The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-06-06
THE DISTINGUISHED EDITOR.
Career Of George w. Childs, the Phl1adel-
phia Phaanthropist.E

Career Of George W.. Childs, the Phl1adel-
phia Phiianthropist.
MI. Chills was born in Baltimore May
"a 1923, 20 he is now 63 years old, though
~ would sasily pass for . man ten years
younger. OF his boyhood he says in his
Iscsntly published rscolleotions:
ut % said that I am = successful man; if
~ ] eve my success to Industry, temperance
and fruRality. ! was self-supporting at an
early Ne, in my twelfth year. When school
Was dismissed for the summer I took the
placs6f errand boy in a book store at Balti-
mora. at ! salary Of So per week. and spent
the vacation in hard work. And I enjoyed
il. / have never been out of e~mpIoyment;
always found something to do, and was
always eager to do it. and I think l earned
avery cent Of my FIRST money"
81 wss educated in the private schools of
Ms native city. and having entered the
navy at the age OF IL, remained fifteen
mouths at Norfolk. But he didn't like it
and entered = book store in Philadelphia,
where be learned the business. Here he
made the acquaintance Of book buyers and
publishers and laid the foundation for a
lifelong friendship with such men as the
Harpers. Lippincotts. Putnams. Tioknors.
Fields. Appletons and others.
In his "kecollections" Mr.. Child goes on
70 say that when he first went to work in
Phlladelphia he was at the store early in
the morning. He washed the pavement and
pnt things in order before breakfast. In
winter he made the fire and swept the store.
he attended auction sales of books on eve
ninRs. and in a few months he was familiar
with the literature of the day. He carried
his " bundles, brought packages OF books
on = wheelb.rrow to the store, and he says
shat to-day he has never outgrown the
wholesome habit of doing things directly
ana n order. He would as lief carry a
fofics AZ he would VIXEN a boy.
Blu the time he was 18 he had saved money
enough TO go into business for himself, and
40 opened a modest store in the Ledger
building. which he now owns. Even in
those early days he was heard to say:
Some day l shall own the Public Ledger"
MI. Childs' first important business VEN
lures were with this book publishing firm
Of Peterson d Company, afterwards styled
Childs & Peterson.
His first great hit was the publication of
Dr. Knne's arctic exploration. The ven-
cradle experts in the business predicted
failure for young Childs, but the lad was
more than saRacisua--he was wise, He
knew that Philadelphia had sent DR.. Kane
70 me arctic regions to search for the re-
mains OF the Franklin party, and he WAS
sure that everybody would want to read
about that fearful search mid the tsrrors
or the North Pole. The largest New York
publishing house only gave q small order
Tor the book, but in n few days they sent
for 5000 copies. Within a wear the firm
paid Or. Kane a copyright of nearly $40, 900.
Inc doctor wanted to write only a scientific
account OF the expedition in search of Sir
Joan Franklin, but Mr.. Childs made il a
popular nsrratiye. Herein Mr. Childs
showed his good judgment and knowledge
OF what the public wants to read,
In 1853 Mr.. Childs retired from the nnh-
fishing business and purchased the Public
Ledger. This was the dream of his youth.
and it was fully realized. ~ that time the
war ran white paper up to exorbitant fig
nres. Ihs paper alone in many of the
daliles cost more than they sold for when
printed. The price of the Ledger had been
. penny. 1t had Il large ADVERTISEMENT
patronage, yet 1t was losing at the rate OF
*lbO,0o0 u year. Against the advice of ax-
perienoed Journalists Mr.. Childs doubled
me price OF tho paper and advanced the
eavsrtislag rate to a profitable figure. Mr.,
Cniins says, OF course, thsre was an instant
ana not uncomfortable falling off of pat
IonaKe, but the Lsdger was an established
inssltufion, having for twenty years been
tne recognized medium OF complunica-
Won between employers and employed, be
tween buyers and sellers, landlords and
tenants, bereavsd families and their
TRENDS. Io many people it was a neces-
sisy. The business that was temporarily
lost soon came back again, and at the end
Of . month ths public was reconcilsd to the
change. and from that day to this the cir
cniation and advertising have increased.
MT. Childs has made the Ledger one of the
great papers Of the country. He has done
more than that. He has made it clean,
Just, impsrtial-a model Of high toned
Journalism. For over a quarter Of a CEN
tury II has fulfilled its mission, giving the
businsss man and the family a paper saga
elous, accurate, painstakinR, whose state
monts can always be relied upon, whose
PERSISTENCE 10 often remarkable, and whose
eolnmns sontain nothing that is impure or
offensive. In politics it has always been
independent.
" the time Mr.. Childs had thoroughly
eaeaelishsd ths Ledger - \ typical Amsri-