The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-11-27
PRINTING REvoLuT1oNIzED.
story of the Invention of Ottmar
MerRenthaIer.
From the Washington Post.


Aerganthaler upset the calculations of
men about as much as did old Guttenbecs
when he began making type out of wool
en- blocks. He inaugurated a revolution,
and peaceful one at that, which
brought about more changes than half a
dozen wars would have done He invent
ed machine that will 90 anything but
talk out loud. IL is too busy to stop fer
that 1t comes nearer having all the in
tellisence of d human being than any
mechanism that was ever contriVed. 1t
has made fortunes for hundreds of PEG
pie who had the nerve to invest in the
stock when it could be had for a song,
before the machine was perfected.
What about the good old days? They
have gone from the cities forever. You
can find the tramp printer once in a while
out In the little towns where they still SET
type by hand. but they are different from
the old gang that went about the country
sure of all they wanted TO eat at a mo-
ment's notice, and a good job for the
asking. But the glamor has gone from
the business. typo can't drift into
Washington, pick up a couple days work
and then light out for Baltimore, do The
same thing there and go on to Philadel-
phia and Boston, and then make The
return trip in two weeks. and be sure he
won't go hungry on the jaunt
III thOoV Nhl9S a BUM u lhtCI NoQlt SNt
a job at any time. Men were always quit
ting and going about the same as he The
forces were larger, and one man wasn't
missed so much as he is now The typos
developed a rowing habit that was equaied
only by the gypsies They spent their
money freely. for they knew that few
days work would soon put them on their
feet. Life was one continual round of
pleasure, so to speak
OF course, a good many of the boys
lost their jobs when the machines came,
especially the older ones. l see some of
them once in a while. One is a street
payer, another is a conductor on a street
car, and the others are scattered about
doing something that makes them look
out for the future more than they did in
the old times.
Before the machines were put in the
man who set 1000 ems an hour was con-
sidered as making a good average. Heads,
leads and slugs were counted in his days
work, and he wes given every chance 60
fatten his average. Now the machine
operator has to set about 5000. ems an
hour, and they are all solid lines. But
the printers have no reason to kick On
morning paper they used to have TO
come to work at l o'clock in the after
noon and distribute the type After get
ting through with this they could go
home for awhile. They then came back
at z o'clock and set type until morning
Now the men come to work at and
work until 8 O'Clock and they get the
same money they used to get for working
from ten to thirteen hours. The great ad-
vantage to the printer has been that he
has had his hours of labor greatly short
ened, and his wages have not been de-
creased.
But there have been other advantages
to the printer also. The introduction of
these machines have to q large extent
been responsible for reforming him. He
has to keep regular habits. The three
weeks spree has to be cut out Jobs are
not so easy to find, but they are easy 20
keep il q man is sober and industrious
! The composing room force has to be bet
ter organized. The absence of a man ne
| cessitates the idleness of a machine. and
| that is equivalent to the loss of several
| printers in the old times A new man
has hard time getting on in strange
town, and so he tries to stay where he is
well off There is not so much in sub
bling as there used to be. 1t is needless
60 speak of the great advantage to the
paper or to the publishing house.
Twenty years ago no one could have
made printer believe that the present
state of affairs would ever come to pass.
OF course Mergenthaler got his first pat
ent in 1874 He got another in 1881, and
others in 1885. 1886, 1891, and so on. But the
machines were still in the experimental
stage. and while the inventor succeeded in
placing them in several offices, they were
thrown out as being deficient in many
ways. The typos were jubilant. remem-
Der when we first head that a watchma-
ker in Baltimore had invented and was
perfecting a typesetting machine 1t was
along in the eighties. 1t was a common
expression at the time: You can't make a
machine with brains. But that same pa
tent matchmaker did do all he set out to
do, and more. His machine is the most
wonderful thing ever planned by the brain
of man. AS 1 look at 1t when in opera
ton and see it doing half dozen things
at The same time, there is something I'M
canny about dts movements.
'In 1888 the machines were first tried in
Washington, so far as I can remember.
They did not stay long. 1t was while the
invention was in its imperfect state that
the printers had chance 10 get control
of 1t themselves. Merganthaler offered it
to the typographical union, but his prop
og1tion was refused as being absurd and
chimerical. Some of the older ones advo-
Gated taking 1t, but the younger ones We're
in the majority, and they fought 1t bit
terly.
I'm 1898 the linotype first really sup
PLANTED hand labor in Washington, and it
was about this time that the printers be-
gan to feel the machines all over the
country. To show that printers are pretty
union never made any fight against the
introduction Of the machines.
when they were shown to be perfect
the inevitable was gracefully accepted. 1
have heard that there was some small OPP
nosition in Louisville in 1888, but that was
before the invention was deemed practical
BILE. The union has never stood in the
| wav of progress. We have always thought
well of Mergenthaler, and he has at all
| times shown friendliness to us.
1.-The change from hand work to the ma
chimes was easily made. AS usual thing,
| the operators were made up from the
| ranks Of the younger printers. All the
| men in each Office were given a trial OF
three weeks, and the dozen or more who
| were most proficient al the end of that
| time were taken on. In some Offices they
| try to get experts at the start, but this is
not favored by the union which wants TO
| give the old men a chance to learn.
THE great feature of the Mergenthaler
from a financial standpoint has been the
marvellous manner in which the stock has
| ,,,,r,aaead in value good many can