The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1886-10-22
A PRINTERS SUCCESS.
A SINGULAR EXAMPLE OF THE
FREAKS OF NEWSPAPER MEN.
A Unique Literary Enterprise and the
Phenomenal Success Which Attended
It-A Newspaper without nm Editor.
The Result of Luck.


Phenomenal Success Which Attended
It-A Newspaper without mn 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. / made his acquaint-
anee at this time. He was working in a
printing Office as compositor. He was not
SO swift as younger men, his work was not
constant, and he was able to make but So
week. This sum went further then than it
7 does now, for those were not days of extrava-
gance like the present, but it would not sup
port a family. Mr.. Dow dropped his COM
posing stick and determined to make strike
for living in another direction. l met him
one day IN the street soon after. He had done
nothing, and was poorer than ever. But he
had then scheme in his brain which he I'M
folded to me, and asked my opinion of it. It
was to establish The Waverly Magazine ]
told him it was as wild 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 smaller house which was
thinking of advancing type and material and
taking mortgage on them.
1t is singular coincidence in this connec-
tion that I conversed last week, i'll 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 a 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 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 little
easier, and there began to be hopes that Mr..
Dow's sanguine views were not so wild, after
all.
81" WITHOUT AN EDITOR.
And now for the reasons why Mr.. Dow's
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,
because he was to do this without capital.
Fourth though we were shy of telling him
this, because he had no literary talent to coll,
ductit This, on its face, appeared to be alone
conclusive against him 1t really proved his
salvation from early ruin. 1t 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 10
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
supposed" Mr.. Dow was always proud of
the typographical appearance of The Waverly
Magazine. He thought the name good one
for a paper, as it undoubtedly was 1t was
not long before the paper began to be very
profitable and there was the prospect of a
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, failure This editor, who was an
English gentleman of some talent and not
little experience in journalism, began to reject
communications right and left. The result
was that the circulation of the paper fell off
by hundreds. II looked into the NATTER
said Mr.. Dow, land was soon convinced that
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" s..
JUST BEFORE THE WAR.
The change was made, and the paper was
restored to its original b;sis. Its prosperity
steadily increased. Just before the war
broke out iir. Dow's income from it was
large. 1t was netting him $4,000 year,
and he Il scribcd his business as the smoothest
and most satisfactory possible II have no
subscribers and 10 exchanges" d" he said. u
would not exchange with the best newspaper
in the Lliid lur it would be of no use to me.
/ do not copy from other papers-my matter
is all original. AS regards subscriptions, 1
think my system is better. The news COM
pany takes l:ly entire edition each week. II
gives HE Il check for it, which at once cash,
and thus my accounts are settled every seven
days, and know just where l ain. The news
company distributes the paper"
When the war broke out it hurt the circula-
lation of Tho Waverly, but the paper ral-
lied later, aild 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, hc would have died worth millions.
The Wavcrly Magazine was one of those
papers which one knows to have large cir
culation, Yet which life is too short for many
of those OF us who have access to general
literature to seek, and which we seldom see
without seeking. IL was never sent into
newspaper office. The singular fact is, that
in this literary city of Boston it was the most
successful appeal to the reading public ever
made.
In the factory towns OF the state it was
large, and through the west it went by thou
sands. There was great deal Of reading in
it.; it bud ii handsome and inviting appear
ance to the eye; itappealed to an immature
taste as NO other periodical before it had
DONE don't think Mr.. Dow reasoned out
its sucess because Ut this latter quality,
though oii that its success was founded. The
difference between his success and that of the
large number of s,icctessful papers that have
followed, was that the latter have depended
ON advertising or an agent, while Mr.. Dow 4
spent no money for either. He constituted 4
his first issues q nucleus, and they drew
around them the immense circulation he
afterward gained. Tempieton" in Boston
Herald
The Foisons of . Soda" Water.
Scientific men are in doubt whether it is