The Irish standard., 1891-01-10
"
4 VETERAN AT The HELM.
Patrick Donahoe. the Nestor of Gath
olic Journalism in America, is
Again on Deck.
FOUNDER OF THE BOSTON PILOT.

An Interesting Sketch Of Noble irish
man WHO Deserves Well Of
His Race.
Mr.. Patrick: Donahoe's resumption
OF the Pilot, which he founded and for
forty years controlled. but which passed
out of his hands at the time Of his fl
nancial embarrassments, fifteen years
ago, is an event without precedent. we
believe, in the history Of journalism.
Many men have founded newspapers,
brought them to success. sold them to
advantage, and retired from journal
dstic life, or engaged in other enter
prises. Others, like Mr.. Donahoe, have
been forced ont of Journalism by finan-.
ciaI disaster. But none, 80 far as we
know, except Mr.. Donahoe, having sold
or lost his newspaper, has ever return
ed to the control Of 1t.
The Pilot passed from Mr.. Donahoe's
haeds in 1876, under peculiarly sad Cir
cumstances. 1t was the elimination of
q series Of disasters, beginning with bis
heavy losses in the great fire OF Novem-
ber, 1872. He found himself in April,
1875, with nothing left out of the vast
BUSINESS. newspaper, book publishing,
bank, foreign exchange. OF Which he
was once the head, except the passen-
ger and foreign exchange agency. And
he was already sixty-three years OF age.
The career of the man who at thls
advanced age could begin the world
again, build up a good business. and
anass the wherewithal to re-pu1chase.
when opportunity offered, the journal
he had founded, is surely worth telling.
For the pleasure and instruction OF
Pilot readers, old aud new, we there
fore give the appended sketch Of the
life of Patrick Donahoe.
Patrick Douab0e was born in Mum
merry. uhe. parish of Kllmore, County
Cayan, ireland, March II, 1915. He
came to Boston in 1925. He went to
school for a few years, and, while still a
lad in his teens, got employment in the
Office Of the Columbian Sentinel. Here
he became an expert type setter, and
acquired general knowledge Of jour-
nalism.
He set his heart on founding, In Bos-
ton, a paper for the Catholics of Che
United States, This was apparently
the most impracticable Of schemes, SO
great was the prejudice in old-time
Boston against Catholics.
Bishop Fenwick broke the ice, how
ever, by the establishment, in 1882, of a
little paper, to which he gavethe daring
name of 1.-THE Jesuit" 1t was not
financial success. and, after few years
struggling existence, was about to be
discontinued, when Mr.. Donahoe and
Mr. Devereux came forward and bought
it, They changed the name to the
Literary and Catholic Sentinel; but it
Jared no better than its predecessor.
and had to be abandoned.
:. Finally, in 1886. Messrs. Donahoe
and Devereux began the publication of
the Pilot. The latter gentleman did
not remain long connected with the en-
terprise, Dr. Donahoe bent all his
energies to make the Pilot a success.
He made personal canvass. not only
Of the New ENGLAND and Middle States,
but of the far West and South; never
resting till ne had built up for his paper
q thoroughly national circulation, and
expanded it from small four page to
large and handeomelv- printed eight
page weekly.
The Pilot for a long time had the
field almost toitself. Itbecame house
hold word in the Irish Catholic homes
of the land, and was eagerly looked
for, from week to week, by the poor
homesick for the news of
the Old Laud, which they were. sure to
find abundantly in its columns. For
MANY years. too, it did effective mis-
sionary work, being almost the only
medium Of Catholic news and religious
instruction in the hundreds Of new
settlements where the visits of priests
were necessarily infrequent.
The sold Subscriber" very nume-
rons on the Pilot books, and who holds
q double handful of receipts dating
back to the early '40's, tells many a
pathetic story Of the Pilots travels in
pioneer days among the scattered farm
houses Of the great western clearances,
and, OF the hearty reception it met with
every week in the little frontier town
and the mining camp. b
In the latest volume Of the Sisters OF
Mercy, in a sketch Of the San Francisco
foundations in 1854. We find this refer
ence to the Pilot: Steamers came once
! month; later. twice 3 month. No
matter what hour OF the night the
steamer arrived the newsboys went