One Andrew Jenson

"One Andrew Jenson" By James H. Anderson

It was in the early eighties. In those days the typesetting machine had not come into use, and a typewriter was a rarity. So, when a printer put copy into type he frequently had to do it from almost undecipherable manuscript. Having to "set" type

by hand, letter by letter, he would glance at the copy, imprint a few words into his memory, then "click" the type into the "printer's stick;" his eye being the guide as he watched the "nicks" in the type to get it into place right-end or right-side up. When it was the English language that was being "set up"

OLD "DESERET NEWS" BUILDING Taken in 1889. On the corner of Main and South Temple streets, Salt Lake City; notv the site of the Hotel Utah, where Andrew Jenson's first publications were printed.

all went well, for the printers then in Salt Lake City were Eng- lish-speaking. But when an occasional bit of foreign language came in, although using English types, there were no voluntary martyrs — just a term of "involuntary servitude," brief or ex- tended. I had acquired some little office "fame" as a compositor in

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languages foreign, from having set type on elaborate extracts from the Book of Mormon, put into Spanish for use by the earlier "Mormon" missionaries in Mexico —a rather superior ac- complishment for the "printer boys" of that time. I was but a boy in fact, having been called to the foremanship of the Deseret News book and job printing department when I was still under voting age. One day, the late Thomas E. Taylor, then business manager of the Deseret News, came to the department and announced the intention of doing the printing of a Danish magazine for some parties who had made application, and as he understood that I

THE NEW "DESERET NEWS" BUILDING Where Andrew Jenson's later works were printed; former site of the old Council House.

was qualified in "setting" foreign languages he had taken the contract. I was somewhat non-plussed. I had practiced with Pitman's phonography, the antique Deseret alphabet, Mexican- — Spanish, and Webster's unabridged but Danish! I knew there were in it diphthongs, diaeresis vowels, and a lot of weird letter-

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combinations; but the nearest approach to Danish about me in race or mentality was the Scottish affix to my name, "son." Yet the responsibility of foreman, and my good standing as a printer, left but one course open — the work would be done. Then it was that I made the inquiry, "Who is this work for?" and re- ceived from the business manager, as he left the room, the laconic reply: "One Andrew Jenson!" To pass along. The work was taken. Morgenstjernen the — — Danish Morning Star and Joseph Smith's Levnetslob History — — of Joseph Smith went regularly in the following years to the Scandinavian Saints. The typesetters thereon included Bishop Joseph S. Tingey of Farmer's ward, Granite stake (now and for many years past foreman of the Deseret News book and job department, where the work was done), and that other trust- worthy citizen and printer, Hugo D. E. Peterson (who came later, and during recent years is in charge of the Scandinavian journal, Utah Posten). In time, the Danish work was sup- planted by Andrew Jenson's publications in English the His- — torical Record, Biographical Encyclopedia, etc. But to the object of this preliminary. He spoke brok- — en English in fact shattered English. It was not easy to understand him. One thing which gave material aid was that his efforts were in abso- lutely grammatical English. A remarkable feature about him was his wonderful pre- cision, accompanied by an in- sistent pertinacity. He must be accurate in his dates and his statement of historical facts. Often we' would help him out by furnishing him required data; at other times we would seek to "tease" by questioning some particular date, and he would dig, dig, dig, until there could be no Andrew Jenson, in recent years question as to the certainty of his conclusion. Year in, year out, he kept at the work, often under gravely discouraging conditions; and at length developed into a clear, forceful speaker, rather rapid, but with good, well-enunciated