The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-05-13
THE HOUSE OF HARPER.
Editor Alden Recalls 1t as 1t Was
Forty Years Ago.

Harper's Magazine for May
For nearly six years after my connection
with the establishment the beautiful assoc
citation of the four Harper brothers re-
manned unbroken. They were not, but well
they might have been. the model of Dick
ens's Cheerybie Brothers. They were known
among themselves and their intimates by
sobriquets whose origin was referred back
10 a time far antedating my acquaintance
with them. James, who did the social
honors of the house to visitors Chimself de-
filming his special business. in answer TO an
anxious inquirer. as that OF attending to
the bores"). and whose cheerful face was
known to every employe of the establish
ment, was for obvious reasons known as
1.-The mayor" John, who managed the
finances, was "the COLONEL" Joseph Wes-
ley. who was more Immediately connected
with the book-publishing department, con-
Quoting the correspondence with authors,
was 1.-The captain" Fletcher, the you lgest
OF the brothers, and master in Journal
ism, was "the major" The lines OF dis
tinction above indicated in the various
functions of business were not strictly
drawn; there was always fraternal blend
ing and conveyance of them. To ''the
colonel as long as he lived, the title-page
OF every book published by the house was
submitted for his approval or revision. How
indelible in my memory are the faces or
these four men and their frankly disclosed
charactersl After the sudden death OF the
eldest by accident in 1869, the others soon
followed, like the links of broken chain
first Joseph Wesley, in 1870; then John, in
1875; and last of all Fletcher, in 1871
II undertook the editorial management
- .tw In IN a i'm q
there had been no material change in it's
general conduct, and IL had not been chal-
lenged to measure its strength against any
serious competitor in its own field. 1t had
been steadily advancing after its own type
in the excellence of its literary contents
and of it's Illustrations. AS a popular maya
zine il could not properly attempt literary
pre-eminence on the BlackwOod plan-that
would contradict its own peculiar genius
and limit its usefulness. 1t continued to
publish serially the best novels that were
produced from year TO year, but II could
not have published Emersons essays or
Lowells critical papers. 1t could and did
welcome the best short stories OF its time,
from those of its earlier years by w. ID.
O'Connor, j. ID. Whelpley, Fitz-James
O'Brien and 'Fitzhugh Ludlow, to the later
efforts of Elizabeth Stuart Phelps and
Harriet Prescott Spofford, just it hos
pitably entertained poems by Aldrich and
Howells. and popular articles or Journal
istic value by James Parton and Edwin p.
Whipple.
''The Harper establishment has been,
from the beginning, great workshop. The
atmosphere Of the place did not suggest
any special aesthetic refinement. There was
a corps Of engravers who worked on sal
airy, meeting all requirements for the Illus
tration of the books and periodicals of the
house. Often in the engravings for the
Weekly, and sometimes in those for the
Magazine, different engravers would work
on different portions of the same block.
But the utmost possible attention was
given to securing the most excellent work
manship."