Becoming an Editor

My Grammar School didn’t teach any commercial subjects.  The choice was Latin, General, or Home Economics.  No keyboard skills, but at home there was a small portable typewriter.  I enrolled in a night class to learn how to use it properly.  Here there were full size machines and we each wore a kind of apron so we couldn’t see the keys while learning to touch type.  The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog was just one of the exercises.  We were strictly told to type two spaces after a full stop, something which is no longer done.  I have a certificate that says I can accurately type thirty-five words a minute.

keys hidden
use all your fingers
work by touch

That portable machine saw me through many years as I typed up Minutes and correspondence for the local School Committee.  As Editor of the Values Party Newsletter I re-typed items people had sent and composed some of my own.  All neatly arranged on huge sheets of graph paper, stuck down with cow glue, and re-positioned when necessary.  Eight pages laid out each month, ready to be sent to the printer.

copy laid out
articles re-arranged
perfection sought

Sometimes I needed an illustration and a visiting friend had artistic skills.  An invitation to stay for dinner would be accompanied by a request for a suitable picture.  He was happy to oblige.

good to have
a tame artist
at the table