The Portland daily press., 1893-10-03
AsToR AS AN EDITOR.
Inside History of His Ventures in the
Newspaper World.

Probably no American in private ca
pacity has ever established himself in
London in so short space of time as
W. w Astor has done.
How he ACC uired the Pail Mali Ga
zette, strong Radical organ, and prao-
ticslly in day turned it into an out and
out Tory paper is past history. Suffice
it to call to mind that he paid an enor-
nous sum of ready money for the proper
ty, and promptly set himself to work to
fashion it according to his own sweet
millionaire will His first step was to
appoint as editor a clever young mem
Der of Parliament named Harry Gust,
fresh from Cam bridge, with strong party
views and of considerable social standing
as the possible heir of theEarl Of Brown
low, whose kinsman he is.
He then looked out for new premises
and found some far removed from Fleet
street, the Park Row of London. These
he has fitted up with every modern i'm
provement. The walls are model of
taste and very "chaste;s the pattern OF
the linoleum and carpets is severely
classical, and the very door knobs, made
of "come to stayn which pervades. the
whole establishment. This air OF I'M
limited wealth and it's accompanying
sense of solidity is the striking feature
of the new venture; but for all that. it
is not to be supposed that there is any
apparent throwing away OF geld
The discipline. of the Office could not
or1ta ntuh
ment and in a marvellously short time
the whole place has shaken down to
strict business. This is due in great
degree to Mr.. Aston himself. He has APP
parently chosen his Ieutenants and then
leaves them to do their work. This
does not mean that he keeps aloof from
the office On the contrary he is always
there, and, as a rule, sees a proof Of the
first edition.
r.Astor cannot be called popular with
his staff, for his reserved, not to say
grave, demeanor, does not lend itself to
any familiarities with his surroundings.
On the other hand, however, there is q
very general feeling of respect, as it is
felt that he is, in the strictest sense OF
the word, just man. After all, it is
not difficult to get up a feeling OF loyalty
for millionaire, and this may possibly
count for a certain awe, not to say
mystery, which surround him in the eyes
of his staff.
The offices of the Pail Mall publica-
tions are of very modern and expen-
sive order, and this, in addition to the
aristocratic surroundings, have earned
for the building the name of The House
of Lordsn Mr.. Astor himself takes
keen interest in every department, each
of which is under the charge of an ex-
pert who is in daily communication
with "The Chief" as he is called, and
4. has fair ErO wi l.
edge of the details of the printing bust
ness Indeed, the testing of various
brands of printing ink affords Mr.. Aston
well disciplined thrill which all his
millions cannot give, and in the relative
thickness and durability of printing
press blanket he is already an expert,
If not an authority. All matters of ac-
said that ne knows each day the exact
financial condition of his journalistic
properties.
OF the Pail Mall Magazine Mr.. Astor is
practically the editor-in-chief, having as
his co-editor Lord Frederick Hamilton,
Mp; Sir Douglas Stragt and Mr.. I.
Dove-Keghley, his trusted agent, who
negotiated the sale of the properties. Mr..
Astor takes the livliest interest in the
selection for the copy for this magazine,
and the question of the illustrations is
distinct matter of moment with him.
In addition to this he contributes him
self to. the letter press, his subjects being
of the decidedly abstract order, as their
titles show
His personal literary staff is composed
Of Harry Gust, Mp, already described;
I. Keighley, art editor of the maya
zine; Lord Frederick Hamilton, who has
served an apprenticeship in the diplomat
ic service, having held appointments at
St. Petersburg and Berlin, and lastly, Sir
Cfyonbt ON ny-n1H RaI1nU har-
rister, who was translated to an East
Indian judgeship and has been pensioned
home. Just what these last two gentle
men do in newspaper office it is diff
cult to say, but it is certain that they at
least heartily join M. Gust and Mr.. Kelgh-
ley in feryent blessing on the country
that rains American milllonaires into
London newspaper offices.
Mr. Aston, it must be understood, has
not in any way joined the newspaper
world, and evinces no desire to do so,
not even in its innermost sacred circles
made up of editors of great daily papers
and the immortals who write the beloved
STACY leaders, of which Englishmen are
so proud and which they never by any
chance read. If he meets any of these gem
tlemen and any question is raised, he at
once saws that he does not understand the
matter and will be glad to introduce
the disputant to his editor or manager
as the case may be.
| It remains to be proved as to the finan-
cial results Of Mr.. Astor's new departure,
and be 1t understood he quite expects it
to be a commercial success and treats it
as a business venture, and not as fad.
One of the interesting features in con-
nection with Mr.. Astor's descent on Lon
don is that outside alittle charmed circle
his name is absolutely unknown. In no
other city in the world could man have
taken the position he has in London
and vet be unknown to the masses Be
yond few curt paragraphs the press
have taken no notice Of him, and this in
the face of his having bought one of the