The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1886-12-02

Et-A Newspaper 0tthout E'''<0,.
Tbs Result Of Luck.
Moses A Dow's experience in life furnished
a singula, example Of the freaks Of fortune,
and, perhaps. a not altogether encouraging
illustration # th1 prizes which come % meI
who cater o. the reading taste az the public
Dir Dow wa originally al industrious auC
bard working printer. 1 made bis acqualut
ance at this time lie was working in =
printing off as "A cJmPOsltDr. he wbs not
80 SWIFT a. Younger zen, his work W not
constant AMI he was abe % make bus g.
week This sum went further then than 10
dos now, Tor thOs@ were not days Of extrava-
gunce lie the present, but il would not sup
port "A family Mr Dow dropped his com
posing stick and determined 20 make strike
FOR "a living ia another direction. ! met him
one day a the street soon after He had done
nothing, ami was poorer than ever. But he
had then a scheme in his brain which he I'M
folded u me- and asked my opinion of it. 1t
was II establish The Waverly Magazine.
told him II 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 land 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 mortgage on them.
Il is a singular coincidence in this connec-
ton that | conversed last week in St Paul
Mimi, with a gentleman who told mo 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.. BOWS hobbies was
20 have ii good-looIdng paper, and he was
wise enough not to let MS 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..
BOWS sanguine views were not so wild after
all.
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 were shy of telling him !
this, because he bad no literary talent to con-
duct it. This, on its face, appeared to be alone |
conclusive against him. 1t really proved his |
salvation from early ruin. If Mr.. Dow had !
been man of literary taste and Judgment |
upon acknowledged standard, his enterprise |
would l:.ss gone the way of so many other |
f~.rFsv journals which started with ample !
capita, s.f.t bright prospects. 1t would have /
failed To d.i,l appreciative constituency in |
rha world u readers. But Dow avoided this !
fass IL spit % himself. He started paper
that had 10 rally no editing. He invited /
eontstssss:.on- and took everything that was
sent him. mere were no disappointed as
piraazs for ile honors of type among those
who offe7sd matter to his columns. Writers
got in ID - who could get i'll nowhere else,
AMI her - heartburnings were unknown
among tae Waverly corps. l ought to make
one sXCs ptIoli, however. He careful that
the paper should not offend good morals
Good EtIgliSii was secondary consideration,
and IS -egs rds good literature, he made no
srete'1t5ons 20 knowledge. Il just print the
pieces hey send me-" he said to me once.
They ike to see them in print, and their
friends are Interested in their appearance. So
they ta,zs tie paper and their friends take it,
TOO give them a good-looking paper, also,
which peopls think more of than is generally
Mr.. Dow was always proud of
the tyE graz ,hical appearance of The Waverly
Magazine. He thought the name goes one
FOR a PAPER rs it undoubtedly was. 1t was
not long before the paper began to be very
profitable and there was the prospect of a
fortune IN IL. At this time Mr.. Dow listened
- adTice, a nd made an effort to improve its
literary quality. He engaged editor at
500 pr week to take the editing off his own
hands Tn 5 movement proved to be, fnan-
cialll, failure. This editor, who was an
Engf sin ger tleman of some talent and not a
little experience in journalism, began to reject
coulinunica tions right and left. The result
was that the circulation of the paper fell off
by iiundre Is. II looked into the matter"
said Mr.. Dnw, "and was soon convinced that
could better pay my editor to stay away
slsr - rmain in the office. My readers
know vbas hey want better than any editor
3oes
.CST BEFORE THE WAR.
TIE cha, &c was made, and the paper was
rest 1red TO its original basis. Its prosperity
sssa div Increased. Just before the war
broke out Mr.. BOWS income from it was
ara 1t was netting him $50, 900 a year,
and be dies ribbed his business as the smOOthest
md most satisfactory possible. Il have no
Ibscriberi and no exchanges" he said. Il
yot!id not exchange with the best newspaper
n tl,s lanc for it would be of no use to me.
dc not c, ply from other papers-my matter
5 al orie NAL As regards subscriptions, 1
hin.s my system is better. The news COM
.an, take my entire edition each week. 1t
.ive,s me check for it, which at once cash,
nd thus rly accounts are settled every seven
aya. and know just where / am. The news
ON: any distributes the paper"
" hen the war broke out it hurt tie circula-
alton OF The Waverly, but the paper raj
.ed alter, and sent great many copies out to
he Iuny Mr.. Dow was in receipt of an in
ON WIN n gave him great opportunities for
lve,rnler t. Had he dealt with them skill
Ully. BE- would have died worth millions.
Tie " s.verly Magazine was one of those
apers which one knows to have a large cir
filatiusi. yet which life is too short for many {
I thO-e of us who have access to general
ter atur' to seek, and which we seldom see
Fi1ECut seeking. 1t was never sent into IA
f7s FapT Office. The singular fact is that
g = = literary city of Boston it was the most t
q ~ *. J appeal To the reading public ever 5
sa factory towns of the state it was q
$50. ID through the west it went by thou t
1-3~ There was a great deal of reading i'm
r.. ha1 handsome and inviting appear
- tr- eve. 3 ui..eal, t. 49, Immature /