THE PRESS. 205 



effective men are set to note down the words of the 

 wisdom of St. Stephen's. This they do, by attending 

 the House in rotation for a longer or a shorter time, 

 according to the effective strength of the corps, taking 

 notes in any way that they may find most convenient 

 while there, and then hurrying away to their respective 

 offices, to write at length that of which they have taken 

 notes. The reporters of a morning paper, of any parli- 

 amentary character, never remain longer than an hour 

 at a time ; and unless it be when a debate lasts very 

 long, is in one house only, and is of the utmost import- 

 ance, they seldom remain a shorter time than three 

 quarters of an hour. If the speech be an eloquent one, 

 and delivered with even a moderate degree of rapidity, 

 the quantity of notes which may be taken during three 

 quarters of an hour, will extend from a column to two 

 . columns of the smallest print in one of the largest-sized 

 newspapers: and as it frequently happens that the 

 same individual has to attend the House twice during 

 a debate, it is possible that one reporter may have to 

 write as much, in the course of one night, as would 

 form a pamphlet of three or four sheets octavo. — The 

 mere mechanical performance of this would be a task 

 of no very easy accomplishment ; and the difficulty is 

 increased by the necessity of understanding not only 

 all the bearings of the subject under discussion, but 

 all the extraneous matters that are employed in the 

 illustration of it, and being able to quote correctly all 

 the" ends of verse, and sayings of philosophers," where- 

 with the orators season it. — It is thus that the matter 

 is acquired. 



But after the acquisition of it, it is still to be com- 

 posed into types, the proofs have to be corrected, the 

 whole made up into columns and pages, and so sent to 

 press, whence it is expected to issue, and come in to 

 every breakfast table, as regularly as the rolls and 

 butter. This again would appear to be a task of 

 difficult and even impossible accomplishment ; but 

 yet it is done, and done with such apparent ease and 

 regularity, that they who are habituated to it consider 



