The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-10-02

insiders, and the other by Tom Kelly
and other office holders. 2enton Muir
dock and other outsiders.
We drove down by Buckingham Pal
ace, but we did not go in The king
was on the continent. che queen up in
Scotland We had no letters OF intro
duction to the care-takers.
In the park in front of the palace
hundreds of workmen were excavating
and making ready for the Victoria me-
mortal, which King Edward has de-
signed to especially commemorate the
memory of his revered mother.
One of the most magnificent piles of
buildings from our point of view was
the House of Parliament, which would
cover about a ten acre field, three times
as long as it is broad: the thousands
of little turrets and pinnacles as they
are SO placed harmonizing with the
larger square castles at the corners, the
clock tower and the big beIfry seem to
give the whole a progressing and pleas
ing perspective. No attempt was made
to go through the different rooms of
which there are more than a thousand
The main building is modern built
during the lifetime of the older men of
today, but the entrance. or vestibule, a
large structure itself has seen the
fiercest political and physical storms of
seven centuries past.
1t is hard to realize some of the bar
barities clustering about this West
minister Hall, for it was here that
Cromwell presided with great dignity
and wide recognition as the Protec-
tor of the people and ruler even of
kings. Yet, later his body dragged
from the grave, his head was placed
upon one of these same pinnacles above
his chair of state, the skull remaining
empaled for a quarter of a century,
until an unusual wind blew off the
daily reminder of the atrocity.
Near our hotel stood CleopaFa's
needle. Fortunately, for the curiosity
of all who sew and everybody does
with an ''e'' or an 90" the Egyptian
queen had at least one more sharp"
in her packet. An equally as good in
strument of Cleopatra's handiwork is
always on exhibition in Central Park,
New York. 1 wonder if the rich people
of Europe and America brought these
needles to their several shores to prove
that an eye large enough for an ex-
pensive needle is big enough to enable
even them on the back of a camel to go
through lnIO l16 hlitSQOIIl VI I1SoN ell
Several letters to prominent people in
London, were entrusted US but only
one was used for lack of time and
perhaps a preference for the common
place. as &a ~ -
A call on Alfred Harmsworth was
a delightful and pleasurable9 incident.
The young man is editor and proprietor
of one of London's greatest newspa-
pers and also controls various monthly
magazines, weekly periodicals and
NTH own
city. He visited the United States
year or two ago, carrying away the
good impressions of his foreign cousins
in the business, interesting experiences
and a very bad cold. Imagine an Eng
lishman who almost daily braves the
fogs and damp atmosphere of London,
going over to the United States to
catch cold. He told me 1t took MN
several months to recover from ms
American trip but I recollect that
while fine United States may have test
ed his lungs, the banquets rendered MIN
on ali occasions would have brought
riot to the average stomach, requiring
weeks to quell.
The Daily Mail has a fine plant, ten
presses. each twice as large as that OF
the state Journal which is the biggest
in Kansas. But the circulation in the
month previous to this visit averaged
1863, 231, according to the certlncaLe u
the chartered accountant" who, | felt
sure. was not circulation liar" be-
cause his figures and all the surround
ings seemed to indicate all that he had
set forth in his certified statement,
which also mentioned in general way
that the daily issue of the Mail was at
least live times as great as that OF any
penny paper published in London at
the same hour of the day.
Mr.. Harmsworth's Office is hand
some apartment with leather chairs,
good rugs and tapestries; the wallis
lined with books of reference and OF
standard authors. While the desk was
of mahogany. it looked like that OF
working man, and L judge Mr.. Harms
worth, who seems to be particularly
active and Industrious. maps out and
conducts as many operations IN one
day as even the Kansas country editor,
who works over a less pretentious table
Uttered with exchanges and the para
of every department of
print shop. 1t was 5 o'clock. and Mr.
asked me to take tea with
him. On the edge of his table was a
server of the steaming beverage and
some light refreshments. After srnok-
ing one of his cigars made IN cuba.
almost U. S. A, he invited me down
into the press room and into the deliv-
ery department. from both of which !
places 1 received valuable pointers in
the printing and quick dissemination of
news.
man produces in duplicate every day
paper also called the Mail. Leased
wires and comnlete facilities enable
him to produce this great distance.
apart papers whose first pages are such
duplicates that the cas-
ual observer is unable to tell which was
printed in London and which in Man |
chester, as the date line itself does not
give the name of the city. The Mail
is an eight page paper. sometimes bat
six.
We were in London at the time of the |
first boat race which was declared off, |
getting our first news of this event in /
an extra edition of the Mail on the |
streets at five minutes after nine o'clock |
at night I knew this meant that my
own paper in Topeka would print the |
same result in its regular edition going |
to press between three and four in the |
afternoon, as there was six hours diff |
ference in time between London and To-
peka, and both the Mail and the State