Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-16
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

made to stand just such a drubbins
Steel is pretty strong. after all, and
springs are made to rebound
The rhythmical rap-rap-rapping on
typewriter keys often produces a lullaby
effect; in fact, pupils often are taught
to write that way, almost in time, as
it were.
The average typist, of the sort we
are writing about, is lucky if he can
go an entire line without pausing To
listen to such a performer is to hear
succession of. furious tappings, fol-
lowed by short pauses.
1t is possible to tell a person who is
engaged in composition, rather than
mere copying, by listening to the
sounds of his machine. If the taps
come in gusts, sandwiched between
short or longer rests, the listener may
feel sure that the hidden typist is
writing 'out of his own head"
Such users of typewriting machines
soon come to forget their typewriters,
much as in the old days those who
wrote with pen and ink never gave
much thought, at least during the
throes of composition, to the actual
quilts between their fingers.
Yet it may be questioned whether
any one can write as we'll with type
writer as with pencil and paper. The
very rapidity of the machine process
takes away opportunity for thought, in
sense.
1t is impossible, of course to de-
scribe the process of thought. especial
ly that involved in the work of COM
position with words but it may be
said that one thinks as he writes, and
that if there is an actually longer time
taken to put the words down, there is
actually just that much more time to
think between words.
X X Y
The average user of a modern type
writer is entirely helpless when it comes
to the care of his machine. We believe
the manufacturers not only expect this
but foster it, on the theory that their
own repair men can do better work
when needed.
Many persons who daily use type
writers are unable to take Off worn rib
bons and put on fresh ones. When
they are forced to do it, owing to the
absence of an office boy. they fume and
fret and get their fingers plentifully
besmeared with ink. The most worn
ribbon still has great deal of ink left
in 1t.
There are many small tricks of type
writer care which the habitual user
learns, each one for himself, to suit his
repairs can be made by a mere tap of
hammer held against a small screw
driver held at the pivotal point Re-
pair men are glad to show users these
slight mendingS.
Floating the carriages in oil is one
of the common mistakes in the care of
typewriters. While it Is true that they
should not be permitted to run without
any oil, the slide way Cor whatever it is
called needs but few drops of oil. and
that seldom, for its best performance.
To Hood machine with oil is much
worse than not to oil it at all.
Yet most Offices possess at least
one handy man whose sole idea of
typewriter repairing Is to squirt oil all
over machine, and often all over the
desk or the clothes of the unfortunate
person who calls upon him for first
aid" Els ministrations should be last
aid, IL at all.
Short flngernails are desirable. espe-
cially for the amateur typist, of whom
we speak. He hits the keys with the
ends Of his fingers, whereas the taught
typtst uses more the fronts of the
fingers. The one-f1nger artist is self
taught; he has learned what he knows
in the famous College of Hard Taps.