Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-03-31

AND SO FORTH
A Discourse on Errors, With All Pos
sible Avoidance of Personalities.
The Editor and Compositor
Defended

It EAR Reader you may have notceu
~ errors on this page. Do not think how
ever, that they are the fault of the editors.
Far from it. At least as far as the composing
room All errors are typographical. How
could it be otherwise now that handwritten
copy is not permitted in any well-regulated
newspaper establishment? BY "typographi.
cal" we do not refer to typewriters, but to
linotype machines. Typographical" means
somebody else. 1t is very convenient word.
II is a nice, satisfactory word, FURNISHED by
much use. We are defining 1t as diplo-
matcally as possible, as we must send this
manuscript through the composing room to
be subjected to the tender mercies of the
same. Indeed. we intend to present both sides
of the case before we finish. We have no
grudge against the composing room. The
grudge seems to be the other way around
For instance we wrote an article the other
day about health insurance. And what hap
pened? The next day we found ourselves
referring in cold type to this kind of
nuisance" We didn't mean that at all. The
composing room informed us that the phrase
written into the copy with a pencil. We
don't remember about that. Perhaps it's
Just as we'll. Like as not the composing
room will have saying it's just as swell.
We are trying to put 1t on it's metal. Ha! Ha!
Hows that? What will the intelligent COM
postor do to that? Ha, ha, again.
Veritabe Vagariousness
It's very funny the way the composing
room acts. Give 1t something hard and it
pulls through with flying colors. Give it
gentle little grounder and 1t fumbles When
the Bulgarians demonstrate their skill by
crossing the DbrubjaescXczs, the compositor
follows without the loss of a single consonant.
You can see now for yourself You don't
miss anything. do you? No. Well, that's the
way it goes. You take an ordinary battle
and put it up to the aforementioned intelli-
gent compositor and the product Is like this:
THE men fell in tanks and marched in pan
falcons to their final account"
The erudlte writer speaks of the hale,and-
heartness of the old doge of Venice. and you
read. there was something likable in the
old dogs" The audience of the young
preacher becomes attractive" instead of
Attentive" All kinds of complications are
possible The POSTMASTER, seeking to pay
tribute to the green old age of the guest
of honor, congratulates him on his grim old
age" Sometimes the perversities of the COM
posing room of considerable value. They
improve the copy. An editorial writer, dis
cussing the demonstrative joy" of politi-
cal convention, was corrected to the great
advantage of Force and Clearness, if not of
Elegance His "joy"-and that of the con-
vention--was turned into a jag" He let it
stay that way through all editions. Wise
man. AS Shakespeare says Sweet are the
uses of perversity, which like the toad wears
yet a precious jewel in his head"
Tricks of Type
All the foregoing examples are really harm
less tricks of type. Tricks of type" do we
say? Yes we ought TO leave personalities out
OF the case. You wouldn't ind the intelligent
compositor describing a social function. at
which the guests were regaled with dainty ices,
in such language as this: THE party's pants
were repainted with dirty ink" Certainly
not. We even suspect that undecipherable
ehirography had something TO do with that
But the example rises out OF the ranks of the
harmless and shows US what awful crimes
may be committed in the name OF misprnts
And when a music critic, much taken with the
loverlike impetuosity Of his singer. is forced
to subscribe next day to the highest praise Of
eiver-like impetuosity." we doubt not he hnds
sthe ailment contagious. He Is more helpless
than that Western statesman OF whom the
headline writer wrote that he takes obiga-
tionp but OF whom the types asseverated that
ne tends alligators" He. II may be sup
posed, cancelled his subscription to the paper.
We were speaking Of music critic. There
was once another ana he wanted 10 tell the
public about a meritorious rendition OF Me
phlstopheles. II was In the days Of hand
written copy-who says the art OF handwrit'
ing has gone out? It wasn't in quite a while
ago This critic OF whom We speak described
in print "murderous rendition OF Mr. stroph-
elss.Y That wasn't saerilsgious, however.
The dear old PUBLIC LEDGER knew some years
ako Of the congressional resolution looking
toward the insertion OF the name Of the deity
h the Federal Constitution You might have
do,lbtad Il nefez,helsss r yoa had feaa e