Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-01-21
speclal CORRESPONDENCE.


I ONDON. Jan. ll,-By the purchase
Of the staid old Standard ANA the
hitherto remarkably dull Evening
Standard, Cyril Arthur Pearson
clinches his hold on the position Of be-
ing owner Of more newspapers than any
other man in the world. lie likewise
has more weekly and monthly pcrodi-
calls than any one else. He has been
a daily newspaper man only four years
the is only 80 now, and where he win
stop goodness only knows.
Mr. Pearson himself doesn't know,
for | asked him about it the other day,
He said he bad supposed he was con-
tent before the chance to buy the
Standard suddenly popped into his
path, His program was to work Ike a
Trojan night and day for several
months to come getting the dIgnlncd
but somewhat equity old Standard into
greater activity, Then he would dash
off somewhere and play just as hard
as he had worked Than-well then
there was no telling what might hap
pen.
1t was IN the sanctum Of the stand
ard, q severe and plainly furnished
room, sacred to the memory of "A line
of distinguished editors, that ] had a
remarkably frank and interesting in
tcryew with the new proprietor His
manner was as jaunty as If he hadn't
a care in the world and never worked
more than two hours a day But there
this yodng man to whom Joseph Cham-
berlain lately referred as the greatest
hustler" he had ever known lie was
simple and direct, knew exactly what
he wanted to say and how to say IT
quickest took along an expert stenog-
rapher, who said he had won "A medal
for speed and could do 200 words a
minute. He crept away from that in
terview, shaking his head sadly. lie
had never heard before, he said, of "a
man who could talk 800 words a min
ute without wasting words.
HAD 10 COUNT UP on HIS FIN
GERS
When Mr.. Pearson was asked TO say
II he could tell quickly without stop-
ping TO count, exactly how many perl
odicals he owned, he said he thought
so, but when he tried to do II he had
to begin counting on his fingers.
Lets see" he said, there are nine
daily newspapers. four weekly news
pars, and eight--or is it nine Eyes,
nine weekly PERIODICALS and six monthly
things. That IS the list, / believes
In all. And then there is quite "a con-
siderable book publishing business
OF the newspapers in the Pearson list
four-the standard, the Express the
Evening Standard and the st, james
Gazette--are among the great dailies
i'm London, His other papers are tn
cities outside of London. Then there
are Parsons Magazine, which has one
OF the largest Calculations I'm the
world; the Royal Magazine, the Ladies
Magazine, the Rapid Review, Pear
sons Weekly NJ, \. p, Home Notes
and all the other things" that their
owner had to count up on his fingers.
did you ever stop ] asked him,
ITO figure out what II costs a month
to turn out all these periodicals.
THAT would be interesting, wouldn't
IL? Must be something enormous I
never figured il out, but | win as soon
as | have time
The story of Mr.. Pearson's rise To
sudden mower almost takes ones breath
away. 1t is the kind Of thing that
happens sometimes I'm the United
States, but is not supposed to happen
I'm slower England. IL began soon ai-
ter the Pearson boy had come out OF
that historic public school, Winchester
which ranks with Elton hs a prepare
tory school for oxford and Cambridge
and which does far more to III boys to
live on other peoples money than 10
make their way for themselves,
mo 10y is so badly equipped for his
future. said Mr. Pearson, as the Eng
lish public school boy When 1 was In
Winchester quarters of AN hour
Il week was all that was given to
modern languages, whereas two-thrds
OF my time had TO be devoted TO get
ting u superficial knowledge of Latin
and Greek that was never OF any real
use to me, so far as | have been able
to see The English pubic school boy
was IN my day taught almost moth
ing he needs TO know, and rich as
kOllllltHl VI AAlllco llN NA''o'' I ''NNN' -"
know"
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 In for
n competition started for circulation
making purposes for a penny weekly
called Tit Bits, Whoever turned I'm the
best answers to a weekly series of 10
questions FOR 10 weeks was TO have q
lob on the staff OF the paper at $40 q
week. providing he seemed likely to be
worth the money
WAS TO HAVE BEEN A PARSON,
81 was supposed to be going into the
church." said Mr.. Pearson, when l
talked with him about this turning
point I'm his life MY grandfather was
n clergyman My father had five sis
ters, and fohr of them married the cu-
rate-not the same curate So Of course
/ was supposed TO he going In for the
church, but / dld not care FOR the idea
| Just happened 10 hear OF this CONF
petition thing, and went In for IL be-
cause / had q great liking for general
Information, being Of an inquruB turn
of mind Every week when Ttt-Bits
came out l bicycled 30 miles from my
fathers house TO consult reference