"I see by one of the papers that a Chinaman has invented a typewriter
which writes in the Celestial language," said the Observer, handing
the bootblack a nickel and shaking hands with the crowd. "This
bright Oriental, who is known as Tap-Key, has undertaken a very large
contract, for the Chinese language, as most people know, is composed
entirely of word symbols, each of which represents a word; some
combining to form other words, as for instance, a square represents
a field, and a combination of 'man' and 'field' signifies a farmer;
while 'a man in a box' most graphically describes a prisoner, and 'two
women' typify 'gossip,' which is emphasized by adding another of the
fair sex, so that a half-dozen women in a row would probably mean the
direst kind of mischief.
[Illustration: Chinese typewriter]
"Well, to embrace any kind of a vocabulary, this machine would need to
have about 5,000 characters, and would require quite a force of men
to operate it, but the advantages which would accrue from its use are
almost inestimable. The Spaniards have found in the typewriter a most
effective instrument of war, and through its use many of Weyler's most
important battles were won.
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