Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-03-29

(nlS urSt election vote lViy to aSalLSS
him) until 1881. when he resigned.
IIe was prominently identified with
nearly every important measure adopted
by the board in these years. The bill for
fhe amendment of the city charter, re-
organizing the Boston school committee
on its present basis. was drafted by Mr.
Adams in 1875, and he did, perhaps, more
than any one man toward effecting the
change and arranging it's innumerable
details. In 1880 came the attempt of the
city council to reduce the expenses of the
school ocmmltree, the matter being car
ried into the legislature by the introduce
ton of bill to limit school expenditures
| to the appropriations of the city council.
Mr.. Adams, being then chairman of the
committee on accounts, represented the
school committee at the hearings, gave
months of time and his best efforts, and
found his reward in the defeat of the
hill. OF all his praiseworthy work in the
school board, perhaps nothing has been
of greater practical value than the in
PRODUCTION, in 1879, of the school supply
system, in which he and Mr.. Finney did
the lions share Of the work and received
the lions share of the censure and abuse.
The result of the experiment was saw
ing to the city of $4,000 the first year,
and over $4,000 the next year.
His nom de plume came into being in
this way, as he said once to a reporter:
There was new play placed upon the
boards of the Boston Museum in which
there was a character called Doctor
Optic The name captivated me, and one
day I composed some verses and pub
;c, <,rt VOWS
over the name of oliver Optic, NJ D.. of
the Mutual Admiration Society The
name oliver Optic took first rate, and
subsequently employed it in connection
with a series of tales which appeared in
the Waverly magazine Finally l
adopted it as a nom de plume for all my
juvenile stories.
I'm my early career as writer wrote
all sorts of stories. and many of them
were written to show the foibles and
weaknesses of society. l employed diff
ferent pen name for each kind; but when
set to work seriously as a writer of
boys stories I signed oliver Optic to all
of them, and-as you know, perhaps
have adhered to this name ever SINCE
what led you. Mr.. Adams to take up
juvenile fiction as a work?''
1T came about in this way. and by no
effort on my own part, AMI was taken up
more than dozen years after my work
as a writer had become known to the
public. There was a new publishing firm
started in Boston by the name of Brown,
Bagin & Co, and they wanted me to
write them a juvenile story for publica-
ton. When the subject was first sug-
gested to me I felt couldn't undertake
the task, and declined it. inasmuch as
had never written anything for young
people. But Mr.. Bagin, who, by the way,
was personal friend of mine, i'm
portuned me so hard ! finally consented
&c undertake the story. l wrote the first
half of the story in some 10 days.
1.-THE story in question was the first one
in the now wcll-known Boat Club
Series Ever since have been writing
boys stories of adventure. In writing
my stories, While l have sought to make
them full of thrilling interest, l have
strenuously avoided idealizing evil, or
leaving it to be unrebuked and unpun-
isbed. have always sought in my stories
to reward virtue, to illustrate some good
deeds as the result of chivalry, and to
foster a spirit of noble ambition, and
believe I have succeeded in my earnest
purpose. ] wrote with extreme care.
studying my situations, narrative and
the various characters who figure in the
story with painstaking exactness. / al
| ways seek to make story such as is not
| merely enjoyable, but profitable as WELL"
You have done ar immense amount of
| literary work, imagine?"
yes; the number of my works reaches
close on to 100 volumes. But this number
does not include the entire sum of what
| have done, such as appeared, for in
stance, previous to 1854. Besides being
| All author merely have been an editor.
For over II years had charge of pub
| LEGATION of Messrs. Lee G. Shepard. Then
/ took charge of Our Boys and Girls,
| which I conducted for some nine years,
| and in 1880. when Lee & Shepard began
the publication of Our Little Ones, this
| was placed in my hands to direct, so you
| see, taking it all together, have been a
| pretty busy man.
| Mr.. Adams always studied charts for
his naval stories, and his tales of yacht
| ing and sea adventures He conquered
| the arts of shipbulding and navigation.
| and he had Travelled the world pretty we'll
| over in getting real flavor and odor for
such of his stories as take boys to foreign
| countries.
| He had enough knowledge of foreign
| tongues to get about everywhere, and If
| his travels carried him to Spain or to
| Germany, to France or to Italy, or the
/ northern countries of Europe he was
able to get about and make himself
| understood and to be helpful to Others
| He crossed the Atlantic seven times,
and knew his own country north, west
i and south as we'll as east.
! A fsticuff between two prominent Bid
deford citizens. Nolney a. Sprague, yard
overseer of the Laconia mills, and Arte-
mas NJ FOsS, a merchant occurred Fri
day. Mr.. Sprague struck his ANITA gonist
in the face with shovel inflicting a Sc
we're wound. Mr.. Sprague was arrest ed
and gave bonds for a hearing. Tuesday
Each claims that he acted in self-defence
/ Old People.
Old people who require medicine to reg
ulate the bowels and kidneys will find
the true remedy in Electric Bitters. This
medicine does not stimulate and contains
no whtskey nor other intoxicant, but acts
as tonic and Alternative 1t acts mildly
on the stomach and bowels, adding
CIV ,cfh al Twin