Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1875-03-19

XNE.- r.. >. sss.'c q SOB.
The house of L. J. Hale & Son
Young in New York, although IT = on,
of the oldest OF the publishing af,d
book max ng firms III The Unlted States.
Tie members of the firm nr" Edward
J. Hale ard his son p. ". Hale, WHO
are natives of North Carolina. wher.
they lived until within a few years.
FIFTY YEARS AGO
The Senior member of the firm eS-
tablished himself in business as pub
Usher in Fayetteville, North Carolina,
on the LIST of January, 1S23-just bali
Il century ago, and soon afterwards be
gan to publish books, laying the foun
dation for what was afterwards one of
the largest bockmaking establishments
in the Southern States. The junior
member joined the firm in July, 1850,
almost a quarter of century ago.
Possessed of good Judgment, re
markable Intelligence, industry and
integrity Of the ''old fashioned" sort,
they not only built up a reputation,
but also very large and profitable
business, considering the obstacles of
their location and the few objects
winch could engage the attention Of
book makers. Before the war they had
amused respectable fortune-oue at
least which was quite satisfactory to
two American gentlemen. mtil the
days OF quick money making wi,icIi
came with the hostile attitudes Of th"
two sections.
THE FORTUNE OF WAR.
For nearly fifty years the house pub
!ishe9 newspaper which had ii lar
ger circulation and Influence than ANY
IN Moth Carolina, AID before the war
had become one cf The leading, if Lui
the leading ncwsl aper in the Conted-
crate States. La March, lS63, the Ca
reer of this newspaper was ended.
Indeed the whole business OF tiIv house
i'll North CarO'iua was destroyed. The
accommodations of "A lift time were swept
away in IL few hours by the fires that
marked the track of General Sher
mans March to the Sea-"
II close Of the war left the house
in straitened circumstances financial
ly, but with tn" good wishes Of troops
of friends" Leaving behind them
names which had become household
words in North Carolina, aud Wer,
IGNORED throughout t'tc Southern
States, they removed to New York ia
1866, taking with them the book
branch of their business.
EARLY PUBLICATIONS.
The publications. of this house while
in North Carolina were, in IL certain
sense. Local. That is, they were books
ased on local occurrences, though the
matter contained III them was OF far
wider Influence and interest The
Reports of the Supreme Court of the
State" formed the most valuable part
of their works. The opinions of Rnf-
fin, aud CASTOR, and Daniel we,e
among the abiest delivered from the
tench of this or any other country,
and were SO recognized in all the
States of the Union and III III.
Courts Of Great Britain Their 9th
er publications in North Carolina were
some volumes of sermons by the Rigii
Rev. Bishop Ravenscroft, a giant
among theoiogians III his day and
generation, and two volumes of the
/: History of North Carolina" by Mr..
Hale's lifelong friend, the Rev. DR..
Franci- l. Hawks, SO long and so well
known in this city. The war iuterrrp
ted the publication of this work, ana
the death of DIR. Hawks, soon after it,
close, prevented its completion.
THE BEGINNING IN NEW YORK,
The firm began business in New
York as jnbbers of books, but with tn
determination to resume and enlarge.
upon their old occupation us boot
makers. Against great odds they have
made their way to most substantial
business. Beginning with few books.
the nyHpl nf yuhnon nl
made them at once standard and popu-
lar, they have gradually Increased
their list to respectable dimensions
The admiral e manner in which tliei1
books are printed has also been OF
great advantage to them. Their ob
ject is finally to give up the iobbing
trade and cOnfne their efforts 10 max
ing and selling their own books. Their
theory is that the jobbing of books,
like the jobbing of all other goods, is
fast deserving 4,ew ork. The policy
of publishers of books and mannfac
turers Of other goods is to discrimi
nate against the city jobbers, and to
build up thereby that branch of bust
ness elsewhere. They give very plausi-
bic reasons for the adoption OF and
adherence to this policy. But with
out stopping to consider these, walk
along the business streets of this CITY
will show it's effect. Many think
that New York business was stuck
down by the panic OF 1873, that
the country has not yet recovered,
and that New York is suffering
only in consequence of that panic
But another and very potent cause of |
empty stores, OF stagnaut values in real |
estate, of want of employment of star
walton and misery, which abound, ia /
the transfer of New York jobbing bu
mess tn Chicago, Cincinnati, Baltimore
aud other cities, by reason of the DIS |
policy referred to. For
the present "first hands" feel no differ
ence in results. But very soon it will
be manifest that the suffering of one
half of this great city must be the suf-
fering of the other. This is not sim
ply the theory of this house, but of
many others.
THEIR IMPRINT IN NEW YORK.
In 1867 the first book bearing the
imprint Of e. j. Hale & Son, since
their removal to New York, was pub
lished. It was the Rev. DIR. r. L.
Dabney's defence of Virginia and
the South" an able, but of course an
unpopular book in the Northern
States.
Morv Other. b~~.>l-., t.i.~l - II