Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1873-02-18
Hoc Magasines are Made.

have always had desire to know
how our fireside monthlies were made,
and so The other day | determined to
crafty my curiosity, and on casting my
eyes about me. soon fixed upon Wo0d's
Household Magazine, rs the object OF my
visit.
This popular monthly. rs perhaps our
readers are aware, is published in the
beautiful city OF Newburgh, on the Hud-
son. Could natures surrounding beau
ties in any way affect magazine, then
Woods. indeed, would be the grandest
in the world
But it is of my visit more especially
that intend at this time to speak. It
was on the last day of the old year that
presented myself Mt the editorial sane
tenn ,a,!ctor1tbl of this noted monthly.
The omens were propitious, and present.
ly was enjoying social chat with the
editor of the magazine. \ more pleas.
ant and retiring man it has never been
my good fortune to meet. and | could
scarcely credit that the modest. nnpr c.
tending gentleman seated in the chair be-
fore me had unaided by either friends or
money. and under circumstances most
discouraging, in less than ten years es-
tablished on a firm foundation, one OF
the most popular dollar Monthlies" OF
our day.
Having stated the object OF my visit,
Mr.. Wood very kindly volunteered to in
itiate me into the mysteries Of the art, if
so we may call it, and forthwith proceed
ed to do, by saying that the first thing in
order was the gathering Of material. |
was not little surprised when he quietly
informed me that his "nlatter" for the
past year cost him no less than six thou
sand dollars. Said he, 81 paid Gail
Hamilton three thousand dollars year !;
have given Harriet Beechsr Stowe two
hundred dollars per article; James Par
ton fifty; Tilton the same; T. S. Arthur,
one hundred; Horace Greeley, one hun
dred Joel Headly fifty Wakely, thirty {;
Harriet Prescott SpolIord, seventy-fve,
and Rebecca Harding Davis, one hundred
and twenty-five dollars, etc. All of
these articles vary in length from one
and half to six pages. OF course Sc
lected matter does not cost anything.
The material being now all obIained,it
is sent 10 the compositor's department,
which, being in another street, and not
in his main building we did not visit.
The matter" being "set up" the forms
are stereotyped, and the plates are re-
turned to the press room, situated on the
first floor OF the main building. In this
department we found four large book
presses, valued at from three thousand
to three thousand five hundred dollars
apiece. These presses print sixteen
pages with every impression.
The paper being now printed. it is
placed upon an elevator in the corner OF
the room, and with il we ascended to the
fourth floor, where these sheets of sixteen
pages were quickly folded by means of
large folding machines attended by girls ;
these sheets are then taken where they
are gathered, stabbed, and stitched.
And now ii remains only to paste ON
the cover, and the magazine is ready for
mailing, and Of course il is no little work
to post over three hundred thousand
magazines. Tho mailing department
alone gives constant employment to six
female mailers. Mr.. Wood informed US
hat he mailed thirty bags in day.