The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1886-09-17
A PRINTERS SUCCESS.
A SINGULAR EXAMPLE OF THE
FREAKS OF NEWSPAPER MEN.

fnenOmeuoI SUcccHS Wnlcu AJtonOeu
M-A Newspaper without an Editor.
The Result Of Luck.
Moses A. Dow's experience In life furnished
singular example of the freaks Of fortune,
and, perhaps, not altogether encouraging
illustration Of the prizes which come to men
who cater to the reading taste Of the public.
Mr.. Dow was originally an industrious and
hard working printer. l made his acquaint-
ance at this time He was working In a
printing office as a compositor He was not
so swift as younger men, his work was not
constant, and he was able to make but S6 a
week. This sum went further then than II
does now, for those were not days Of extrava-
gance like the present, but it would not sup
port family. Mr.. Dow dropped his COM
posing stick and determined to make a strike
for living in another direction. I mot him
one day IN the street soon after. L., had done
nothing, and was poorer than ever. But he
had then scheme in his brain which he un-
folded to me, and asked my opinion of it. It
was to establish The Waverly Magazine I
told him it was as wild a project as was ever
conceived; that there was no possibility Of
success in it. He said that was almost the
universal opinion among those with whom he
advised, and that no one had confidence
enough in it to lend him the small sum Of
money with which he felt it necessary to
start Neither of the prominent type found
ries would let him have type on credit, but
he had hope of a smaller house which was
thinking of advancing type and material and
taking n mortgage on them.
1t is a singular coincidence in this connec-
ton that conversed last week, in st. Paul,
Mimi, with gentleman who told me that
he loaned Mr.. Dow the first $50 land prob
ably almost the only one) with which he
started this Office. For he did manage to get
the loan of the type and to start it. He
worked himself, and he hired girls at small
compensation and doubtful pay to help him,
and, after the most extraordinary effort, the
first number of the paper was got out. 1t
proved to be very handsome paper, typo
graphically. One of Mr.. Dow's hobbies was
to have a good-looking paper, and he was
wise enough not to let his poverty be seen in
its appearance. BY great personal effort he
got it into circulation, and obtained money
enough from the sale Of the first number to
print the second. The third was a little
easier, and there began to be hopes that Mr..
Dow's sanguine views were not so wild, after
all.
WITHOUT AN EDITOR.
And now for the reasons why Mr. BOWS
scheme had seemed chimerical. They were,
first, because he was to make his own field Of
reading There was no apparent call for
such paper. Second, because he was to make
the journal double in size and double in ex-
pense of manufacture of any existing Third,
J., In vxyit al
Fourth Though we were shy of telling him
this, because he had no literary talent to con-
duct it. This, on its face, appeared to be alone
conclusive against him. 1t really proved his
from early ruin. If Mr.. Dow had
been man of literary taste and judgment
upon acknowledged standard, his enterprise
would have gone the way of SO many other
literary journals which started with ample
capital and bright prospects 1t would have
failed to find an appreciative constituency in
the world of readers. But Dow avoided this
fate in spite of himself. He started paper
that had literally no editing. He invited
contributions and took everything that was
sent him. There were no disappointed as
pirants for the honors of type among those
who offered matter to his columns. Writers
got in there who could get in nowhere else,
and hence heartburnings were unknown
among the Waverly corps. ought to make
one exception, however He was careful that
the paper should not offend good morals.
Good English was a secondary consideration,
and, as regards good literature, he made no
pretentions to knowledge. II just print the
pieces they send me-" he said to me once.
"They like to see them in print, and their
friends are interested in their appearance. So
they take the paper and their friends take it,
too give them good-looking paper, also,
which people think more of than is generally
Mr.. Dow was always proud Of
the typographical appearance Of The Waverly
Magazine He thought the name good one
for paper, as it undoubtedly was It was
not long before the paper began to be very
profitable and there was the prospect of
fortune in it, At this time Mr.. Dow listened
to advice, and made an effort to improve its
literary quality. He engaged an editor at
$50 per week to take the editing off his own
hands. This movement proved to be, finan-
cially, a failure. This editor, who was an
English gentleman of some talent and not a
little experience in journalism, began to reject
communications right and left. The result
was that the circulation of the paper fell off
Dy AoOhOu AAAoO shO AhocoSAS
said Mr.. Dow, land was soon convinced that
I could better pay my editor to stay away
than to remain in the Office. My readers
know what they want better than any editor
does"
JUST BEFORE THE WAR.
The change was made, and the paper was
restored to its original basis. Its prosperity
steadily increased. Just before the war
broke out MIR. BOWS income from it was
large. 1t was netting him 100000 year,
and he described his business as the smoothest
and most satisfactory possible. II have no
subscribers and no exchanges" he said. II
would not exchange with the best newspaper
in the land, for it would be of no use to me.
I do not copy from other papers-my matter
is all original. As regards subscriptions,
think my system is better. The news COM
pany takes my entire edition each week. 1t
gives me check for it, which at once cash,
and thus my accounts are settled every seven
days, and know just where 1 am. The news
company distributes the paper"
When the war broke out it hurt the circula-
lation of The Waverly, but the paper raj
lied later, and sent great many copies out to
the army Mr. Dow was in receipt of an in
come which gave him great opportunities for
investment. Had he dealt with them skill
fully, he would have died worth millions.
The Waverly Magazine was one of those
paperS which one knows To have n large cir