The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-12-27
The Savannah Morning News.
Morning Building, Savannah, Ga

Jennie Cunningham adopted the nom
de plume that was afterward to give
her international fame. Here Is the
story as she told ii one day In an ad-
dress to the Sorosis:
II was a sunny, happy little blue
eyed girl. and our genial Unitarian
pastor was particularly fond of me.
One day he gave me little book OF
poems, published by Benjamin f. Tay-
lor, remarking, These are for the
Juniest little girl that ! know One
of the poems was called January
and another Jenny June For a long
while / was known to my intimates as
Jenny June The name almost passed
out of my mind as / grew older, till
/ commenced contributing to the
papers, and then l bethought me of
Jenny June as nom de plume"
About fifty years ago, when the
death Of her father made 1t necessary
for her to earn living. Jennie June
went to New York and applied for
position on the Sun" AS she has
said: my application was received in
blank amazement. The employment
of woman on a daily paper
was unheard Of Margaret Full
Ter, that brilliant woman from Massa-
chusetts, through her acquaintance
with Charles c. Dana and others on
the Tribune, might have paved the
way. But she remained in New York
so short time that her example
seemed to have been lost"
After weeks of endeavor Jennie June
was able to get contributions into the
Tribune and the Herald over her sig
nature, but the editors never dreamed
OF paying her for them. But she per-
severed and her articles proved the
stepping stone for yearly income that
"a ma lixa dash when n did
Making daily rounds of her dressmak-
ing and millinery stores, and with the
personal encouragement of A. T. Stew
art. the dry goods prince, she began
series of manifold weekly letters to
country daily and weekly papers, CIV
ing their readers glimpse of New
York fashions. Their success was inn
mediate. Within a year after she
started them there was scarcely pro-
vincial paper east of Chicago that did
not take Jennie June's weekly fash
lon letters at SO per letters. In later
years she was obliged to divide her
labors and change her system of
work. Letters to send beyond the
Rocky Mountains were mailed two
weeks in advance OF her Eastern sub
scribers. But she would not contrib
ute to any publication that omitted to
sign her name; and I'm those days
signature implied a greater degree OF
personality than 1t does now. In the
world OF fashion Jennie June was
then what Mrs. Rorer rs now In the
sphere OF cooking.
While contributing to the World
while Il was under the editorship OF
Manton Marble and William Henry
Hurlbert, Jennie June met David G.
croly, the night editor. After a brief
and romantic courtship they were mar
ried, and Mrs. Croly found new and
broader avenues OF newspaper work
open to her. She was in turn exchange
editor. dramatic and musical critic and
book reviewer. When work was
rushed she frequently turned in edi-
torial paragraphs. Then she assumed
the editorship Of fashion magazine.
For thirty-hve years she rose at in
the morning. attended 10 her market
ing and household duties and was at
her editorial desk at 10. With her
ONCE work. syndicate correspondence
and Individual effort with the Sorosis
and other womens' organizations with
which she was affiliated she seldom got
10 bed until midnight. She started the
sunday evenings AZ home In New
York. which have since become 10
familiar In upper Bohemia. Every
body who had the open sesame WAS
glad 10 go. Mrs. Frank Leslie, then
IN the hight OF her popularity. WAS