The San Francisco call., 1905-01-15
VISIT TO AMERICA AR0USES
BRITISHER'S AMBITION.
Reconsideration
Hustler Of Old
ENGLAND.

LONDON, Jan. 14.-By the pur-
chase of the staid old Standard and
the hitherto miraculously dull Evening
Standard, Cyril Arthur Pearson
cljnches his hold on the position OF
being owner of more newspapers than
any other man in the world. He like
wise has more weekly and monthly
periodicals than any one else. He has
been newspaper man only four years,
Is only thirty-eight now, and where he
will stop goodness only knows.
Pearson himself doesn't know. He
says he had supposed he was content
before the chance to buy the Standard
suddenly popped into his path. His
programme was to work like Tro-
Jan night and day for several months
TO come getting the dignified but
somewhat gouty old Standard into
greater activity. Then he would dash
off somewhere and play just as hard
as he worked; then, there was no tell
Ing what might happen.
1t was in the sanctum of the Stand
ard, severe, plainly furnished room
sacred to the memory of a line of dis
tlnguished editors, that l had a re-
markably frank and interesting inter-
view with the new proprietor. His
manner was as jaunty as if he hadn't
care in the world and never worked
more than two hours day. But there
was no affectation of languor about
this young man, to whom Joseph
Chamberlain lately referred as the
greatest hustler" he had ever known.
He was simple and direct, knew exact
ly what he wanted to say and how to
say it quickest. / took along an expert
stenographer who said he had won
medal for speed and could do 200
words a minute. He crept away from
that interview shaking his head sadly.
He had never heard before, he said,
of man who could talk 800 words
minute without wasting words.
When Pearson was asked to say if
he could tell, quickly, without stopping
to count, exactly how many periodicals
he owned, he said he thought so, but
when he tried to do it, he had to be-
gin counting on his fingers.
ENORMOUS BUSINESS.
Lets see, he said, there are nine
daily newspapers four weekly news
papers and eight-or is it nine yes,
nine weekly periodicals, and six
monthly things. That is the list, l be-
lieve, twenty-eight in all. And then
publishing business.
OF the newspapers in the Pearson
list, four-the Standard, the Express.
the Evening Standard and. the 4 st.
James Gazette, are among the great
sdailies in London. His other papers
are in cities outside of London. Then
there is Pearso1l's Magazine, which has
one of the largest circulations in the
world. the Royal Magazine, the Ladies
Magazine, the Rapid Review, Pear
sens Weekly, NJ. A. p. Home Notes
and all the other things that their
owner had to count up on his fingers.
Did you ever stop" l asked him,
''tc figure out what it costs month
to turn out all these periodicals p
That would be interesting, wouldn't
it? Must be something enormous.
never figured it out, but will as soon
as T have time
The story of Pearson's rise to sud
away. 1t is the kind of thing that
happens sometimes in the United
States, but is not supposed to happen
in slower England. 1t began soon
after the Pearson boy had come out
of that historic public school, Win
chester. sS
Pearson pere was a country clergy
man, and was taking the finishing OF
his boys education in hand himself
when the youth amused his family one
day by announcing that he was going
III for competition started for circu-
lating- making purposes for penny
weekly, called 'Tit-Bits.' Whoever
turned in the best answers to weekly
series of ten questions for thirteen
weeks was to have job on the staff
of the paper at $40 week-providing
he seemed likely to be worth the
money.
SLATED FOR MINISTRY.
II was supposed to be going into the
church." said Pearson. when | talked
with him about this turning point in
life. MY grandfather was a clergy
man. My father was a clergyman.
My father had five sisters, and four of
i, n he to lnf q