devils" he
had written "individuals," which, of course, made an apology
unnecessary; but the reverend gentleman was admonished to
improve his handwriting if he wished to keep out of trouble.

Still another case of "blind copy" furnished to the printer, resulted
in making the title "Pilgrim's Progress" to appear in "cold type" as
"Religious Rogues."

The "Philadelphia Press" relates the following: "Recently an editor of
a morning paper wrote an article on the Boer question, and headed it,
'The British Army won a Victory that was Remarkable.' To his surprise he
found that the printer made it read, 'The British Army won a Victory.
_That was Remarkable!_' The infuriated editor told his foreman that he
must be in _sympathy_ with the Boers."

Many intelligent persons regard the duty of a proof-reader as consisting
in simply following his copy and in securing the proper spelling of
words. If this, however, were the sum of his accomplishments, many an
author would come to grief. Recently an author, quoting the expression,
"God tempers the wind to the shorn lamb," attributed it to the Bible;
but the proof-reader queried the authority and wrote in the margin,
"Sterne," which the author had the good sense gratefully to accept.
Young men and women, recent graduates of colleges, have sometimes
requested me to introduce them to publishers desiring to issue
translations of certain books in foreign languages; but knowing how
superficial often is the linguistic attainment of the college graduate,
making him incapable of rendering correctly into English the spirit and
the letter of a foreign tongue, I have respectfully declined. I may say,
and with accuracy, that scarcely a translation is made which does not
show some blunder more or less appalling.

The French word "bois" means _wood_. In a certain sentry-box several
soldiers had died, and, to prevent the supposed contagion from
spreading, Napoleon ordered the _bois_ to be burned. The translator
rendered the word _bois_ as _forest_; which would have led the reader
to suppose that the whole forest was burned. The proof-reader, after
consulting the French text, suggested the substitution of "sentry-box"
for "forest." The change was made, and the meaning of the original was
thus restored.

A German professor, who prided himself on his knowledge not only of
the classics, but of modern languages, translated the New Testament
expression "The spirit indeed is willing, but the