Some words which are put up when alone, are put down when they coalesce with a preposition; as:

I crossed the Atlantic to view transatlantic countries.

The transpacific people are apt merchants.

But some write “inter-State,” “cis-Platine,” “trans-Atlantic,” “cis-Padane,” “cis-Alpine,” etc. We know of no good authority for such work. It has no countenance from our lex­i­cog­raphers: and the hyphen and capital in the middle of the words are needless deformities.

NOTE. The “etc.” in Rule 7 is like one spoken of by Coke (an “etc.” of Littleton, I am told), “full of {p184} excellent meaning.” Descending from the name of a continent to the designations “beat,” “precinct,” “alley”; or ascending from “wharf,” “alley” to the name of a continent, through lessening or increasing subdivisions, the line must be drawn somewhere between what is to be put up and what is to be put down. Just where the line is drawn between capital and lower-case initials, between the aristocrats of the page and hoi polloi, is of very little consequence; but as uniformity in a work is desirable while proof-readers are liable to differ, it is as important to have an umpire in a proof-room as it is on a base-ball ground. And as cap­i­tal­i­za­tion is wholly arbitrary, the essential qualities of an umpire are, that he shall have a good memory, so as not to overset to-day the decisions of yesterday, and a strong will of his own, which shall not allow any obstinate reader to step across the important imaginary line which separates the ups from the downs,—the majuscules from the minuscules.

If a printing-office requires the services of but one reader, he, happy man, can suit himself, even though reasonably sure that he will suit nobody else—so various and set are the opinions of men on matters of trifling moment. If, however, two readers are employed, and on the same work, the one with the best judgment should be allowed to decide all doubtful points; but in this case, as in matrimonial life, the question as to which has the best judgment, is usually decided, if not by the strongest will, by the will of the party most reckless of consequences. But in proof-reading, any point in dispute is usually so trifling, that the readers can call in the office-boy, technically called printer’s —— but we were once youngest apprentice ourself, and choose to forget the word,—and let him settle it; whereas, in matrimonial life it is a different Agency with a similar name who is generally called in, and “by decision more embroils the fray.” {p185}

To show the absurdity of supposing that good readers will not differ in the use of capitals, we once wrote a paragraph, and gave an exact copy to each of two skilled proof-readers, desiring them to capitalize it as they thought it should be capitalized if about to go to press. We will here give the paragraph as we wrote it—without regard to rules—and then exhibit their corrections, etc., in parallel columns:

Mr. Quilp lives on a wharf which is connected by an alley with a city reservation in beat 17, precinct 8, ward 14. Said reservation is called poplar square; an avenue, known as chestnut avenue, connects that square with Washington street; and Washington street is a thoroughfare connecting the Snowhill division of Junction city with the city of Boomerang, the capital of the state of Cherokee—a state just admitted to the union, and to all the privileges of this happy nation, the United States of America,—the foremost republic of the western hemisphere.

That the differences and agreements in cap­i­tal­iz­ing may be readily observed, the two returned copies, as left by their respective readers, are printed below, side by side.