial insncerity And then he tells an agree
able story In which the sincerity of one of these
gentlemen shone forth to the eminent degree
Of certainly meaning more than he said:
The MahAratah Of Vizianagram wrote TO me
some years ago, expressing wish TO possess
q copy of my edition of the Rlgveda, IN SIX
volumes 1t had been published at flo. but
when / applied to second hand bookseller he
charged f24, and told me that complete copies
of the book getting scarce. Soon aIter the
Iaharatah wrote again asking the bookseller
TO send him a second copy but he was informed
by his agent in England that he could not get
complete set for love or for money The Manara-
jah wrote TO ask me why / did not brlng OUT
q new edition, and / had 10 tell him what the
expense OF printing such work would be, and
that though i should gladly give my labor for
nothing, l could not find publisher IN Eng
land not even University Press TO under
take such a work. The Indian Government had
for years used the first edition for making pres
ents in Europe and In India. and though in this
way 1t had fully reimbursed itself for the orig
inal outlay. 1t would not venture on second
edition Upon this the Maharatah, who had
hitherto been most lavish i'm his praises of the
work showed that the praise he had bestowed
on it was not mere empty praise. but was really
meant After telling me what his Pandits had
said to him. and sending me some valuable
manuscripts as a present. which tney nad pre-
pared for me- he offered TO pay himself for the
printing Of a new edition. II l would undertake
the labor Of revising the text
This l readily accepted, ana IN TWO years.
1890 to 1892, a new and / hope more correct
edition was issued from the press al oxiora IN
four large volumes The MahArAJah paid TO
the press not less than $4,000. / found out
afterward that this Indian nobleman was by