If “seven” is meant to express a whole number, a hyphen should be inserted after “three.”
A prolific source of trouble in correcting is wrong syllabication when it is thought necessary to carry part of a word to the succeeding line. Neither the English method of dividing on vowels, where this can be conveniently done, nor the American method of dividing on syllables, obtains exclusively in this country. Convenience, and the desire of spacing in such a manner as to make the lines look well, frequently determine the dividing letter; so that, in the same work, you may find “pro‐perty” and “prop‐erty,” “trea‐sure” and “treas‐ure.” In a recent English work, we note the following divisions: {p88} Pre‐bendaries, mea‐sure, pre‐decessors, supre‐macy, the Re‐formation, pro‐perty, theo‐logy, bre‐thren, pre‐paration.
But the division on the syllable is the mode most generally practiced in the United States, and we must, however reluctantly, adhere to it as closely as possible, until a convention of publishers shall sanction the adoption of the English usage. Our authorities close the first syllable of “fa‐ther” on the a, of “moth‐er” on the th, so that, practically, the latter word should not be divided at all; the English printer, without hesitation, places the hyphen after the a and the o respectively.
As to the word “discrepancy” there is a discrepancy. Webster accents the second syllable, and divides “discrep‐ancy”; while Worcester accents the first syllable, and divides “discre‐pancy.” In this, printers and readers must be governed by the “style” of the work upon which they are engaged.
One of the most frequently recurring errors noticed in reading first proof is the placing of an s at the end of a line when it should have been carried over. Corres‐pondence, des‐cribe, des‐cription, Aus‐tralian, are wrong, and are corrected daily; and their reappearance proves that in this, as in weightier matters, “error is wrought by want of thought.”
In newspapers, or any work which is to be read once and then cast aside, the carrying over of an ed or ly, or any other syllable of two letters, may perhaps be tolerated; but in bookwork such a division is inexcusable, except in side‐notes, or when the {p89} measure is very narrow. To avoid extremely wide or thin spacing, and to escape the trouble and expense of overrunning pages already imposed, it must be considered admissible, in certain cases, to carry over a consonant preceding the final syllable ed; as, expec‐ted, divi‐ded. We state this with some misgivings; but, as we have known it to be done by excellent readers and skillful printers, even by John Wilson himself, of blessed memory, we lay it down as allowable in extreme cases. Theories are elastic,—are expansible and compressible; but types of metal have set dimensions of extension, and, in some circumstances, absolutely refuse to budge,—wherefore theories must gracefully yield, and allow, it may be, a two‐letter division even in wide measure. Types are tyrannical, and will sometimes perpetrate solecisms under the plea of necessity.
An author can sometimes much improve the appearance of a page, by slight changes in the phraseology.
A good compositor studies to avoid divisions. Some printers, rather than divide a word, will justify a line by separating the words with two three‐em spaces. But no arbitrary rule can be laid down in this regard. A well‐spaced page with several divided words looks much better than a page unevenly spaced in which no divisions occur. The number of hyphens occurring in succession at the end of the lines on any page, should never exceed three.