The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-01-15
AN EMBLEM OF THE PRESS.


about the office as the devil
printing Office devil as you must
know, does the work around the office
which nobody else wants to do and
which he is compelled to do just to
associate with those above him. He
swept the office. wet down the paper,
bothered the foreman, pulled the
proofs and set a little type, hoping in
years to become a full fiedged printer
and carry a card Like the best of
printers he did carry one thing which
they all carried in those days.
printers rule
A new devil was sometimes given
a large wooden soap box and sent over
to the rival newspaper office, the En-
poria Ledger, Albert Phenis's paper, to
get some hair spaces. Davis, however.
be it said to his credit, was beyond
this and had never been sent upon this
mission but once. in his still earlier
career than that in which this Incl
dent occurred.
a printers rule. be it known, is a
small piece of steel, about the thick
ness and width of a table knife blade.
about two and one-quarter's inches
long, with little ears on each side The
instrument is used in setting type, the
individual type being placed IN the
stick or receptacle held by the hand,
each type dropped into place over the
rule, until a line is filed, when the
rule is pulled out by the ears, and
placed above the completed line, ready
to receive the next one. This rule was
IS necessary to the compositor as the
goose to the tailor. the whip to the
Jockey. or the lancet to the surgeon:
that is, in the older days; now half
the compositors. or more than half. are
not compOsitors at all, they are oper-
ators, and Instead of setting type. they
operate the keyboard Of the linotype.
and as such have no use for the rule
which was absolutely necessary before
the days of machine composition. and
Is still in use. by compositors who set
advertisements, and who work IN the
smaller Offices. where a machine is still
a thing of the future
The writer had ticket. Davis had |
none. Both wanted to go. The
younger trailed after the older At
the door the ticket was readily ac-
cepted. although with slight frown
on the part of the ticket taker. for the
corner was clipped
Following him came Davis. busting
in with the line and apparently in
somewhat of a hurry showing his
rule" out at the ticket ia kerr who did
not seem to understand what the rule
was or what it stood for. How
should he know that it was IAN en-
blem of the press?'' He thrust out his
arm barring the further progress of
Davis into the fast filling han, and |
said sharply:
Ticket I don't want that other
thing you have
Davis. greatly affronted and indig-
nant. said;
What Don't you recognize the
press?''
The young representative of the
press went down the stairs feeling /
grossly insulted, vowing vengeance
and the use of his influence to secure
a red-hot adverse criticism of the
transformers in the columns Of the
next issue of The News.
Albert Davis by the way did become
a first class compositor and at the
present moment is one of the valued |
men in the Government Printing Of
flee at Washington. where for many
years he has acceptably held a posi-
ton, coming home to Kansas at times
to vote. possibly getting his start there
through Senator Plumb, who recon-
mended him on his merit.
(Chapter LXXV Tomorrow