The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-01-04
PRooFREADINa AS AN ART.
The One Successful at 1t Must Hav'
Many Accomplishments.

The One SucceAsfnl at II Must Aeve
Many Accomplishments.
A recent issue Of q Boston daily paper
contains the following advertisement:
"Any lady Of fair education can learn to
read proof under personal instruction c'
one OF the worlds foremost proofreadcla;
. genteel occupation, easily learned; pays
9I5 to $50 weekly. First class ever form
ed in Boston now being organized; ineIn-
bership limited; immediate application
necessary to enter clsss. Terms very rea'
sonable."
We heartily favor tbo proposition that
every woman should be the mistress OF q
remunerasivs occupation, i~ which she can
contribute something to thu industry and
movement Of the world. as we'll as to her
own support when necessary, and we sin.
oerely sympathise with tho efforts Of wom-
On to extend this field Of useful and honor
able employment and to gain access to
new vocations. Proofreading is certainly
one of those vocations. But no mistake
could be greater than to think OF proof.
reading az something that "any lady can
learn"
ProOfreading Is more than trade. 1t
Is worthy Of being called profession. 1t
is capable Of beiug made fine art. The
true proofreader is the ''flnisher" Of the
product. And thero Is this paradox
about his work-when 1t is we'll done there
is q sense In which 1t does not show; we
remember the proofreadsr only when he
is careless or negleotful. But so 1t is in
truth with much good work; 1t is often
the not doing OF the misdoing rather than
L. AI-A e.. rAk
The mere mechanics OF proofreading
anybody can learn who can master the
differences of letters and fonts, who has
quick and accurate eye and who con order
types and leads and spaces and punctua-
tion marks out Of disorder and set each In
Its proper place and relation.
But the mechanics of proofreading are
simply Its primary elements To be able
to spell and write tho English language
correctly, to know something in these
days of other languages, at least the mod
ern, to have some general knowledge OF
history and biography, to have memory
for names and dates, to be able to catch
an author when he slips and check him
when he goes astray, to remove the stains
and smooth out the creases which sone-
times disfgure the best Of writing, to be
ablo to suggest the last touch Of polish for
the page in type before 1T goes to become
the pngo in print-all this belongs to the
work Of the true and truly efficient proof.
reader and demands n a combination OF
qualities which 1t is rare indeed to find In
ono person. The first principles of proof
reading "any lady can learn, ;" but to be
proofreader in the large and distinguish
ed sense is tho growth of years Of expert
ence and may call into exercise almost as
wide resources of scholarship and almost
as great versatility Of talent as authorship
itself. 1t is position to which any man
or woman of brains and gifts might well
aspire. Proofreaders like the late William
Nichols of Cambridge and like Mr.. A. W.
Stevens of Lexington exeInplify what we
mean. Many an author Of fame owes more
to the painstaking and ceaseless fidelity of
his proofreader than he would himself per-
haps be. willing to acknowledge, and the
feat of riding several mental horses at
once is by no means the least of the many
forms Of skill in which the proofreader
must be an adept.
All success, then, to learners Of the an
cient and honorable art Of proofreading,
but let them not make tho mistake OF
supposlng that proficiency in it Is to be
won In lay.-Boston Literary World.