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Experience proves that the apprentice foreshadows the workman, just as
surely as the bend of the twig foretells the inclination of the tree. The
upright, obedient, industrious lad will become a steady, skilful, and
capable man, as unmistakably as the perverse, idling, careless boy will
ripen into a lazy, dissolute, and worthless fellow. The fact is, a boy
is measurably the maker of his own destiny; and if he fails to acquire
a master-knowledge of the trade to which he is put, it will mainly be
because he did not at his outset determine to be a master-workman. Good
morals and steady industry are indispensable.
When a lad who possesses these qualities proposes to learn the art and
mystery of printing, it should be inquired of him, Has he had a fair
common-school education? Is he a perfect speller? Has he a turn for
reading? Is his eyesight good? Is he under fifteen years of age? A true
affirmative answer to all these queries will entitle him to the position
of reading and errand-boy. He is told the hours at which he is to come
and go, and a strict punctuality is enjoined upon him. He sweeps the
room,—he sorts out the pi,—he learns the position of the various letters
in the case. A year spent in this way is an excellent preparative for
“going to case,” or learning the art of composing type.
When he is put to composition, he is told to set up one line and
show it to the foreman or to the journeyman under whose care he may
be placed. The errors in the line are pointed out to him, and he is
required to correct them himself. When the words are perfectly correct,
he justifies the line tight enough to prevent it from falling down when
the composing-stick is slightly inclined, and yet sufficiently loose
to enable him to lift it out with ease. In thus spacing out the line,
the blanks between the words must be so graduated that, when the matter
is printed, all the words will appear at equal distances apart. No
matter how impatient he may be to get on, he must be drilled at this
exercise till he becomes a thorough master of it. The grand doctrine to
be instilled into him at first is, to do his work well and correctly;
swiftness will follow as a natural consequence. He sets a second line;
and after it has been made faultless he proceeds with the third, and so
on till the stick is full. The utmost care must be taken to keep every
letter and every line in an exact vertical position; and when he essays
to empty the stick he must be taught to lift the entire mass in one
square solid body, and to place it squarely and vertically on the galley.
If the lines are allowed to slant either backward or sidewise, it is
difficult afterward to make them stand accurately.
After the apprentice has become thoroughly conversant with the shape of
every type, and can distinguish “u” from “n,” “b” from “q,” and “d” from
“p,” he is allowed to distribute type for his own use. He is taught to
take up at one time no more matter than he can conveniently grasp in
his left hand, which he holds so that the light falls on the face of
the type, and his eye can readily read it. In distributing the various
letters, he takes a word or two between the thumb and forefinger of his
right hand, and the types are lightly dropped into their respective boxes.
At the outset, and as he proceeds, the novitiate must be cautioned
against the acquisition of bad habits; such as swinging the body as the
types are picked up, nicking the type against the stick several times
before placing it in line, standing on one leg, &c.
While avoiding these ridiculous practices, a learner must acquire (if he
does not possess them already) certain habitudes or principles which lie
at the foundation of successful effort. The first is
_Punctuality._ He must conscientiously observe the time-rules of the
office in coming and leaving. The early hours are the best for work;
and the mind being cheered by the consciousness of doing right, the
body feels the influence, and is strengthened; and when the quitting
hour arrives, the amount of work accomplished will satisfy himself and
his master too. The most successful masters have been distinguished for
punctuality. The apprentice’s time is not his own, but his master’s
property; and wasting it by want of punctuality, or idling during his
master’s absence, is simply equivalent to stealing. The second point is
_Obedience._ The apprentice has no right to question orders given by the
master or his deputy. His duty is promptly to do as he is told, without
grumbling or dissatisfaction. Let him remember that he is under orders,
and that, if he ever expects to learn how to command, he must learn in
his youth how to obey. He will promote his own interests by seeking to
anticipate his master’s wishes, and by endeavouring to make himself so
useful that his services cannot well be dispensed with. Akin to this is
_Courtesy._ Good manners in a youth are wonderfully pleasing, and
effectively aid in his advancement. Courtesy toward his master is a
matter of course, and deserving of little commendation; but he must be
courteous to customers when sent out on an errand, and courteous to the
workmen in the office. By this means he will secure good-will, and many a
friendly hint will be given to him in acquiring a knowledge of the art.
The habit when fixed will bless him and others as long as he lives.