Year: 1864

Things Done I'm Type.


The mistakes of printers are often very
funny to readers and very exssperating to
authors. A single letter is very often OF
the greatest importance, and small mis-
take frequently changes the whole effect
of an article. Some very funny stories are
give below some OF the best:


An English paper once stated that the
Russian General Backinofkowsky was
found dead with "a long word in his
mouth" 1t should have been Sword. /"
In this case, however, the printer could
not have been blamed for leaving out a
letter after setting up the Russian name
correctly. During the Mexican war one
of the English newspapers hurriedly an
nounced an important item of news from
Mexico-that General Pillow and thirty
seven Of his men had been lost sin bot
tie" It should have been battle"
| A lad in printing Office came upon
| the name of Hecate, occurring in q line
like this:


Shall reign the Hecate Of the deepest hell"
The boy. thinking be had discovered an
error, ran to the master printer and in
quired eagerly whether there was sn Q in
cat. Why, no, you blockhead, was the
reply. ATay went the boy to the press
room and extracted the Objectionable let
ter. But fancy the horror of both poet
and publisher when the poem appeared
with the line;


Shall reign the He CAT Of the deepest hell"


A newspaper some time ago gravely in
formed its readers that a rat descending
the river came in contact with a steam
boat with such serious injury to the boat
that great exertions were necessary to
save it. 1t was raft, and not a rat, de-
scending the river.


In the directions for conducting the
Catholic service in place of ignorance, a
shocking blunder once occurred in print
ing ''calotte," "culotte" Now "cuiotte"
means what would be known in drawing
room English as a gentleman's small
clothes. The sentence read, "Here the
priest will take off his culotte."


LETTERS DROPPED OUT.


But let form of type be ever so correct
when sent TO the press, errors not unfre-
quently happen from the liability of let
ters 10 drop out when the form has not
been properly adjusted or locked sufi-
ciently tight. A printer putting to press
form of the Common Prayer, the &C" in
the following passage dropped out unper-
ceived by him:


1--WE shall all be changed in the twink
ling of an eye."


When the book appeared, to the hor-
ror OF the devout .worshipper. the passage
read:


1--WE shall all be hanged in the twink
ling of an eye


A newspaper recently stated, in re-
port Of battle, that the conflict was
dreadful, and that the enemy was repuls-
ed with great laughter (slaughter.)


A man was said once to have been
brought up TO answer the charge Of haV-
ing eaten (beaten) a stage driver, for hav-
ing demanded more than his fare.


The public were informed some time
ago that q man was confined for having
stolen a small OK (box) from lady's
work-bag. The stolen property was found
in his vest pocket.


In an account of Fourth of July din
ner it was stated that none of the poultry
was eaten except the owls lfowls.l


A"NAKE-uP" BLUNDEK.


A laughable mistake is shown in the
following mixing Of two articles-one con-
cerning preacher, and the other about
the freaks of mad dog, which occurred
in hurried makeup" in printing
Office:


REV. James Thompson, rector Of st.
Andrews church, preached to a large
concourse of people on Sunday last
This was his last sermon. In q few weeks
he will bid farewell to his congregation,
and his physician advised him to cross
the Atlantic. He exhorted his brethren
and sisters, and after short prayer took
whim TO cut some frantic freaks. He
ran up Timothy street to the college. At
this stage of the proceedings, couple of
boys seized him and tied a tin kettle to
his tail, and he again started. A great
crowd collected and for time there was
a grand scene of running and confusion.
After long race he was finally shot by
policeman"


1t is not stated whether the following
item, which is said TO have been printed
once upon time, was the result of ine-
briefly on the part of the printer or re-
porter:


HORRIBLE CATAsrRoPHY.-Y Yesterday
morning, at four o'clock IN the afternoon,
small man named either Jones or Smith,
with a heel in the hole of his trousers,
committed arsenic by swallowing a dose
Of suicide. The verdictof the inquest re-
turned jury that the deceased came to
the fact in accordance with his DEATH
He left child and six small wives to Ia
ment the end of his unfortunate loss. In
death We are in the midst of Efe."


TIE POWER OF COMMAS.


The following sentence from recently
written novel, shows the Importance of
punctuation:


HE enters on his head, his hamlet on
his feet, armed sandals upon MS brow
there was cloud in his right hand, his
faithful sword in his right eye, an angry
glare he sat down."