National Affairs: Wise Proofreaders

Great learning is not among the qualifications of many U. S. Congressmen, but all U. S. Congressmen like to lard their speeches with learned allusions. On the floor of the House one day last week rollicking Maury Maverick of Texas took exception to a critical remark made by Ralph Brewster of Maine.

Mr. Brewster: I did not confine it to this Administration. If the gentleman makes the application, that is up to him. It is a question of the coat fitting.

Mr. Maverick: Well, David's coat was of many colors; it depends on how you look at it. Some are color-blind as to the coat of Roosevelt. . . .

Next morning Mr. Maverick was relieved to see that the accomplished proofreaders of the Congressional Record knew their Genesis and had given back the coat of many colors to its proper owner, Joseph. Texan Maverick relished it so much that he requested a report on the 40 Government Printing Office employes who have the awful job of reading the Congressional Record out loud to each other every night. In a solemn rejoinder the Government Printing Office listed other grievous blunders its proofreaders had caught. Sample: a speaker recently mentioned Bancroft's ghost. "Banquo," said the report, "was the party referred to."