The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1876-07-05
HARPER AND BROTHERS.
a Letter from 1hurIow Weed.
Reniniscencr@ Of rhc HRr.,r,.--.---
The Firms Fir~t XcmrEm
AsE~imeas.
n. ~ lilo of IN Tr-Lun.-

six our very PHEASANT and readable
sketch IF the business and social history
and relations OF the great publishing,
house Of Harper IL Brothers ia yester-
days Tribune possesses much more than
ordinary interest to one whose acguamt-
ance with the senior Harper- began when
the existence Of such priulIug-hOuse
was nm aspiration.
The late James Harper was a Journey
man printer, like myself, m 1916. VIE
worked for Jonathan Seymour. % most
excellent employer, at No ~ John al.
rs partners upon q Ramage press John
Harper was then in the last year ot his
apprau,ceshipiu tho same office. Wesley
was then q schoolbov, while Fletcher wus
scarcely out of his cradle. James. who
worked hard and lived trugaily. had but
one ambition, which WAS to sec hi. name
ON the title-plge of book as IDS
/ publisher. But rs hj, brother John was
/ % be associated with him, they had tl
/ wait until be had served uut his appreu-
I ticeship. They entertained ,no fears
about the success or their enterprise
James often remarked, while talking of
I hIs future, that he was determined tu
| 'makc a spoon or spoil % horn THOR
father was am influential Methodist, and
the sons commenced business assured Oh
the patronage of that denomination.
Their success exceeded their expectations.
Their modest printing office soon expand
ed into large and prosperous printing
/ house, the title Of the firm changing from
-. a j. Harper tu that Of "lilrper a.
Brothers The brothers, though hal-
moniou, and c5ngenial in sentiment and
sympathy, each possessed au Individual
ty physical and mental, distinct from the
other. james, although a thorough and
earnest business mau. WAS never grave
or serious, mixing up with the most
important duties OF the office stories
and Jokes. The second brother, john.
was grave and quiet, rarely hlu.
part in general conversation, but nix
judgment was always sought and taken
upon important business questions
Wesley l"the Captaiu') was small m
stature, and SO modest and retiring III
manner and habit as % be almost uuuu-
ticcahie but he was a man of mind and
culture, whose sterling qualities wrro
appreciated by all who knew him we'll.
Fletcher, now the only survivor. with
education and refinement, " plays ny
Charles +. CHuch said of tho latte Charles
H. Livingston, "thc gentleman mn hn
year round" The four brother. were all
men Of various but marked qualities of
head and heart The throo departed
ones left, in the memory of their puro
lives and uusullied character, logacics
brighter and richer than the vast accu-
mutations resulting from thcir industry
and enterprise
look back upon my intimate acquaiut-
ance with Harper x Brothers and their
descendants, through a vista of Sixty
years, with grateful satisfaction, They
were kind enough To say, as they
believed, that in their earlier publications.
/ was seryiccable TO them. Their habit.
for more than forty years, was ID send
me an carly copy ot all their Now pubIi-
cations, SO that simultaneously with their
appearance In tho bookstores "a somewhat
elaborate criticism would appear IN my
paper. ! visited them in their CliH ST..
office in 1891 or 1898, To introduce tha
late James WadsWurth, the great landed
proprietor uf Genoseo, am enlightened
aud muniiicent patron Of popular cduca-
ton, whose advice and influence during
the years that their 4" District School,
:" Family" and Classical Libraries
were IA progress OF PuD''caa,'H ihty
JuSuy ana sraVeiu,iy aRPrIe'"''u. az
'ho SlE!esl'oll - w. " "'.'""Lln' 3nu
y '",'i5'i'!,N,'' iiio,s "''' ,liJ =" tle e''o'
- SSl"p''Sn eg'l'iiiN1' S0'.ool HpI"I''I'
ih"uccu 'H' 'Sl"'uIo Up pass I'W
sinal' TAX ON ea'4 .'n''I gus.
trct ~ the state Tor the establishment N
-, e -, l,a. r. -.
secretary ~ 7l''s' 'onH \, spencer
Cd TD "' - o'iant i Ira j. Dtt
SohIli I ;I,r,r,, y .a,.lr,I u III Ert
,aIu,aas - yhiab HI Man hern nuL
l;sLeI n. nucIon. al tho E.gsry (,
80, lisfric, H. tbc SAT. 4, roni, III
w.. f,.,l- ,,;,.;,., ,..... ,i.. ;,,t.r,,,t.