caps/v l.c. conceived/ पा tr. & i/ 324 Exhibit of proof-reader's markings PROOF BEFORE CORRECTION PRESIDENT LINCOLNS GETTYSBURG ADDRESS centre FOUR score and seven years ago our father's brought forth の long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war / fi/ But, in a larger sense, Run back not consecrate tr. and proper rom. that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who gave here their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting that we should do this. we can not not dedicate we can we can not hallow-this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract.~ The world will little note, nor long remember what we /say here but it can never forget what they did here. It is ୮ for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here, to the fi stet/un/n/ lead fished work which they who fought here have so far thus l.c. w.f. lead ... nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the From a facsimile of the manuscript written by Mr. Lincoln forthe Baltimore Fair - the # 13/7/ standard version, which appeared info / Century Magazinell for Folgary, 1994, ital. / 8 // -Out, see copy Exhibit of the proof after its correction 325 PROOF AFTER CORRECTION PRESIDENT LINCOLN'S GETTYSBURG ADDRESS1 Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war; testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, canlong endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. we can not The brave consecrated The world But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate consecrate- we can not hallow-this ground. men, living and dead, who struggled here have it, far above our poor power to add or detract. will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us - that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain-that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom - and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. 1 From a facsimile of the manuscript written by Mr. Lincoln for the Baltimore Fair - the standard version - which appeared in The Century Magazine for February, 1894. 21 326 Moxon's notions about copy In a ftrict fence, a good Compofiter need be no more than an English Scholler, or indeed scarce fo much; for if he "knows but his Letters and Characters he shall meet with in his Printed or Written Copy, and have otherwise a good natural capacity, he may be a better Compofiter than another Man whofe Education has adorn'd him with Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and other Languages, and shall want a good natural Genius: For by the Laws of Printing, a Compofiter is ftrictly to follow his Copy, viz. to obferve and do just so much and no more than his Copy will bear him out for; fo that his Copy is to be his Rule and Authority: But the carelefness of fome good Authors, and the ignorance of other Authors, has forc'd Printers to introduce a Cuftom, which among them is look'd upon as a task and duty incumbent on the Compofiter, viz. to difcern and amend the bad Spelling and Pointing of his Copy, if it be English; But if it be in any Forrain Language, the Author is wholy left to his own Skill and Judgement in Spelling and Pointing, &c. his Copy, and Correcting the Prooves, unless they be Latine, Greek or Hebrew, for to thofe Languages there is generally a Corrector belongs to the Printing-House: And how well other Forrain Languages are Corrected by the Author, we may perceive by the English that is Printed in Forrain Coun tries. Therefore upon confideration of these accidental circumftances that attend Copy, it is necessary that a Compofiter be a good English Schollar at least; and that he know the prefent traditional Spelling of all English Words, and that he have so much Sence and Reafon, as to Point his Sentences properly: when to begin a Word with a Capital Letter, when (to render the Sence of the Author more intelligent to the Reader) to Set some Words or Sentences in Italick or English Letters, &c.1 1 Moxon, Mechanick Exercises, pp. 197, 198. до ABOUT COPY OXON has defined the compositor's duty as largely but not entirely that of the copyist. The author may tell him to follow copy literally, but the master printer tells him to maintain uniformity. These orders often conflict. How can agreement be had? When copy has been negligently prepared by a careless writer who sometimes spells incorrectly and capitalizes and italicizes without system, it is the duty of the compositor to correct these faults according to the style prescribed by the office in which he works; but when copy has been carefully prepared by a disciplined writer, who plainly shows. that he has a style of his own, that copy should be followed faithfully, even if it does conflict with the system of the office. It is the author's right to 328 Negligence in preparation of copy go before the public in his own way; to show his own notions about italic, punctuation, and capitalizing, and to follow the spelling of Webster, Stormonth, or Dr. Johnson. All that the printer asks of the author is that he shall spell uniformly and put his capitals, points, and other peculiarities of style in their proper places, so that there can be no misunderstanding about his intent. If he has not done this thoroughly (even a careful writer cannot be consistent always), he should prepare a written code of his style, plainly indicating the spellings he prefers and making clear his system for the use of italic, points, quotation-marks, references, compound words, abbreviations, etc. When the master printer has this code put in type, and provides a fair proof of it for every compositor on the work, the irregularities of style that deface a first proof and make the alterations expensive are largely prevented. When the writer does not provide this written code, the compositor should try to make the style uniform, according to his understanding of the author's unexpressed wishes. There the compositor's duty ends, even if he does not correctly guess an unexpressed intent, and does not maintain in all points the author's notions about uniformity. It is not his fault if copy is misleading or if instructions are insufficient. The art of preparing copy for a printer is not taught in schools, and the authors are few who have devised and adhere to systems of their own. |