As every parish magazine editor knows, proof-readers are a race apart. They read every word, every jot, every tittle. They miss nothing. And they have a special language to specify every shortcoming. There is nothing so humbling as to put one’s paragraphs into their hands and see what they make of the carefully contrived sentences. It is like seeing a piece of glass in subdued light suddenly exposed to sunlight. Motes dance before one’s eyes. What was spick and span is newly seen as dusty.
Just once in a while a proof-reader will find a piece of copy that needs no mark. But only once in a century is he likely to find a complete book without error. The slip marked ‘errata’ may have to be supplied and the author shamed. His shortcomings are all the more exposed for having been concealed or overlooked through the process of preparing for publication.
Alexander Pope had a word of wisdom on this. He had doubtless suffered before he put together this comment: ‘Whoever thinks a faultless piece to see, Thinks what ne’er was, nor is, nor e’er shall be.’ It is of course a variant of the more familiar words of the same writer: ‘To err is human, to forgive divine.’ Few, hardly any, perhaps no persons putting pen to paper or finger to keyboard turn in a faultless performance.
Of course, proof-readers, like the rest of us, are partly shaped by our occupations. We may remember a school-teacher like the terrifying Crabby who had the author of ‘Cider with Rosie’ in her village school. Her word was law until she took a step too far with Spadge.
Many influences shape us and our friends. We bear this in mind when we join them in bringing a project to life. We are all better at some things than others. One virtue we all, probably, need more of is patience. James (5.vv7,8) says that just as the farmer must wait in patience for the rain, so Christian believers must be patient waiting for the Lord. On that basis Advent is all about patience.
FORMBY MAGAZINE
The 45-page free magazine of St Peter’s church, Formby, Merseyside is doing its bit – and more – to make sure parishioners know that 2022 marks the 275th anniversary of the church. The church has a busy programme of celebrations, including a Christian basics course in January and the magazine reflects the dynamism of the congregation. There is no mention of a proof-reader in the current issue but somebody does the job. The magazine team comprises Rod and Sue Jacques, David Manning-Fox, Alison Whiffing and Elaine Almond. The Vicar is Anne Taylor.
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