The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-12-07

! rolling IN wealth! / had money in nv
pocket for the first time in my life.
Then l went back to st. Joe and re-
signed; for The (old) New York World
had asked me to go to the Atlanta Ex-
| position as its correspondent. I went. /
wrote and kept writing. / moved my
family (for by this time 1 had a little
family to Atlanta. How kind Henry
Grady was to met
but at last the exposition ended.
was out of a job I applied to The Con-
stitution. No, they wouldn't have me.
| I never got job in my life that l
asked for! But all my life better Jobs
have been given to me than 1 ever dared
ask for
'Well-I was at the end Of nv rope
| in Atlanta, and I was trying to make
living in any honest way l could when
one day telegram came from The New
York World (it was the old World which
was then the best of the dailies in it's
literary quality) asking me to go to
New York l had never seen a man on
the paper-had never been in New York
except for a day when 1 landed there
on the return voyage from a European
trip that / took during one vacation
when l was in the University.
Then 1 went to New York straight
and quickly-just 81 years ago. l had
an interesting experience on the old
World writing literary matter chiefly,
an editorial now and then, and was
frequently sent as a correspondent on
interesting errands. l travelled all over
the country with the tariff commission.
l spent one winter in Washington as a
sort Of editorial correspondent while
the tariff bill was going through Con-
gress
zone day The World was sold to Mr..
Pulitzer. All the old staff resigned The
character of the paper was changed. I
went to North Carolina for a visit to my
father expecting to go back to New
York again and get work somewhere.
But 1 was persuaded to start The
Chronicle in Raleigh l worked at that
more than a year. made some of the
best friends of my life. l enjoyed my
self greatly. But The Chronicle cost
me all the little money l had. With
the consent of the other stockholders. l
gave away my own stock to secure its
continuance and I went back to New
York without a dollar or a Job.
For a year or more l made my liv-
ing writing for a dozen periodicals. I
had no engagement. l wrote what
l wished and sold it as best 1 could. l
made more money than / had ever be-
fore made. Yet how small it was at
best! But l enjoyed myself greatly
and l made many friends in the craft.
The joy of these years was this-that
1 now knew the profession and needed
no engagement. l could make my own
way with my pen anywhere that periodi-
Gals were published in the English lam
guage.
but after a little while an editorial
place was offered to me and / took it,
then a better one; l took it; and l was
back in newspaper harness again-this
time on The New York Evening Post.
Then one day a man whom 1 did not
know came to me and asked il I would
take the management of The Forum.
This review had been started a year or
two before, but it was not making good
financial progress. l took the task, or
or year or two later the editorship of
it was offered to me. 81,
'Thus began what l suppose is my
real business-the editing of magazines.
My experience as editor of The Forum
of course gave me wider acquaintance
among the foremost men of all parts
of the country. / succeeded at this task
and made some little reputation as an
editor and perhaps as writer. During
these years l did much work as a mem
Der of the New York Reform Club in the
literature of politics-for civil service re-
form and for tariff reform.
after editing The Forum for five
years, difference arose between two
parties as to its ownership and | did
not care to continue the work under
the warning policy that was then be-
gun-a policy that has caused the re-
view to dwindle to a mere quarterly. |
resigned
"Houghton, Mif1in & Co., (Boston),
made me a very flattering offer to be-
come a literary advisor to their pub
! fishing house; and l moved to Boston.
l lived in Cambridge five years-pleas-
ant years they were under the shadow
of Harvard College. In a little while
they made me editor of The Atlantic
Monthly That was a pleasant task and
| an honorable one. ! now became ac-
quainted with literary folk as before
| had become acquainted with prominent
men in The Forum days.
81 should probably have spent the
rest of my life as editor of The At
! lantic but for one reason. | wanted
magazine of my own. l did not see why
! should always edit other persons
magazines. A good editor builds an in
| huence and a property in the magazine
| he edits that long outlive him. He
ought to share it.
Much to my regret (and to the re-
greet of my good friends, the owners of
! The Atlantic. which had prospered un-
der my editorship) l resigned for this
reason only. 1t was not my property.
II came back to New York In little
while l formed a co-partnership with my
old friend, Mr.. F. N. Doubleday (who had
spent his life with the Scribners) and
with several other well-trained mer,
among them son of the poet Sidney
Lanier. Thus the firm of Doubleday
Page & Co. began three years ago.
1.-TWO years ago we began The Worlds
Work with me as editor. Mr.. Double
days able management enabled us to
make it successful from the very start.
ga year ago we began Country Life
in America. which also succeeded FROM