The Press., 1891-08-13

edge of decent living by throwing in contributions wherever they would be accepted. In the latter part of 1879 an inspiration seized me to go to England to advance by writing and talking the good and glory of California. I raised about $500 from the business men of San Francisco by representing to them the profitable possibilities of my self inn posed mission.
 raised it in about forty-eight hours. Ralston, the noted banker, handed me $1O0 in gold after curt and crusty in- terview of three minutes. It was like boarding the lion in the big bankers den, but the lion came down with the dust, and left the den. shaky and per spring with the agitation of the inter view. But the five gold twenties were in my fist. The San Francisco Bulletin engaged also to take certain amount of correspondence from England.
 To England went. did there the best could in writing and talking Cali fornia wherever found opportunity, in cities, town and villages, and think earned nay $500 advance wages. spent two years there.
 One of my greatest troubles was the English chairman. One cannot give lecture there without chairman. The chairman must be somebody of ilnpor- tance also. The English cannot hear anybody without chairman. The pe- culiarity and infiction of the English chairman is that he will make such a long speech in introducing you and tell ing the audience what you are going to say, so that by the time he is through most of the wind is taken out of your sails and the audience want to go home.
 In 1872 The Bulletin made it an ob- ject for me to visit the Vienna Worlds fair. staid there two months, and got back to London with four dollars in my pocket, thanking my stars that had run the gantlet successfully of the many languages encountered at different railway stations, and had not by mistake got on some train which might have landed me penniless in Turkey or Siberia.
 returned to America in 1873, bring ing only wife and nine dollars. After some months of misery as an occasional contributor" the San Francisco Bulletin sent me as correspondent to the Centen- nial at Philadelphia forgot to say that operated the preceding winter in New York as weekly Sunday evening lecturer on divers and sundry descriptive topics, an occupation that brought me more fame than new shirts
 Once during this phase of my existence preached from Unitarian pulpit. But not acceptably. They never called for me again.
 Destiny soon after this placed me on the editorial staff of the New York Graphic. There l suggested the con- densed column of local and general mat ter under the title of History of a Day." It was just what the paper want ed, for their illustrations took up so much room they had not much left for local news. MT. David Croly was the managing editor. and very good one too
 One morning while on The Graphic found on my table letter from The Bull letin asking me to serve as their Paris cor respondent at the exposition of 1878. In forty-eight hours I was on a French steamer.
 Returning after a six months resi- dence in Paris I resumed my former place on The Graphic as the head boiler down and condenser of news. filled that position for six years, and left it in 1883 because of being thoroughly tired and sick of chronicling in short meter day after day the eternal round of mur- ders, scandals, burglaries, fires. acci- dents and other events which people deem it indispensable to know and swal- low after breakfast. l became so thor oughly saturated with the horrors con seQuent on civilization as to feel some mornings after had stewed the preced- ing days miseries down into a small mess that I wanted to go for dose of arsenic, 8 razor, 8 pistol or Paris green myself. So out of consideration for my sanity, if not my life, left the paper, for they would not let me do anything else.
 l retired then on very small fortune. and built with my own hands ram shackle shanty in a New Jersey wilder ness, seventeen miles from New York. It cost $40 and was not an elegant piece of architecture. But it filled the bill. There l commenced writing my White Cross" Library series.
 When all this was written out 1 went to Boston in 1884. It is for some mys- terious reason necessary to go to Boston to start any new idea or movement on this planet. There started the White Cross Library. had just money enough to print the first 500. Ihad no subscrip- tion list at all.
 had faith, however, in my ideas have more now, and expect to increase it in the future. Thatwas in May, 1886. From that time means and agencies have come right along to further the busi- ness, which is and always has been. may add, on self sustaining basis. And always will be. The end.
 Dpz