The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1879-03-26
WHOLE No. l4i6.
OLIVE HAEpEE.s LETTER.

D vertisemens that set me into &c O
: laughter, though otbs ordinary mine
there was nothing laughabIe in th,
J simple announcement thst, !" A part,
was willing TO dispose Of the Who'll
or half interest q weekly literary
paper" but it brought up wbolt
! cloud Of reeolleetious Of my propr;e
torsbip Of e Weekly literary paper,
! and the relation Of them may anus,
! some people and instruct Others ant
30 | am going to tell how | becam,
editor and proprietor Of the Week
IT,"
One day | fell upon q copy Of IN,
above named paper then IL It's earlJ
infancy, think it was about nun bel
three Of volomn one. Tie pa2eI
contained eight pages, and it looked
very literary aud somehow | imme
dia,ely felt that that paper and | were
to become better acquai1ted why.
don't know bat | took an insane in.
terest in it aud at last called upon the
editor, and found him ia a diDgy
printing Office with sleeves rolled m
and sticking type. A few words
sufticed me to fad cut that Be was a
practical priaier end printed the pa.
per himself hes.aes having a lsrqe
job office, snd that be really hadn'i
lime to properly edit nor attend to
the paper, and that be was anxious
to get some person who was q good
writer and editor 10 Join BIN ia the
enterprise. He wanted come one
whose reputation was good in the
journalistic work and who could COM
maud a large advertising custsm
and also one y ho could augment he
circulation, attend 70 the outside cor.
Fespondence, make tie selections and
read the proof besides being ia the
Office 10 attend to the sales and other
business, and be wanted the editor
ial work to be pGngenf, strong in the
right and to correct all the abuses in
the world. besides having fnlI and
complete theatrical criiiques and re
views Of eli the new books ard
there must also be a weekly epftome
of the worlds current events. besides
q column of witty paragraphs and
political hits This was all the part-
ner was TO do. I coveted the pesj-
iion, | feared that the price I should
have to pay for all the above ines.
timable privileges would be beyond
nv means.
The proprietor Of this paper was
an old man and fine classical sehoI-
ar, and bad owned aud edited two
papers previously. both of which had
died young, bat be said that was be-
cause the American public was not
educated up TO the standard he had
set up | bad aspirations Of bigh
character also. was astonisbed to
bad bow much there was in common
between u.s. | regretted that had
80 siivass 80 sBy futo this psper thar
was 10 be made the vehicle for such
noble Efforts and / said so. There
upon the noble man said at once that
be felt desiFous of having a person Of
my capacities as an aid in bis work.
and that as be made bis living on the
jOb work and had really no expense
but for the psper and the compost.
tors, be would be willing to take me
IN as partaer, to iii all the above re-
quirements and share the weekly ex-
penses and have half the profits /
was to be editor. and managing
editor, collector, and advertising So
lieitor etc, all combined. He would
see that the routine Of the Office work
was attended to and the paper printed
and handed over to the news agents
for circulation.
was happy: more, I was exalted
and full fmy Importance. NV good
genius, tried at first to persuade me
out Of it, but | was sure af a fortune
and | persisted even going so far as
to cry, l fear, when he weakened and
told me to do as | pleased.
80 1t was arranged / put nv talent
against my partners capital and we
were to share the profits as well as
expenses. TIE first week it was ali
expense and no profit: in fact we
came out as my partner said six
dollars behind. | paid the half Of
it.
The local papers were all very
klnd and they all noticed nv aeaui
silion in their journalistic columns
and said many very catering things
| rePublisbed them all and pasted
them in my scrap book, and then
went to work was not going TO
tsSe second hand articles. | wrote
new ones letters from the Paris Ex.
position, letters from Eneland. letters
from Cape May. besides having
regular Womans' department where.
10 pitched into every abuse and
tnen | bad bousekeepes1s column
wherein published receipts for COOK
ing dainty dishes that my dear moth.
er taught me. | reviewed books; /
went to the theatres and got up dra-
matte news and wrote stories. poems.
and crushing editorials. The stories
and poems, and letters. were all
writtea for the Weekly GIo5er by
all soi Is Of initials and the funny
things were the stsrpest / could get
up 2ossIoly, and | believe / did man
age to infuse little spirit into the
paper.
! managed to get lot of new
Subscribers chiefly smoug my friends
and obtained number of paving
advertisements nearly enough to pay
the expenses. l received many offers
OF manuscripts and contributions. and
| was obliged TO decline their service
from lack OF means to employ any
body.
The second. third and fourth week
went on, and about every Fridsv
would come letter from nv partner
saying, that we must have three. four
or FIVE dollars to 6ll the deficiency
and | would try and get few more
good ads, but it was in midsummer
and 20 business doing and the result
would be that | would have to make
up the necessary sum.
As time went on the two compost.
tors would generally go on a strike
every Friday until the price of their
labor was paid and then tbo job work !
would crowd our paper OF The prsss-