The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1923-06-21
A JOKE OR so

The old time printer who set type
before the coming of the linotype
was a funny gink, fond of playing
pranks on the apprentice boy and
any others that he could get by with
1t was customary to play enough
mean tricks on the apprentice, tc
make him hate his job and the fell
lows he served under, and he was
sure to be sent out some day to
another printing office or to the
hardware store to borrow q round
square or slanted plumb line or
other impossible contrivances, and
the fellow he tried to borrow 1t of
would probably tell him 1t was
loaned out just now but that IL he
| would come back tomorrow 1t might
be ready for him.
In the days OF a generation ago,
there was a lot of trouble getting
writers of news letters to write only
on one side Of the sheets of paper
They generally furnished their own
paper and were economical in its
use. Writing on both sides, JUS
simply doesn't go, In a printing
office-they get into troubles enough
without trying to economic in that
way, and any sheet of paper that
has some marks on is discarded for
fear those marks will get into the
paper in some combination that
spells ruin or embarrassment
B.. J. Palmer, the discoverer of.
kiropractics, used to live at little
town called Watcher, Iowa, and
one of his German neighbors took
trip to Germany to visit the old
home. Before going, he arranged
with the publisher of the Watcher
Gazette, to write up an account of
his trip, and mail it back from
destination, which he did. 1t was a
with no interest or kick, and after
passing several good quitting places
in his narrative he put it this way:
well, l guess l had better bring my
letter to close, for I suppose l have
already tried the printers pa
tience-" Here the printer inserted
in the article, ('You're dam right
you've tried the printers pa
tience.") And then he continued
with the letter as written, Hoping
this may find all well at home, and
that we may again be joined in per-
sonal associations without the loss
of one"
In another case missionary was
writing stories for his home paper,
and scrubbed it off rather carelessly
and it is hard to read The type
setter got pretty tired of deciphering
the fellows scrawlS, and wherever
he could not make it out he would
place a dash and insert the word, !
''illegible," and set the next words
that he could read. OF course it +
made funny reading, but it did not
cure the writer of turning the sheets
over and writing on the back when
his letter grew long enough to run
into high postage. One day the type
setter got down to the bottom of
what seemed to be the last sheet,
and he placed dash after the last
word on the page and then set,
Where is the rest of it? Oh, now
| have found it, the d. fool wrote
it on the back" and then continued
setting what he had discovered on
the backs Of other pages ranging
back toward the front of the letter.
Before the days of the linotype
it often happened that one on more
type letters got lost out of position
Or lifted" while printing the paper,
and sometimes it would read queer
A few copies of the Mackay Tele-
graph got out one evening with five
letters out of the form. What the I
editor had written was There was
1 good attendance at the Methodist
church Sunday and it was a very
satisfying evening to both the pas ;
or and his flock
In the fifth word of the sentence
quoted, the first five letters fell out. !
md it read, There was a good dance
It the Methodist church Sunday
ven1ng and it was very satisfying
vening to both the pastor and his i
lock-" The misprint was the more
uzzling to the faithful, because the {
astor was in partnership just then I
With the editor and publisher and !
hey were warm friends.
In new countries and frontier
laces, pretty nearly everybody is =
onsidered equal, and this was es- :
ecially true Of the far north during 7
ne gold rust to the Arctic regions. !,
; man was known to be a horse
lief or jail bird back in 1.-The ;,
.ates," the matter was not held r
sainst him In the Klondyke, and ~
ny reference to 1t would justify n
rawing a gun. G -
professional entertainer making "
tour OF the region after the rail- Il
lad was built, was arranging with IL
Ie publisher of "The Midnight Sun" b.
r little advertisement about his
evenings engagement" at 1.-THE "
lndra," and wrote In the words so Ell
UGH In use In show advertisements a,
those days, THE best people in M
wn will be there" The publisher til
United to the words and said 1t
ould be worth the price of his plant
let that go in, as the fellows who
dn't go to the show would consider
q reflection ON them and thax