The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-01-15
T. P. O'Connor--Author
Orator, Parliamentarian.

publications known in the wide field
of English journalism just now, is a
paper published in London whose title
consists simply of the three letters, M.
A. P. Those form the short" of the
papers name: the long" of it is Main
| ly About People And it is mainly
about people the paper talks. The So
cial and political news of the day, the
doings Of the nations, fluctuations of
the markets, great disasters on land or
sea, social scandal, domestic crime, all
these, which crowd the columns of the
ordinary newspaper, are to a large ex-
tent eschewed in NJ A. P. If they
come in at all. it is as a necessary
adjunct to the mainly about people"
articles and paragraphs which form the
papers dominating features. M. A P.
is essentially personal journal, but on
SO high scale is it conducted, so free
are its pages from that cheapness of
tone and that morbid Sensationalism
which have always been identified in
the public mind with the idea of per
sonal Journalism" that it may with
full justice claim for itself special
ana separate place and mission in the
arena of press activity. It's bright
paragraphs and interesting articles
about prominent people all over the
world, but especially those who make
their impress on the social and politi-
cal life of London, are now quite fire.
quently quoted and copied by newspa-
pers everywhere. Only the other day,
papers published in such widely sena-
rated cities as New York, Chicago.
Melbourne and Dublin, were each found
10 contain an extract from Mainly
About People.
The paper was founded some six
months ago, by Mr.. Thomas Power
OConnor, member of parliament for
one OF the divisions of Liverpool. Be
SIDES being an able and eloquent mem
Der of the house of commons Mr.
o'Connor is one of the most successful
writer's or our time, as we'll in the
realm of higher literature as in the field
OF newspaper work. His career makes a
story that should be full of interest for
uhose whose efforts to get on in fine
World nave met with reverse or disap-
polntment, and be also an incentive
to renewed and sustained effort even in
the face of the most discouraging diff
culties.
II T. O'Connor was born in 1S4S. in
the town of Athlone, county Galway
ireland. His parents We're humble peo3
| pie, but they were ambitious to give
uhelf son a good start in life, and a
| good start with the majority of Irish
! parents means a good education a COL
| lege course if the family excheouer> can
stand the strain. In the generality of
cases the proud day for the parents
| tnat sees the comforting of the degree
and the browning triumph of their how
as he receives his hard won diploma is
| out the opening day of the young grad
uat most bitter and disheartening
| S1rn2QiA
where purse of sovereigns aceomnan-
res the college degree. The fight for a
place in the world begins at the collage
| gate. 00-'0e0
I. p. O'Connor was no execution TO
TINS rule. His parents were unable to
give MIN lift when he left the College
oI the immaculate Conception one
summer day, some 20 years ago. and
SO ne started for Dublin, where he got
a job at starvation wages on a now de-
! ceased daily paper. By the most ex
| traord1nary financiering he managed
after few months to get enough TO-
gether to take him to London. and
when he stepped out of the railway car
! riage at Euston, his supply of cash
was at zero. His efforts to find en-
| ployment were frutless for weeks. and
ne had about lost heart and decided To
give up the fight and try his fortune
across the seas, when the thought oc-
Cured to him to write an article for
the Pan Mall Gazette, of which John
Morley was then the editor.
Special articles from the pens of IN
known writer's are not much in demand
in the newspaper offices of Fleet street
and it was a forlorn hope for O'Con-
nor. But John Morleys keen apprecia.
tive eye saw the worth of the article
and he ordered it published
Next day young O'Connor called at
the office to see Mr.. Morley, when he
was engaged to write some more
stories for the paper Thereafter, he
was able to keep the wolf from the
door. but he had to struggle on for
years without being able to make one
shilling overtake another"
In fact, his was a hand to mouth ex-
istence, until he conceived the idea of
writing the life of Benjamin Disraei
1 Earl of Beaconsfield at that time
prime minister of Great Britain h
set about his task, weighed down with
| the feeling that if he ever finished n
he would find it next to Impossible to
get a publisher to accept the mann
script. But he pegged away, never
theless' always hoping for the best.
he had almost completed his story.
| when Lord Beaconsfield was taken
with his last Illness Strange as if
| may appear, literature dealing with tho
! dying premier's career was found n he
practically non-eXistent, and the nub-
lshlng house to which O'Connor first
submitted his work, saw that such a
pook was llkeiy % meet with a demand
IN the event Of Beaeonsfeld's death
Events justified the prophecy The
1 news OF the premier's passing AWAY
! soon afterwards was accompanied Il,
the leading newspapers by lengthy av.
tracts from OConnor's biography and
tne SAFE OF copies of the first edition
was as gratifying to the far-sighted
! publishers as it was astonishing to tha
! fameless author. 'i'e
! The hand to mouth existence was
over. steady stream of golden e1Iin-
/ cas- came flowing towards O'ConnoT He
was happily built upon such lines that
his fortune did not debauch him, and
ne ala not sink under the rising tide
of his new found prosperity.
Just about this time QS80) Mr. p,r
nell was looking about for such men ne
he might obtain for colleagues wbo.
would form the nucleus Of The ind.
pendent Irish party, which he knew
was necessary to back up his policy II,
the House of Commons. IA
one of his first selections was II
O'Connor, whom he asked 10 stand a.,
the town of Galway. In those dave
ParnelPs Endorsement meant sure eie.
ton in nationalist constituency and
/ O'Connor was one of the famous ~ VII
went with Parnehdinto parliament r.
begin the histoIie1 struggle for {nstico
to Ireland which Saw its strongest c,is
max six years later when Mr., clea-
stone rose in his place, and. in tbe
i greatest speech Of his great career vim
dicated the policy which those nersist
ent fighters for their country's rigbts
had literally forced upon the ennira %
! During his first parliamentary 70
f, cess, Mr.. O'Connor was asked bv bis
| leader to proceed to the United States
| q nd hU q a1naa lrlnnr tni1r- "a 49,. W