The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-02-03


! aac Lrfser ostics as he would when a hoy.
| KY tae tasne be was Il he had saved money
enough u 80 into business for himself and
/ ae 0lsened modest store IN the lfsssrr
ssa..dins. WHICH ne aftersard osned.
4 Even IN those early davs be was hea~,1 81,
| say. Some day / shall own the psps.
/ AtnseF Mr.. I6llas' first important basi
ness ventures wese with the book PUBLISH
/ ing hTn Of Peterson & Co. afterxnrtis
styled Chtlds & Peterson. The first great
mn was fhe publication of an account Of
/ DS. Names Arctic exploration The ven.
( cradle experts in the business predicted
failure for young Chllds, bat the lad was
more than Ssgaclous-he Was wise He
Knew that Philadelphia had sent Dr kane
10 the 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 amid The
terrors Of the north pole. The largest
New ork publishing house gave only
small order for the book but in n few
days they sent for 5000 copies. Within a
wear the hrm paid DIR. Kane a ROYALTY of
nearly s7o,oa The doctor wanted To
write only scientific account OF the ex-
petition in search of Sir John Franklin.
but Mr.. Childs persuaded him to make Ii =
popular narrative. Herein Mr.. Childs
showed his good Judgment and knowl-
edge OF what the public wants 10 read
Later on Mr.. Childs made another sue
&NN"A1t NNEkGFFs txfrTNptIN was kAlktnR
a. out Parson Bron xlow, the patriotic tight
tng pSrson Of East Tennessee. Without
needing the advice of conservative old
fogies IN the business, young Childs went
ahead and published a book ahont Brown
low. The advance sale was %, 600 copies,
before single volume had been issued
"feterson's Familiar Science" was an
other popular book. and 30, 1000 copies
we're sold by Mr.. Childs' firm.
In 1863 Mr.. Childs retired from the pnb-
fishing business and purchased the Public
Ledger. This was the dream of his youth.
and II was fully realized. At that time the
war ran white paper up to exorbitant fig
urcs. The paper alone in many OF the
dailies cost more than they sold for when
printed. The price Of the Ledger had been
penny. IL had large advertisement
patronage. yet 10 was losing at the rate Of
Si5o. 600 year. Against the advice of ex-
perienced journalists Mr.. Chiids doubled
the price OF the paper and ad-
vanced the advertising rates to
n profitable figure. There was an
instant and not uncomfortable falling off
OF patronage. but the Ledger was an estab-
lished institution. having for twenty years
been the recognized medium Of communi-
cation between employers aud employed.
between buyers and sellers, landlords and
tenants, bereayed families and their
friends. To many people it was a neces-
slty. The business that was temporarily
lost soon came back again, and at the end
of n month the public was reconciled to
the change, and from that day TO this tho
circulation and advertising have in
creased. Mr.. Childs made the Ledger ons
OF the great papers of the country. He did
more than that. He made it clean, Just,
impartial-a model of high-toned iournal-
ism. For over a quarter OF a century it
has fulfilled its mission. giving the busi-
ness man and the family a paper sa-
gacious. accurate, painstaking, whose
statements can always be relied upon.
whose prescience Is often remarkable. and
whose columns contain nothing that ~
impure or offensive. In politics II has al
Cleveland's personal organ, but op-
posed to his tariff policy. In speak
ing Of tho Ledger Mr.. Childs saws:
81 worked hard to make the paper
success. For several years seldom ieft
the editorial rooms before midnight,
day st the Office" BY the time Mr.. Childs
had thoroughly established the Ledger e.
typical American family newspaper. he had
won the friendship OF Longfellow, Emerson,
Lowell, Holmes, Whittier, John Lothrop
Motley. William Cullen Bryant. George
Bancroft, w. II. Prescott, Fitx-GIeene
Halleck, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Washing
ton Irving and a score of other writer's H.
lustrious in American literature. Mr.,
Childs' memories OF these men, en-
bracing original and copious ex-
tracts from their correspondence
feature in his book. IL may be said of Mr..
Chiids that both at home and abroad no
had the friendship and confidence of rep-
resentative men, because the aim of his
life was for the highest and the best.
The best newspapers. the best books, the
best workmen and tho highest wages were
his motto. Mr.. Childs required no intro
duction in America or in Europe. States
men, prime ministers. members Of cabi-
nets bishops and archbishops abroad,
saying nothing of our own iIlustrious men,
had been his guests.
When Mr.. Childs visited England I'm
1858 the first letters to reach him bore
greetings from Charles Dickens-"Wel-
come to England" When he took his de-
parture Charles Dickens clasped his hands
and said: "Good by; God bless youp'
and the tears were in his eyes. Among
Mr.. Childs' many rare and invaluable AL
tographs. m snuscripts and historical souve-
Mrs are pages Of "our Mutual Friend" in
Dickens own handwriting.
Much has been written OF the remark
able friendship between Mr.. CbiIds apd
Gen. Grant. Mr. Childs says: 1.-The gen
eral was one of the truest aud most con-
genial friends I ever had. We first met IN
1858, after the victory of Vicksburg. Tho
general and Mrs. Grant had come 10 Phila-
deiphis TO make arrangements To put thar
children at scnool in burlington, ". j.
From that time until his death our inti-
macy grew. In his life three qualities
were conspicuously revealed-justice, kind
ness and firmness. Much has been
published about Gen. Grant, but thero
are many things that / have
not seen stated, and ono il that
he had considerable artistic taste and
talent. lie painted very well. One of his
paintings, i2xis inches. he gave his friend.
the late Hon. A. +. Boric, of Phil lade phia.
who was the secretary of the navy in fais
first cabinet. This picture il. l believe,
one of the TWO that he is known 10 have
painted. On the death Of Mr.. Borie is was
presented by his family to Mrs. Grant. and
the engraving of il was made from tho
original sent TO me for the purpose by Col.
Fred ID. Grant. In this connection it may
be interesting 20 state that Gen. Grant was
made q member Of the Grand Army of tho
Republic in Mr.. Chiids' private Office in
the L,dger building on the morning of May
III, ls7T.
Mr.. Childs gave away fortunes for the
we'll being Of others; he relieved the
needy: he deemed that the laborer who
worked for him Was worthy of moro than
his hire; he contributed literally TO NIL de-
serving charities: he built costly and beau
tlful monuments 10 honory the memory OF
great men and noble deeds. In his
"Reminiscences" he tells US: ''If asked
what, as the result of my experience, is
the greatest pleasure in life, l should say
doing good 10 others" And he adds this
pregnant comment; Being generous
grows on one just as being mean does.
The disposition to give and 10 be kind To
others should be inculcatsd and fostersd
in children. IL seems TO me that Is the
N innr0ve the world and fuaka