Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-09-30
s II b e !. q n. s..


Did you ever get a letter so poorly
written that you couldn't tell whether
1t was an invitation to club dinner
or dun from some creditor?
In these days of wise stenographers
and typewriters there is great deal
more room for guess work as to the
condition of the man who writes let
ter. than in the days gone by
The time was when one could tell
quite considerable about man by his
penmanship.
i That Is to say-about some men.
But there were others about whom
nothing could be learned from their
letters, because no living person could
be found who could read enough about
what they wrote to gain even a sus-
picion of their thoughts, intentions, in
clinations or disposition AS far as
learning anything from their letter is
concerned it might as we'll have been
written in Greek.
In railroad circles there Is story
often told about one of the old time
presidents ofsthe Burlington road. 1t
was years ago-before the typewriter
became part Of the railway presi-
dents office.
An acquaintance of the railway pres
ident wrote to the official asking for a
pass over his lines. The president
answered his request to the effect that
as he was not connected in any way
with the road, there were no grounds
on which he could issue pass to him.
and therefore he could not grant the
request He then signed the letter
| and sent it.
| When the man who had asked for
the pass received the presidents let
ter, the only words he could make out
were pass" and the signature. He
supposed 1t was all o. K, and as he
never found conductor who could
read any more of 1t than he could he
had no trouble riding on it for the bal
ance of the year.
When he asked for a renewal the
story came out.
In setting type all the lines in q
column have to be spaced out and Gus
titled to the same length, so that the
pressure in locking the forms for the
press will be the same all along the
column. Sometimes it happens that
a printer will accidentally make line
too long. Then the proof reader will
call attention to it by the customary
mark used by the craft
One time we'll known Iowa editor
wrote an editorial on one Of his hob
bies He put in a good deal of time
on 1t and carefully read the proof him
self He noticed long line on 1t, and
saw that it would be too tight to allow
the proper handling Of the column. To
call the printers attention to 1t he
wrote ON the margin Of the proof sheet
as follows:
; TOO tight a space to justify"
, The printer didn't notice the tight
line, and he couldn't make out the
note, SO after studying the writing
: from all positions, he concluded that
the writing on the margin was some
; thing he had omitted from the article
! when he set 1t in type. He then sci
r 1t up and inserted 1t in the article.
The forms were made up and put tt
press. Wien about half the edition
had been run of, the editor came rush
ing hatless and coatless into the press
: room, holding copy Of the paper Ii
one hand and waving the other arount
his head, shouting at the top Of his
t voice:
2 "stop the press and fire that print
t err"
Finally the foreman got hold Of thu
paper and found that the printer hat
inserted in the middle of the editor
4 pet article line which said:
s TOO tight space to prestify."
G. P. G.