The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-09-26
MASTER OF THE "AD" ART,
S. G. BeckWith, Special Eastern
Agent, Talks About the
New "Call."
Says It Is Destined to Become
the Leader of All Western
Journals.

S. C. Beckwith of New York is in the
City, guest at the Palace. He has been
paying sort of flying business and pleas
ure visit to the principal cities on the coast
and is now recreating for day or so be-
fore starting on the long homeward jour.
ney.
Mr.. Beckwith is what is known in the
newspaper world as a special adver-
Using agent, and now enjoys the dis
tinction of being the next-to-the-oldest
special advertiser in America. While this
is true as a business proposition Mr.. Beck
with is still young man, having just
passed his fortieth year. What he does
not know about the art of advertising and
the judicious use of printers ink would
not by any means fill four-leaf pamphlet,
yet with all his knowledge born of actual
experience he is decidedly modest and un-
assuming. The business in which he is
engaged naturally directs bis attention to
newspapers of high and low degree, and in
consequence of this he gains lot of in
formation about journals of which the
average man knows nothing. In speaking
of the new CALL he said Yesterday:
81 must confess that | am happily and
agreeably surprised at the almost unparal-
leled progress and general improvement
made by THE CALL under the new manage
ment. For more reasons than one it is
my favorite Pacific Coast paper, and if it is
not already the most generally read paper
west of the Mississippi it is only ques
ton of time when it will be.
''The last time | visited California it
was next to impossible to procure copy
of THE CALL in any of the larger cities,
while in many of the smaller towns it was
apparently unknown. Now all of that is
changed. Mr.. Shortridge has infused
such life and vigor into the columns of
THE CALL that it is to be had and is
eagerly sought for at every railroad cross
that is my observation, and | am just
back from a visit to all the important
places on the Pacific seaboard.
Il predict a great future for THE CALL.
Its Eastern and foreign Geographic SER
vice is superb, the makeup convenient
and its general appearance attractive to an
extraordinary degree. The determin ed ad-
vocacy of THE CALL for home institutions
is unquestionably one of its strongest
cards and to my mind will be the means OF
making it the most powerful of all coast
States papers. It's clean sheet, too, and
one that can be carried into the home
circle without fear of shocking mature age
or tender youth"
Mr.. Beckwth was born in Maryland,
where his parents still reside. He gradu-
ated with honors from Washington Col
lege, at Chestertown, that State, and then,
as he expressed it, wasted two years of his
life reading law. A local publisher finally
induced him to embark in journalistic
work, and then it was that he discovered
the natural bent of his abilities. 1t was
from his brain that the scheme evolved
of founding the now famous Munsey' s
Magazine, and to his genius much OF its
earlier success is due. Eighteen years ago
he became special advertising agent,
being then the third in the field. There
are now over seventy in America following
that particular calling, though not exceed
ing half dozen-and Mr.. Beckwith is
prominent in this umber-have sue
ceeded beyond the ordinary.