, 1874-06-13
LITERATURE.


OANEAGN
PASSAGES FROM THE LIFE OF CHARLES KN1ol1T.
lalno, rp. 48o. New York: q. L. futna ms Sons.
AS m author aud a publisher, tho name OF
Charlos Knight will bo long and houoraby ro-
,nomborod among tho literary lights Of England.
During an acttya career, which e1tonded over
moro thRn half & century, lio tailed assiduously
At the kind,od professions OF writing aud print
IMP, doing auch good work 1t both as to gain tho
caloom nnil nppnuse OF his countrymon and tile
substantial rewards Of fortune. But 1t is for
His onrly, persistent, mud successful labors in
the diffusion of cioap and wholesome 1itera-
turo. tint tho plcasantost and most grateful
uacu,orioa Of him will bo cherished. Afnny hayo
secured fortune by tiicir talents and reputation
by their genius; but fcw have, like Charlo6
Knight, secured to themselves both wealth and
fame, wlilo consocratlng tAoir onorges md
abilities, with Binglo-hoarted purpose, to tho
Improvement aud elevation Of tic humbler
ctassoB Of their }o1ow-boings. 1t iH With u fool
Ing Of respect md reverence, which we do not
yiold to tie most brilliant achievements Of mere
intellect aud learning, that wo contemplate tic
noble career which Is portrayed III tho simple
and manly words Of this autobiography.
Mr., Knight was born In Windsor, England.
March Is, 170l. His mother died 10 lis infancy,
and tho only child Of d widowed father, he grow
up in tho solitiide OF q dosolato household With
passionate cnresHos and an inccssant so}icitude,
his father .ndeavored 10 supply to him tho loss
OF motlorB tender caro-. and tho companion
ship of brothers and eistors. Books were p]en-
tiful about him. and In their society ho pasaod
his happiest hours. His education wnB pursued
III dcsultory fashion, alternately ut school and
under private tutors. At II, just as his mind
l,ad BECOME stimulated to M ambition for sound
scholarship, he was taken from tho somewhat
famous classical gchoolof Dr.. Nichols, ut Ealing,
whore had had beou at study two years. and ap-
prenticed TO his fathers trade Of bookhelling.
The change WAS utpalatab1o to tho lad. for no
nlsoady bud fond literary aspirations; yet, with
TINT patient submission to tue control of crcllm-
stances, and That resolution to improve adverse
conditions, which through his lifo were telling
traits in bis character, ho accepted tho destiny
which docrcUd him n trndusulan, and diligently
applied hin1Holf to tie pursuits connected with
hlB craft.
Whom he Ind reached his 10th year he bo-
camo ongrossed in bibliomauia. and for Bono
ra1e volumes. This occupation was Of lasting
advantage in Widening his knowledge of books
and authurs. Before hia apprenticeship was
concluded, tho project OF extending his vocation
by tho printing Of . journal had taken distinct
shape in lis mind. In 1912, his trade boing
mastered and bis majority attained. lie wont to
London to acquire, By short service on tho ro-
porters' STAFF Of a daily paper. some Instruction
in the art of conducting journal: Returning
to Windsor, on tho lat Of August 1872 he it,
sued tile initial number Of tho Windsor and Eon
ETpress,-sharing with his father tho proprio-
torthip,-he holding alono tho responsible pos-
tion Of editor. Tho noble aim which ho set for
h.nlseE Oh entering tho career Of the journalist
waH thnt Of the reformcr and tho educator. As
he wrcte at the time to friond, II will sot out
as tic temperate advocate Of everything that
thinking men will support federation, lIduca-
tion ot the Poor, Diffusion Of Religion, Knowl-
edge, Public Economy. I shall adopt the opn-
ioMs OF no scot Of men IN Church or stato but
think for myHelf OH all points" From theso
principles, established at tho beginning OF Ills
public llle he neyorswervoa. Aaense OF tho moral
responsibility OF public writer deeply impressed
him, restraining him from hnsty, passionate. or
purely politio utterances. 1sH effect MAS imme-
daately felt, croasing trust in bis motive and
Ills Judgment, and lending q woight to his
words, which no amount Of talent divorced from
principle could have BecuEod to them.
Tho Express WAS tue first newspaper published
in Windsor. At tic time it was startod journal
ism was not tho popular profession it has since
become. In all England there were not hum
dred newspapers printed. and those were mostly
located IN tho larger citics.s cheap newspaper
WAS m impossibilaty. A tax Of pence was i'm
posed upon each paper, and duty Of sAlltngs
upon each advertisement. There was no system
Of railroads aud tolegraphs by which news could
10 rapidly communicated and papers speedily
circulated. Mai-carts End pony-oxprcsses, or
even foot-carriers, werc the teslio..a means by
which nails were conveyed from ono point to
nnothcr. Tho delivery. the publication oven, Of
tho most influential daily papers Of London. wero
often delayed, and solno.imes altogether intor-
mtted. II was not until 1914 that the Times
was printed By steam machinory. Prior to this,
two lnou, working with all their atreugth at tAo
hand-preHs, could provide but $50 impressions
on onc nide Of q sheet in an hour. The wages
Of mechanical labor were high aud there waa a
duty OF ponce per pound on paper.
Not many uGWHpAnGrH VQuturGl Nuon OrfRfnn1
writing, aud those which did incurred groat risk j,
Of actions for libel. Botll Government and peo-
people ware excessively sensitive to nowspaper-
comments. Criticism npon military affairs was
especially dreaded, ~ tho subject Of aogging
III tho army was WAS wholly forbidden to edltori-
al comment. 1t WIS in March, 1919, that JOHN
and Loigh Hunt Wero convicted Of libeltng tho
lriuce-ltegont in tho columns Of the EIanaia-
two years' Imprisonment. III single year, YER
diets in petty libel suits, xllicA ha was particu-
larly cautious to avoid, cost AIr. Knight ;E500.
Such we're some Of the diiiicultios which, little
moro than fifty years ago, harassed tue newspa-
per, proprietor, hindoring FREQ speech, ham-
perlng hs usefulness, rendering his vocation Ia.
borlous and yoxatious, mud his profits preoarious.
Aud Mr. knight had tue courage to encounter
them all, and, by the exercise Of raro caution
and eagactv, managed the Windsor Express sue
ccssfuily for fourteen years. In 1920 ho became,
with Alr. Locker, JOINT proprietor Of q London
weekly newspaper called the Guardian, but ro-
tainea his interest in the publication for only
two years. Tho same year wah married. by tho
establishment Of the Etonian, amonthiy maga-
zize edited by two Eton students. William Blunt
md Winthrop Macxworth praed, and published
by Mr.. Knight The periodical vas brilliantly
Hustnnea during it's ehort life by contributions
from Macaulay, Sidney. Walker, IIeury Nelson
Coerldge,, Derwent coleridge, Horny Malden
John Nloultlio, aud others. On the suspension
Of tho Eto,tan, tho Same corps of writer's united
in tho support Of knights Quarterly Magazine,
a Hcrial which initiated its predecessor in brief
but bright ca1cer
Lin connection with tho Quarterly Magazina
led to tho establishment Of Alr. Knight aa Lpu-
don publisher III 1898. The depression from
which tho srado Of miscellaneous publishing
suffered during tho onsuiny few years resulted
diaastrously to a1r. knight, and Ae temporarily
relinquiBhod tho business in 1897. "a 1 walked
forth {Ae writus] from my Observation-Disclosures in
London aud Nfiudhor, after the fashion OF man
represented ih the wood-cut in titlo-page Of
one Of the old printers which comes into my
thoughta,-a nun. not bowed down by age or
surrow. moving forward, not briskly. but not
thu nifb MIL afOF