518 CALLOTECHNICS. 



learner should commence with the elementary parts of letters ; and 

 we would advise that he should form them, from the beginning, not 

 much larger than of the ordinary size in writing ; as the hand be- 

 comes thereby the sooner accustomed to the requisite motions. 



Stenography, or Short Hand Writing, is an interesting art ; by 

 the aid of which, the accomplished Stenographer can record most of 

 the words of an orator, as fast as they flow from his lips : but it is 

 an art which requires too much practice and dexterity in writing, 

 and too much skill in reading, to admit of its ever coming into 

 general use, even among professional men. The principles of Ste- 

 nography, consist in selecting the simplest possible distinct charac- 

 ters, such as can be made the most rapidly with the pen, to represent 

 the letters ; or, when standing alone, to represent certain selected 

 words, of frequent occurrence. All silent letters, and most of the 

 vowels are omitted : as hvn for heaven ; angl for angel, or angle : 

 and, in order to keep pace with a public speaker, it is often neces- 

 sary to omit minor words or particles entirely ; supplying them after- 

 wards from memory, or the context ; as ur fthr iv. n hvn, for Our 

 father who art in heaven. It will at once be seen, that the advan- 

 tage of these abbreviations is counterbalanced, for common purposes, 

 by the increased difficulty of reading what is thus written ; imper- 

 fect as it necessarily must be, in following a public speaker. 



2. The earliest mode of Printing, and that which is still prac- 

 tised in China, has been called xylograp/iic, from the Greek ft-jicw, 

 wood ; because the letters are all cut on wooden blocks, after the 

 manner of wood engraving. Each block, as prepared by the Chi- 

 nese, usually contains two pages ; and the printing is executed by 

 inking the letters with a brush, and Indian ink, then laying on the 

 paper, and rubbing it gently over, so that it may receive the ink from 

 the letters. Our common printing is styled typographic, or typo- 

 graphy; because done by means of types ; which are small elongated 

 pieces of soft metal, (lead and antimony), cast in 

 a matrix or mould, and each bearing a letter pro- 

 jecting in relief from one end of it. The types 

 are distributed in the compartments of a recep- 

 tacle, or drawer, called the case ; those letters 

 which occur most frequently, as e, t, and a, 

 being placed nearest to the workman. The 

 more common sizes of type are exhibited here 

 in the margin ; being used in printing their own 

 names. 



The process of setting up the types, to form a page, is called com- 

 posing, and the workman who performs it, a compositor. When a 

 few lines have been set up in a composing stick, held in the hand, 

 they are then emptied upon the galley ; which is a flat board made to 

 hold them, standing, as they do, endwise, in compact masses : and 

 when as many pages have thus been composed as will constitute a 

 form, or print one side of a sheet, they are then arranged upon the 

 imposing stone, and locked up, or wedged together in an iron frame 

 called the chase ; after which they are ready for the printing press. 

 The ink, made of boiled linseed oil, and lampblack, is applied either 



English. 



Pica. 



Small Pica. 



Long Primer. 



Burgeois. 



Brevier. 



Minion. 



Nonpareil. 



Pearl. 



