Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-08-27
COMPOSlTORS' HOWLERS.
Amusin9Iy Wicked Deeds Done by tbs
Imp of the Perverse.

Sometimes, however, the prOofreade"
mods and in this connection the late
Lord GoSchen told, at a public dinner.
a story Of a reader who worked for his
Gord Goschen's) grandfather. and
who in answer to a denunciation from
his employer. cried:
LET some other man work at cor
rectness of Typography. 1 despair. My
own thoughts often hinder me, as they
seize and hold the authors otherwise
than they ought to do. 1t is quite pos
sible that niggling about words and
syllables may often go to the wall when
my. soul cannot tear itself loose from
some thought or picture. Errors nave
been found in sheets which 1 thought
I had worked backwards and forwards
with the greatest particularly. l READ
always as it should be-"
II is when a reader is in this soulful
condition that the general public are
permitted to read. as they once did In
q morning paper not given to humor.
that celebrated politician, i'll a
snecch. described some one as sitting
at the feet Of the game bird of Birm-
iupham." instead of "Gamaliel.' In the
same journal, too. the following start
ling announcement appeared under the
heading of "Births":
NJCHOLSON-On the 18th inst. at
Belton-road. Sidcup. the son of AL
fred Nicholson, of a daughter
In another newspaper a most pathetic
account appeared of doctor who died
owing to having accidentally infected
himself while injecting some plague
virus into a "gnat." The mystery was
solved the next day, when an apology
was printed explaining that the WORD
should have been "rat'!
During q recent election daily re-
ferred to the popularity of the wen
known Lancashire foxes" This quaint
mistake was due primarily to the tele-
graph operator. who neglected to sup
ply capital letters for what should
have read "Lane-FOX." a member OF
which we'll known family was one OF
the candidates.
"Come over and try some new
SOUP" a lady novelist did not wrlte'
"songs" was the word. 1T Is a sicky
kopje' of the real article was perhaps
cxcusable 1t appeared in paper dur
ing the Roer war.
These mistakes are curious enough.
but they pale into insignificance before
some OF those that never reach the
printed sheet.
cold milk, father" once demanded
a compositor in cold type, and he was
argrieved to have to alter it to 'Cead
mile failthe", "Brer Fox" was mace
"Roer Fox''-that was also during the
South African war.
On a hot summers day another tired
typesetter turned 1.-THE Ides OF March
into 1.-The Idea of Work." and the same
man was responsible for this puzzle:
"Dewlap tyros are the best in the mar
ket." The answer is "Dunlop tyres.
In a sermon a celebrated divine was
made to say: "And they erected ma
rire store at the mouth Of the sepul-
chre." massive stone" were the cor
rect words.
Authorizations are at times the pane
of the compositor. but he had no ex-
cuse for setting up, in ar account OF
a Mansion House function, that among
those present were "Old Isaacs and Old
Treloar" He should have known that
aid" was an abbreviation of ALDER
man" In the same "take" of copy the
Lord Mayor was received with a
crash" (should be ''eclat"). and was
followed by the Sheriffs in their "mar-
garine" (mazarine) gowns
vLet the gulled Judy wink appeared
in another first proof. and the proof
reader w"arily made it the "galled Jade
VI incr" "Dic. usty platter" has quito
a transporting flavor. but the copy"