The Washington times., 1913-09-18
FAIR PROOFREADERS
HAVE T|CKL|SH JOBS
Uncle Sam Employs Many
Women as Error SIeuths at
His Big Printery.

OncIe Sam 10 q critical old party.
When he puts up bulletin on boil
weevil for the promotion of agricultural
science, he doesn't want to take any
chances on its reading like Welsh
sermon or q treatise on collars and
cuffs by the well-known Mr.. Wong
Kee. -..
That's why he has a picked crew of
proofreaders in his big printery on
North Capitol street, who remedy all
the ills to which linotype flesh is heir.
We take on our new fall bonnet to
tie voting members of that big de-
partment, Of course. for their ability
a. error sleutha, but from here on this
story Ii going to be about the women
who handle the galley proofs.
More than q fourth of Uncle Sans
pure reading matter comes under the
searching pencils OF women, some of
than twenty years.
doc" Work Most Interesting.
"our work here coAes under two
hsads," said Miss Sara E. Simpson.
one Of the experts, patent specifications
and document work.
THE doc work. as we call it, is by
far the more interesting, even IL We do
get it in brief takes without sequence
or connection For instance, Wen get
along swimmingly on a paragraph
about the Mulhall Investigation, then all
Of sudden we'll shift to the preserva-
ton Of salt pork or how to reduce the
mosquito census.
the night force. No women are EN-
ployed at night, So we see nothing Of
that But practically all the other Off
cial history Of the country goes through
this departments hands at one time or
another,
1T requires accuracy and concentra-
ton to a marked degree. We cannot
think about what happened last night
At the theater or what is going to hap
pen tonight at the park. We've got to
keep every faculty alert or some grave
error. costing thousands, might slip
through.
Squeezing Romance from Figures.
Specification, or tabular work, on
ehe face of 1t, looks very monotonous,'
said Miss Mary Hayden, another of
Uncle Sans expert nieces, intrusted
with diffcult detail work.
But the very fact that it is difficult
inspires one to put forth greater ef-
fort
The census reports are probably
the most interesting Of the tabular
work that comes to US. 1t may not add
10 our general happiness to know that
Ken, has one wife, three children, a
forty-acre farm and a team of horses.
but. after all, there is a great deal Of
human interest in these rows of fig-
Cres II we only stop to think about 1t.
with just a little imagination, we
zrfr thA ffn al f.fo he
Joneses. how they struggled to own
that farm-but here comes my copy
bolder-no time for romance!"
A dosen copyholders are apportioned
70 the proofreaders every two weeks.
Cupid Quads Out Line.
Work requiring particularly close at
tention is given to the readers who are
fortunate enough to draw copyholders
for the two-week period.
"An proofreaders must be graduates
of the composing chapel. All the wom-
en- In here have served their time at the
case" said 8. E. Payne. foreman Of
the proofroom.
They know every corner of the
printing trade, and can set type with
the best OF them. If necessary. Some of
them have worked in composing rooms
Of newspapers, and others have served
their apprenticeship in job plants
They are under civil service rules.
and receive equal pay with men for
equal work.
A strict record is kept of each indi-
vidual's work. Thirty-eight gaileys
day il considered a fine days work.
Occasionally Cupid quads out the line
Of q fair proofreader. Il cannot COM
plain" says Foreman Payne, with
broad smile on his good-natured coun-
tenance. Il sot my wife out of here
f,nraosf" EnITu JnREpT