Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-14

Capt Henry T. Brian. deputy public
printer and one of the most widely known
technical experts in the service Of the
federal government. quietly celebrated his
sixty-fifth birthday yesterday at his home
on Columbia road northwest.
A gathering of the immediate family
reminded the captain that he was again
at the annual milestone To the few init
mate friends who called he remarked that
he was "sixty-five years young
Capt. Brian positively refused to talk
shop" yesterday. devoting himself to the
general pleasantries for which he is IA
nous. Had he been SO inclined a won
derful narrative of the development and
progress of governmental printing for the
past forty years would have been I'M
folded
The deputy public printer first saw day
in Howard county, Md. September Ii,
1S43. After taking the collegiate courses
afforded by the schools of Baltimore
young Brian entered upon a study of the
arts of Gutenberg. On the outbreak of
the civil war he entered the 9th Mary
land Infantry
In 1867 Capt. Brian entered the govern
ment printing Office a compositor. and
successfully passed through the interme-
date grades to the position of deputy
public printer. He has frequently admin
istered the affairs of the largest printing
office in the world as acting public print
er, notably for the four months preced-
ing the installation of Mr.. Leech
When Capt. Brian entered the service
there were no copy editors, and, for that
matter. few conveniences now considered
essential to the operation of even small
shop.
Copy was turned over to foremen. who
portiOned it out among printers. Matters
of capitalization. punctuation and general
style were left to individual taste. After
the type was set the printers made it up
into pages on wooden galleys and proof
was taken. All corrections were made
In the pages, and the Inconvenience and
lost time incidental to such operations
appear at this time like a page from a
modern Arabian Nights Tale.
When table was given out to the
printers the first man set the head and
designated the cast" Those following
passed their completed matter back until
enough was collected to make a page.
Composing room employees in those days
were called on to perform every opera
ton from the beginning to the end The
convenences in those early days were
nil-wooden galleys, and not so many of
them; lack of rule for tabular work and
the necessity to pick, cut and sort to get
the desired lengths; shaky wooden
frames; lack Of adequate light by day
and evil-smelling illumination by night
modern printing Office would appear
like a dream If, Rip Van Wrinkle like,
those old-time printers would find them
selves transported into the trade condi-
tons OF today. Makeup banks, imposing
stones. all manner of conveniences for
locking forms. labor saving rule point
type, proof presses operated by electricity
typesettfng. machines. electric form ele-
Vators and the hundred and one things
not even thought of in the days of hand
printing-when everything connected with
the production of publication excepting,
perhaps. the slow and cumbersome press,
was performed by the hands of skilled
workmen.
The above We're some of the conditions
when Capt. Brian entered the printing
service. yet this morning, when the for
mer compositor entered his office as
deputy public printer the print shop"
loomed large on the horizon as the largest
example of the printing art in the
world, with the general reputation of
rapid. economical and good work, the spe-
c1alization Of the employees proving of
enormous advantage in facilitating Uncle
Sans printing.