The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1898-01-27

read, and then he printed it. Sometimes
nc mauc wrong guess, but he speedily
discovered his error and rcctiflcd it. Uo
had no time to waste in trying to force
reading matter on an unapprcciativc pub
Tic. lie introduced hundreds Of now ideas
-ncw at least to British readers. If they
liked them, the ideas were permanently
adopted. If they didn't, they had to go
before Inc was % he was printing and
selling 200, coo papers q week. He had
taken four of his brothers into partnership
with him, and four years ago he formed
Answers and several minor papers into
stock company, selling minority of the
stock for 81, 800, 900, but still retaining q
controlling interest. This operation he
repeated only n month or two ago. when
Harmsworth Bros, limited, was rcorgan-
lZcd, stock to the amount of So 800 900
being issued OF this sum Mr. Harms
worth himself pockctcd the lions share
ana still retained the ma orty of the stock.
One of his earlier ventures was the purchase
OF The Evening News and Post, London
halfpcnny paper which had been for wears
an Improbable property. He put new
lie into it, introduced novel methods and
doomed it in true American style. Within
n wonderfully short time the paper was q
success, and early last spring he sold Il
small part of his interest in it for a large
sum. With the dailics which he started
IN Glasgow and Portsmouth he was eoual-
~ successful
FINALLY, in May OF last year he bought
the London Daily Mail. At the time when
he took possession The Mail was ploddng
along in the old lines. AS skllful Jockey
lifts IL race horse out of the ruck. so ho
jumped The Mail to the front. took the
rail md now leads the bunch with a daily
circulation of something like 400, 600 He
has shaken Fleet street to its very subccl-
lars. Tho journalistic customs and tradi-
tions of half Il century he has swept
aside and replaced with ideas which have
hrilliancy, snap and go about them He
WAS the first editor to sturtIc Londoncrs
with American hcadlincs-bold, blnck,
half column headlines which caught the
attention and evoked the unwilling ha'-
penny:
Mr.. lIarmSworth had to stand first the
silent contempt Of his elder rivals; then
their sarcastic snccrs, and after that round
abuse. Now he has the satisfaction of see
ing these same rivals making frantic
effort to adopt methods similar to his or
else viewing with calm despair their fo.:ncr
prosperity slipping away. He has proddcd
the British press with IL sharp stick 1t
must either go ahead or get hurt
Inc united crculatlOnS of the papers
and magazines which Mr.. Harmsworth
controls amount to E, 900, 900 copies week
In every one of his thirty odd publca-
tions he takes personal interest, being in
constant communication with the editors
and occasionally having them come to his
nome for long consultations Most of the
new ideas which are tried are Of his own
suggestion. In order To carry on such an
Immense amount OF work he must he con
stantly in touch with all of his widely sep
aratcd sanctums. At his country home in
Kent he has II telephone in almost every
room in the house and even at dinner may
stop between the soup and the fish to adj
wise his London editor in chief upon the
handling of II hig piece Of news.
Personally Mr.. llaunsworth is very
modest in talking about himself and his
achievements. lie would rather show his
visitors his fish pond and pet allisators
than tell them how he built up The Mail
One of the great ambitions of his life is 70
be Instrumental in planting the British
llag at the north pole and to this end ho
has backed Explorer jackson Ia two expo.
ditionS. $ H. MACDONALD.