The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1898-04-02
THE PRINTERS DEVIL.
CHARACTERISTICS Of THE
SATANIC YoUNosTER.
How He Does His work-He Has
Marked Fondness for "Pp' and Likes
to See An Occasional Accident in the
ONCE.

ONCE.
When manuscript, or copy" Is sent
to the composing room" of neWspa-
per, where it is to be put into type
the pages on which it is written are
pasted together and then cut into
"takes," or portions. These takes are
marked by the legendary blue penct'
with letters and figures, one letter De-
ing temporarily assigned to one ar
ticle thus cut, and another lettsT to
another article. Thus the takes III an
account of local church fair might be
numbered A /, A 2, A 8, ETC., and those
in a political special from Washing
ton 2 1, 2 2, 8, etc. The takes are
then stuck on a hook, whence they
are taken by compOsitOrs and "set."
After the cOmpositor who has l, for
instance. has finished his take,
he repairs to long frame,
on which are arranged narrow and
shallow brass bound boxes termed
"galleys," in one of which he places
his type and a small piece of paper
on which he has written "a l." and on
a hook by the galley he places his take.
At the head of his type is a strip of
metal Of column width, termed a
Slug" containing a figure-die, show
ing the type was set by a certain COM
positor. The compositors having A 2,
A 3, ETC., place their type in order on
the same galley, each leaving paper
marked with the letter and the figure
of his take. This system has been de-
vised largely for the edification of
youthful individual variously known
as the "deViP' and the galley boy"
the former being the popular and the
latter the scientific term in printing
circles. A word might here be said in
admiration of the appropriateness of
"devil' when applied to the youth, who
breathes forth not flames of sulphur,
but flaming sulphurOus words. never
to be defended; who is appareled in
crimson (his flannel shirt and black
Composition" or printers ink; who
shows the cloven hoof; who exuIts
with demoniacal glee at accidents in
the office. When the compositor hav-
ing the last "a, take" has brought his
type to the galley Tor, if the "A copy
is long, when the galley is full of
type the devil carefully wedges the
type in such way that it will be i'm
movable and takes a galley proof. In
this galley proof the work done by
each compositor is evident as the mark
OF his Slug" is Immediately above the
proof OF his take. The proof is carried
to the proofreader by the devil, who,
at the same time, hands to the assist
ant (known as the copy holder'0 all
the takes of A copy. While it is being
read, the devil speeds back to his other
galleys, and if one of them is full takes
a proof Of it. Returning to the proof
reader, he finds that A galley has been
read. If any error is marked in the
proof of A 1, the compositor who SET
that take catches the galley"-that |
Is, has to make the corrections marked
correcting not only his own mistakes.
but also those of the other compositors
whose slugs appear in the proof. If
the proof of Al is Clean" errors
marked in proofs of other takes are
corrected in accordance with speciAc
rules followed by the paper. In either
case the devil announces in gleeful ac-
cents the unfortunate who must mako
the corrections - an announcement
commonly made with satisfaction LITTLE
short of the fiendish. When the mis-
takes have been corrected, the devil
lifts out the slugs from the tyne and
lakes a second proof, called "revise "
Any oversight is detected bv the
on examining the "revise .
and is corrected. The galley is brought
by the devil to a stone-topped table
called the imposing stone" where
type is arranged in page form-bv
winch time the mission of the devil
las been fulfilled. The composing room
u one of the New York newspapers ig
possessed of eight devils.