Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-04-26

An old scrap book bears witness TO
the fact that it is neraly fifty years
since ] began writing for the press.
My first effusons appeared in Maine
paper, and Maine paper will prob
ably be the medium of the last Of the
many thousand words for which l am
TO be held responsible. Not many
complete half century i'm so arduous
and exacting calling, and as anoth-
er opportunity may not offer | claim a
veterans privilege of INDUCING briefly
in personal "reminiscences and the use
Of the personal pronoun.
My early ambition was to follow the
sea, which was natural enough, as /
came from "a seafaring race on the
paternal side. Through my interest
in vessels, l narrowly escaped begin
ming my newspaper career in 1853 as a
marine reporter. / had for some
time been keeping a list of the vessels
arriving at the port. of Machias, and
when the Machas Union was started
| was asked TO furnish the shipping
list. but, unfortunately, had not kept
record of the departures as we'll as
the arrivals. I witnessed the print
ing, on a Washington hand press, of
the first number of the Union, which
bore date of May 25, 1853. and this was
my first introduction to printers ink
Closer contact was at that time denied
me, my parents refusing to permit my
joining he office force in the capacity
of printers devil" This was a great
disappointment. About that time | be-
gan printing newspapers of my own,
initiating the type faces with pen,
and some specimens of my work in
this line are still i'm existence.
Then, denied the sea and the print :
ing Otfice..I had dreams of becoming an
artist. and read all the books attainable
that pertained 10 art; lives of great
painters and sculptors. Ruskins works,
etc. sketched in pencil. dabbled with
India ink. crayOns. water colOrs, and
later with oils. and for years visited
picture galleries and art stores when
ever opportunity offered. The time
thus spent was not lost. The knowl-
| edge tEen acquired proved useful in
many directions in after life.
Much of my boyhOod days was spent
in The woods and fields with a gun that
seldom brought dcwi. game. and on
| lakes and streams with hook and line
stocked library al home, a public Ii
brary. and access to every printed
book in the town barely sufficed to sat
isfy an Unsuitable thirst for reading.
A favorite book in the home library
was a bound volume of The New Mir
ror. edited by Nathaniel Parker Willis
and George p. Morris. and which in
cluded extra numbers containing Let
tiers from Under a Bridge" "Pencil-
lingS by the Way and poems by Willis
and Morris. This book had perh2 ps
more influence in shaping what was To
be my life work than any other,
and it has not wholly lost its charms.
Another book in my fathers library,
read at very early age, was the "Es-
says OF Ella and If in after years
had literary fad it was for the writ
lngS of Charles Lamb, in whose per-
s"naity ] ever had a warm interest.
Perhaps it should be said here that
IN addition to books l read great
many newspapers-nearly all of those
published in Maine at that time COM
ing regularly to my home. First in
favor was The Republican Journal,
then edited by George B. Moore, with
the Augusta Age. edited by Daniel T.
Pike. second. The chief attraction of
the Age was the sea story that usually
appeared on its first page. Others re-
called were the Calais Advertiser, still
issued. and which was. ] believe, edit
ed and published for 80 years by John
jackson. He Is mentioned in GrifTin's
Press Of Maine as having for "a years