The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1895-08-02
PROFIT In WRITING.
There Is Much for Famous Men
Who Care to Weld the Pen.
Leading Politicians, Einanciers and Lit
terateurs Who Have Eeen offered
and Paid BIG Prices for
Their WORK.

no reputation as writer's who would be
able to command at almost any time
higher rates for magazine or newSpa-
per articles than almost any of those
litterateurs who have gained fame by
reason of their writings. MIR. James
II. Keene, who is we'll known as one Of
the most successful and picturesque of
those men who deal in Wall street in
New York city, has been many times
asked to write over his own signature
upon any topic which he chose and to
name his own price. which would
cheerfully be paid. As Mr.. kcene
sometimes has found his fortune APP
pIeciate as much a, S100.0J) in II single
day it is easy To see that ii he charged
for such service in proportion to his
earning capacity he would receive an
almost fabulous sum for an article from
1000 to 5000 words in length.
The only occasion since those early
days of his poverty, when he made his
living as Il newspaper writer. that Mr..
keene ovcrcame his Discrimination to
write was III the summer OF 1877, just
after he had held at bay an army of
Wall street spectators. having SuS-
tanned the market single handed for
an entire day. backed by gold which
his California friends sent to him, and
thereby nnquestionably prevented such
apanic as this country has not seen,
excepting possibly in 1891 and 1878.
The strain upon his nervous system
of thus maintaining the mar.:ct against
the combined assault of frightened in
tT,...
that few DAYS after Mr.. kecne was
stricken with an illness which threat
ened to develop into para ysi; of the
brain. He was removed to Long
Branch as soon as it was possible to
lift him from his, bed. and there, after
some difficulty and through the Offices
of the late Sam Ward, Mr.. keenc con-
scented to dictate an interview for pub
LEGATION.
At that time Mr.. Ward was enter
tanning his nephew, +. Marion Craw
ford, and had been so highly pleased
with story which Mr.. CraW ford told
him of an experience in India. that he
advised the young man to write it out
and that he would see that il found a
publisher, and thus it wa, t ut the
story which made Marion Crawford
famous, Mr.. Isaacs,' came to be writ
ten and printed and Crawford's career
determined.
MIR. keenc was greatly Interested in
Mr.. Wards narration to him of this
tale, which had not been printed. and
he told Mr.. Ward some Of the early
California experiences of hi, which
4 4 Al
story of Mr.. 1saacs. and it was then
that Mr.. Ward said to hiln: Mr..
Keene, if you were not great spec,l-
latOr You might become Il great novel
ist.'
Mr.. Keene finally received the repre-
sentative of one of the New York news
papers. He lay upon his bed. which
was in quiet room of one Of the Long
Branch hotels. The room was very
simply furnished. and it seemed impoS-
sible to believe that the man who lay
there content apparently with the al
most humble surroundings OF t..iS ten
by twelve room was able If lie chose.
to buy the hotel ard good deal OF the
adjacent property without materially
affecting his poclxetbook
lie began slowly sto dictate. It
see ed as though he weighed every
word. He frequently changed Il word
in order to put III its place another
which would more clearly express his
meaning. When a sentence or 4 para
graph had been written down Mr..
keene would ask to have it read over
and when this was done he repeated it
Savara1 fi,naS hic ,,o ,,,.> I,
ing quite as great as characterized
Rusl1in or Russell Lowell w.len they
were engaged in prose composition.
Thus for five hours this, great finan-
cier lay there composing and debating
this article. The mental strain was
exhaustive both upon Mr.. Ward. who
was present. and upon the newspaper
reporter. Once during the interview
n telegram was brought to Mr. Keene
from the hotel office. He opened it.
read it and tossed it upon the table
with no more concern than though it
had announced most trivial matter to
him.
This article appeared the following
day in print. 1t was the sensational
publication of the month. It was re.
published either in whole or part in a
great number of newspapers. 1t com.
manded attention not only from finan.
ciers, to whom every word uttered by
Mr.. Keene then and since upon finan.
cial matters was received with absorb
ing interest, but it also made a deer
impression upon literary men on ac
count of the singular purity of its
English and the lucidity and felicity
of its style.
The editor of the paper in which the
article appeared would gladly have
sent Mr.. keene a check for 81, 500 fol
it, but the great financier did not and
would not write for pay. He earned a
fortune while he was debating that
article, for the telegram which he re.
ceived announced that sudden an
probation that day in line of stocks
held by Mr.. Keene was so great that il
he chose to sell his profits would be
$3.50, 1000.
Ex-Speal1er Reed has only recently
been tempted to- write, and for his
writings he mas received a price quite
as large as the handsome sum once
paid Mr.. Gladstone by an American
publisher for magazine article. Gov.
Mckinley was offered $1,000 for Loco
word article; Gov. Russell. of Massa.
chusetts, a sum almost as large, bu,
for little longer article. Secretary
Carlisle, if he could find time to write
could materially increase his income
by SO doing, and there is not one of the
more prominent politicians and finan.
ciers who could not more than match
the earnings of some of the greatest Of
the litterateurs, provided only they
were willing to accept offers which
have been made to them.