Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1883-06-13
A WONDERFUL MAN,
The Individual Who, Furnishes Editors With Ideas
and Studants With Orations
from the New York Morning Journal
#. G.. BANGS,
Consulting Editor,
..1.12l East 59th st. (Seven bells.) :

A Herald reporter last evening stood
10 front of No. 1,121 East Fifty ninth
Street aid rang a septuple knock on the
front door bell. He walked down the
steps and looked up at the great build
ing. 1t was a fourteen story fat After
ringing seven distinct times he hurried
away, striking the pavement nervously
with his cane, and angrily muttering
that 1t didn't make any difference to
him whether the Herald came out next
day or not. ....... ....
A Journalier scaled the picket fence
and went to the back yard. He climbed
up the fire escape and water spout until
he got to the fourteenth story, and then
tapped gently on the window pane. A
TALL lank man, who wore a night-cap
and was, dressed!in suit of threadbare
black, came to. the window, raised the
sash, and cordially invited the reporter
to enter. The tall man, whose look was
Hclerioal, resembled ntfy:11reach-
er ON a. salary of $500 q, year. The
Journalier crawled through the open
window and sat down on the only stool
the room afforded. The apartment was
almost bare. 1t contained library and
adeal-table piled high with manuscripts.
l." Are you Mr.. Bangs, the consulting
editor % asked the reporter. The tall
man rubbed his. hands together until his
knuckles cracked, and then In a con-
sumptive voice said be was.
What is the nature of your work p
f. 81 give advice ON the editorial man.
agement of newspapers. Instead of
people running to newspaper Offices and
n1i 1Ir 10
editors themselves come here and ask
me how to run them. Mr.. Dana often
calls. Col. Bundy, Of the Mail and Ex-
press, has long conversations with me.
The Herald is in great perplexity about
what to put in It's edition tomorrow. A
reporter just called; was too much en-
gagged to receive him. The fact is I'm
very busy just now writing commence
ment orations for college students"
" Besides advising editors, you do
other work ?"
Yes; [ do good trade in class-day
odes and speeches.; and essays and ora
tlons for class suppers.
"What do you get paid for this class
of work ?"
Commencement oratiOns [ sell as
low as SO apiece. But I often dispose
OF the same Grafton to students at five
or six different colleges. For a speech
suited to competition in a prize contest
in oratory [ generally ask, and readily
obtain, $50. Last year I took prizes in
nearly a dozen colleges, besides several
Interstate collegiate contests. Three
out Of five of my speeches for college
students take prizes"
"Might not some of the students who
buy your wares be detected and accused
of false pretences."
81 have several rivals in the trade,
and need not say that they are unscru-
pulous. One student at a well-known
university in New York state, won q
prize in oratory at the annual oratorical
contest of his college. Some months af-
forwards it was discovered by one of the
college faculty that the speech was a
familiar chapter in one of Thomas Car
lyle's best known books. The student
was accused of plagiarism. He refund
ed part of the prize money. He was
innocent of the charge. He did not steal
the speech. He bought it. The I'M
principled man who furnished it to him
stole it. I do not do business in
that way. You will excuse me while I
finish this funeral Grafton" The re-
porter bowed himself out and went
down the fire escape.