Wetlook World Forum

This process of pressing the water out of the paper is called "gautschen", wherever that word may come from. There must be some resemblance between the dripping wet pieces of freshly produced paper and the dripping wet ex-apprentices.

The old craftsmen guilds all had more or less cruel initiation rites to wash off the disgraceful dirt of the time you were the small apprentice now to be accepted by your workmates as one of them.

Years ago the German printers' union, often nicknamed the "black guild",  amalgamated with the journalists into the "media union". As a result of this "Gautschen" found more "victims" than ever. Any young boy or girl who passes his or her training, be it in the office or the printer's shop, working at a pc or a mighty rotary press,  will fall into the hands of those Gutenberg-like clad lads, be given a glass of beer and dumped into the vat. You are right when you think it is festival like, as many newspapers or other publishers do not do it somewhere in their backyards or parking lots anymore but let the whole town take part at the market place.

Why I know? Daddy often had to act as "Gautschmeister", and - believe me- he liked it!!!