Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1886-10-04
DOW'S LUCK.
The History of a Story Paper.
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[From the Boston HeraldI
Moses Fl. Dow was originally an indus
trious and hard-working printer. I made
his acquaintance at this time. He was
working in 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 six dollars q week This sum
went further then than 1t does now, for
those were not days Of extravaganza like the
present, but it would not support a family.
Mr. Dow dropped his composing stick and
determined to make strike for living in
another direction. I met him one day In the
street soon after. He had done nothing and
was poorer than ever. But he had then a
scheme in his brain which he unfolded to me
and asked my opinion of it. It was to es.
tablish the Waverly Magazine. I told him
it was as wild a project as was ever cen
ceived; that there was no possibility of sue
cess in it. He said that was almost the uni
versal opinion among those with whom he
advised, and that 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 foun-
dries 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-
ton that I conversed last week in St. Paul,
Mimi, with gentleman who told me that
he loaned Mr.. Dow the first fifty dollars land
probably alnost 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
If Mr.. Dow had been q 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 pros
poets. 1t would have failed to find an ap-
preciative constituency in the werld of read
ers. But Dow avoided this fate in spite of
himself. He started a paper that had lite
rally no editing. He invited contributions
and took everything that was sent him
There were no disappointed aspirants for tho
honors of type among those who offered
matter to his columns Writers got in there
who could get in nowhere else, and hence
heart-burnings were unknown among the
Waverly corps. I ought to make one sxcep
ton, however He was careful that the pa
per should not offend good morals. Good
English was a secondary consideration, and
as regards good literature he made no pre-
tensions to knowledge. 81 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. I give them good-lookin9 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 paper, as it undoubtedly was.
It was not long before the paper began TO be
very profitable and there was the prospect of
a fortune in it. At this time Ar. Dow lis
tened to advice and made an effort to i'm
prove its literary quality. He engaged
editor at twenty dollars per week to take the
editing off his own hands. The movement
proved to be financially failure. This edi-
tor, who was an English gentleman of some
talent and not little experience in journal
ism. began to reject communications right
and lett. The result was that the circulation
of the paper fell off by hundreds. 81
locked into the matter" said Mr.. Dow, "and
was soon convinced that l could better pay
my editor to stay away than to remain in the
Office. My readers know better what they
want than any editor does.'
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