Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1909-01-02

| whole soul 60 fbe work. writing and
speaking constantly. TIE Express
| grew until In 1878 II was moved to
/ Chicago, becoming one Of the foremost
papers In the movement
1t was In 1882 that Major Smith
started the American Press Associa
tIOn. The plan on which be .xorked
was untried and seemed. 10 faiEon the
first attempt He only changed its de-
tails and worked the harder. At last
his efforts and genius for organization
began to tell, and today the institution.
Of which he was the head until the
time Of bis death. Is the largest news
paper syndicate In America aud the
foremost Of its kind in the world
Brought Many into Prominence.
In this work Major Smith employed
at various times most Of the well
known fiction writer's and many OF the
most brilliant newspaper men OF the
last quarter OF century. Some Of
these he picked as winners when they
were unknown and brought them into
prominence It is worthy Of note that
he bought from Ella Wheeler Wilcox
the first poem she ever sold; that he
suggested the bringing OF Eugene
Field to Chicago. the step that estab
Iisiled his fame; that he was a close
friend and adviser OF John Clark Rid
path, the historian; that he first de
tected the genius OF the fnfnftable
- +t.,
pea name Of 20. Henry" thar before
Peter Finley Dunno, with his boo
ley had jumped into fame Major
Smith predicted that he would be the
humorist OF the Spanish
war, and that by syndfcatfng their
work he did much to spread the popH-
larity of such men as Bill .Nyc M.
Quad, Murat HaIstead, T. De Witt Tai
mage, Champ Clark and numberless
others. Among the well known writer's
who worked with Major Smith before
becoming prominent. many of whom
owe their start TO his encouragement
and interest, may be mentioned Tom
Mason, editor Of Life; Sewell Ford,
the short story writer: Frederick A.
ODER, the historian; Jack London,
Booth Harrington, Dexter Marshall,
the syndicate writer; John Ell. Beadle,
famous generation ago; Howard
Fielding, the novelist; Joseph r. Buch-
anan, now labor editor of the New
York Journal; Eliza Archard Conner,
the woman's writer; FL. Addington
Bruce now a recognized authority on
psychology; f.. A. Mitchell, novelist;
Richard Lloyd Jones, secretary of the
Lincoln Farm association, and hosts
of others throughout the land.
Major Smith was himself an author
Of more than national fame, both In
economics and In the fields Of philoso-
ply and religion On "Eternalism" he
received a letter of thanks from
maharajah of India, and that and 9th
err works were reviewed by some of
the best known critics and scientists
of the day. OF nature similar to
"Eternalism" are Balance" "A Short
View of Great Questions" and agree
ment Between Science and Religion
while THE Coming Democracy" out.
lines plan for more perfect system
of voting and popular government.
One of the greatest essays | ever read
from the pen of Major Smith appeared
in the Open Court only few months
before his death.
Authority on Immortality.
Without attempting to go into his
philosophy at length, 1t attempts to
prove Immortality by scientific meth
DDS; to show that there is absolute
balance and adjustment in all things;
that the individual is ultimately re
sponsible for his every act, the law OF
balance in his case becoming justice,
thus requiring life after death for its
completion and fulfillment; that the
basic principles of all religions are the
same, and they thus support and prove
each other, and that the ideas of moral
accountability, of supreme intelli-
gence and of some sort of communica-
ton between the living and the dead
have been universally held In all times
and chimes, thus showing them to be;
instructive In the race and furnishing
the strongest presumptive evidence Of
their truth. These themes VIII be-
more popular a generation hence than
they are today, and 1t is my own DELHI
crate oninion that Orlando Jay Smith
win be IN authority upon them long
after an army Of present day writer's
are forgotten.
In politics Major Smith was a radical
In the sense that he thought for him
self and followed the utter truth as he
saw it. Yet he was ever optimistic
and constructive.
Trees Were His Friends.
In personal appearance Major Smith
was rather tall and compactly built.
His face was strong and smooth shaw
en-, his eyes blue and direct, his hair
abundant, but snow white. At home
he had the same simplicity. sincerity
and easy dignity that marked him ev-