The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1868-04-16
The Harpers.

"John Paul" writes thus pleasantly
Of members Of the eminent book 6rm
to the Springfield RepubiicoR:
The Harpers are "quocr lot, ~
as the devil said Of the ten command
meats. There are four Of them in
the irm, aud each has his speciality.
James, the Mayor" is the.jocose
man, and tells the funny stories; John,
the "Colonel," is the serious man, his
ouly frivolity being fast horses, which
no keeps aud delights ia driviugi
Wesley, the Major is the Ass.hetl.
cal man, tho literary wheel horse o.
the concern. Ii ever they want a
nice story or a epirited poem TO piece
out the Magazine or the Weekly, he
just sits down and dashes It off in
jGy. Fletcher, the Cardinal" is a
force felt everywhere, behind the pc
riodicals aud behind tho book
shelves. lie is the youngest Of all,
believe, lively gentleman between
City aud sixty. Twenty eight years
ago his brother sold him a fourth in
torcst in the concern for 81 600 lie
didn't pay auy money because he had
none to pay, perhaps, but worked it
out lie thought that they were do
lug him a little injustice aud thinks
so still. Indeed, | do think they
were very unchristian. The same
interest is probably not worth much
over million aud half. nor do
think any one of the partners has an
annual income rising 500, 900. They
get along most harmouiously, aud it
is said that no difficulty has ever 90
CURED be ween them except 10 the
one matter of the division Of the
prohts. Each complains that the
others do not draw enough during
the year. The younger branches OF
the family, however, amply atone for
the short oomings Of the elder ones
in this respect. 1 said, "diyision" OF
profits. There l was wrong. There
is nene. The machine rolls on year
out aud year III, no changing among
the partners, exactly as though there
was but one man. Each draws out
all the money that he wants to use
aud att eDd of the year, it one has
been more active than the others in
drawing he is voted the bost fellow
aud gets premium AN illustrated
family Bible or something else of the
k nd; they have great use for family
Bible aud fill them up very ias
aud another year is begun and con-
tiuued in the same way. What all
the young llarpers do about tho es
tabhshment | don't know, and il is a
question whether they themselves
could tell. "Brook yn Joe" is always
at his desk, busy as another illustri.
Gus pc. sonage is said to bo in gale
ol wind5 he attends to getting out all
the ntw books, making title pages,
inspiring advertisements, making
contracts with authors, sending our
editors copies, etc. by no meaus Il
fast mau nor Jockey, he still has u
pcnchant for good roadsters, aud
,.'kes to hold the ribbons. The time
that IA made in his celebrated driv,
FROM New York to Springfield, New
Jersey, is a matter Of record. 1t il
still a mystery to his father how he
could be SO icug on the road, nor can
even the oldest inhabitants exactly
understand it. Fletcher" is the
gorgeous swell of the concern, aud
wears more good clothes than you
could shake a stick at. He looks
after the advertisements of the three
periodicals, charging most fearful
prices to those whom lie pursuader
in belief that they are good adver
tising mediums, aud owes mo bas-
ket Of champagne on bet. "Jack'
is always standing up at a desk, max
ing entries of immense sums aud fill
ing out checks. He attends to th,
paper, and has occasio naly sold Inc
ream or two at two or three times th'
cost. But they're all good fe lows,
guess; certainly they Marry early ant
die late. When authors complain o
their treatment by this frm, | Away
put it up that they have got an nd
vance. aud are owing them nnnsegg
In my dealings with them, hay,
always found them fair aud honora
bio as mou can be between one anoth