The Republican journal., 1885-11-12
What two Maine Girls did.

Miss Louise Wheeler, of Castine, writes to
the Boston journal: After a trip to Boston
and a visit over one of It's great newspaper
establishments, The Journal, | returned home
in the winter of 81. My mind was filled with
newspapers and all things relative to them.
From my childhood it had been my favorite
dream to be in some way connected with one.
In JeSt1nG way | informed my friends one
evening that | intended to start a local paper.
The idea was scorned. The ability to edit a
paper was not doubted but the possession of a
business faculty equal to managing the affairs
OF even small sheet was not credited. A few
hours talk with young lady willing to enter
into the undertaking settled the affair. We
were confident that we could do it, so accord
lnSly set out i'll April to learn the business
we borrowed press and type aud other essen
tfal things from my father. In three weeks
we learnt to set type and in five weeks from
the day we began we came out with sample
copy OF the paper we intended to print and
edit. Then came the tug of war. We had
proved that we could get out one paper full of
mistakes to be sure. few apparent to the oroina-
ry reader, but dozens of them visible TO a
printer. We printed circular stating our
terms and intentions and sent it 10 every one
within radius of a hundred miles and to many
old residents whose addresses we We're able to
Obtain. We had concluded to run this news
paper on an economical basis, and moi hire any
WIN NHiSH VIC tOuItl VOSSIDIl no ourselves.
Hence one chilly spring day with notebook and
pencil we made thorough canvass of the town.
10 say that 1t was dlsagreeable work would be
drawing 1t mild. We bad often solicited for
church fairs and charitable purposes. but that
was nothing to canyassing for a newspaper
The result of our work was one hundred sub
scrlbers and some thirty dollars iii hard silver.
w hen we had secured one hundred aud fifty
subscribers in town and out, we decided to get
out our first issue. We therefore spent our
ready money in buying rollers, extra type and
all other implements necessary for the warfare
We secured a patent inside from the New Eng
land Newspaper Union and purposed to print
tne TWO outside pages ourselves. We began
the first issue under the most disheartening
circumstances. In our little town only two
things We're considered emincntIy respect
able for girls in our station in life to do
one was to live on our fathers aud the
other to teach school The first we wouldn't
do, and the second we couldn't do, as we lacked
the dignity and patience necessary for a success
full teacher. We were determined to branch
out IN a new department OF Woman'S work and,
friends to the contrary, we did it. AT the
commencement of this difficult undertaking we
hau neither of us attained our majority. and
were very deslrous of holding in our hands
money of our own earning. With great glec we
collected the material for our paper, selected tie
poetry. wrote our first editorial and put in
shape our local items. With not 50 much glee
Dut stlll cheerIuliy we set the type aud looked
with pleasure on the lines of it on the fair
white marble. The locking-up Of the form
The chase wss nlared in tha ,,4.yy i,,l.aI a,,i
the frst in,nre.si,n t,L.n ,iha fr.t ,ri.',1.a
produced 4 most pitiable look upon my partners
face and provoked laugh from me. Accord
ing to the words. the first shall be last. we had
placed the columns in the wrong positions.
Evervlbinr was wronr side to. Th7 ,ia},c, wa.
alvertiseI IN Ina isnaI Tbnr.i.,, NOW Il VIZ.
already noon RvSp lt tL. ,.1,,ar VA, f;,'II,
printed anI M ini.t,k,. rlln'li Az f,,l.
rros,er. hlnrknr more tirei c,iris Tyara n.,,nT
seen. Unused 10 nrinter,s ink and handiinr >,
raliar ,,h.I tt3s1 - 'i'N ',' ~ ~ ~
with Ink, B,irk ewes. ,.h"qks bnnJs 1niI s,r,ns
prevailed III or,r 1,rintintr ,,f,i,.e Sfts[ti' nit
week we we've .n.l,JnIl ~ ,.,
inc tbe summer of ,.n,,ys. ,,,.r,,t ~ ,,,,,,.
Eind iura,,t w. ;'it ''> ~ ',' " ~ ,i ", !;
onrs M irrr..a f,,,. ,Tl,,i,t; l,, ,,'t ,,'
,Jny dav we started lo mal,. ~ rln,... of ~.
nej.,hboriua towns 0,,r Lnrsn WIS a st,Ii.E
Summertime A.. .,t,,ra .,,,,{ H. L,I',,, , ',,,
atie. TIE horse mI.t Layl. 7l.e, bn,,l,,ar
overcome ~ iii hr.It for If toot Ms t,,l,. h,,,'.
to drive ai,5b,ae, ,,,ii,, l,, ,, 49,, ,,
lni,.t b,vr i,taj .,, ,i.t, fl ,'-' H. 4i
shade Nv mar ntr ,nn>i'InrrL h,.t.ilf ,l,,,'a-
rinr drivnf u .. .L.,, NJ. ,,f,.,I " h,,'t IL
looked n, thouo It's nvyrer ,6,,Id ,ti,r si,h.
scribe for fhr I;,z.,ta ~, ,,,n,,Ij .., ,.N'",,
run in and AK .,,d viii lnl. n,t f,.t tL ir.
- l,l,<snr,n ,.,.,.,t ..,.,l,,t ,. ,,,,.tn tn W.. ~
VoliiS al lHe cdiiNi>>lhG anu bN htI npulng the
morse During our experience we had many
I'4Us'iS' nut OILY one Gfufl ah>W"r 'lI the
tFos>-Sfalnel nd cod-et maj" aneAus lor his
ioh9ints ~ pN "ijerWafd handing Us Il dollar Ter
year subscription. IN the end we secured
asuDscflptl0n ~ OF tW0 hundred aud htt} and
page OF ads The letters We received were
oltfh i&n9hdbe ones. one lady, devoted TO the
woman ; rights question, compIimtnted Us on
3tln2 cllalcl tatc" lram the heedle ahl the
Dio"ih' Aholutf 'Iatlcu us en- the tack Tor
thcpu 2'lhehi. an editor OF neighborlug
weekly Stht Us lHr following plthv not" Sis
ltIS louise ana t'rhile, send the little sheet
along
ne once, though III q prlN@e house, NaS
nade the fendeSyOu, of ALL our friends. purin-
the summer months, rs we could not spare the
tine Tor pirh'c>, our friends to0-klntIiy came 10
see us IN business hours. 10 some we We're
MuepttQ lof ald. One We Woud place at the
edtiorlai desk and give him pen Another
would ~ quietly on the c0mpos!lor'> stool.
sun Il tiilf4 W"uid uliiiZe MS mN>cie 10y lhElns
ihe type ana Ill "'il moments p'&ndlNhnS the
hahd-roiler ~ cur faces. a fourth would give
Us the peEeht oI MS weight ON The press, for
dlaS, we were 1ated to use one OF those o'd
novelty presses which went by foot power. II
was probably due TO the confusion, however,
anu not natural stupidity, that one Of us sci up
the following: "Me>>rS. Blank and Dash We're
seen IN the woods near the house OF MIR. Nahum
Cunningham While "hNe deer. two old and
tnree young ones, >taid over night at the Area
ulah Hotist. Ii our patience was tried IN Tie
summer ny tne not weather, the confusion. and
hafu work. IL was douhiy tried III the winter.
NO one can imagine the patience requisite to