Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-12-30
POET AND EDITOR
Brilliant Career of r. w. Gil
der, Leader in World of
Letters.
TYPESETTER EARLY IN LIFE
Late Editor in Chief of Century Be
came a Publisher Before He
Was IL Years of Age.

Richard Watson Glider, poet, lectur-
er and editor in chief of the Century
Magazine, who recently died at the
home of q friend in New York city.
was born in Bordentown, n. J., on Feb.
s, 1914. For more than a quarter of a
century he was regarded as an au-
thority on literature.
Mr.. Glider came of colonial stock and
inherited a scholarly bent. His father,
the Rev. william II. Glider of the
Methodist denomination, was the
founder of Bellevue seminary, Borden
town, N. j.
Richard browsed about as a boy in
the printing office Of the Long Island
Times in Flushing. While he still wore
short trousers he could hold his own
as setter of type. Perched on an
old soap box. he was wont to set his
own compositions in type and print
them. He showed a precocious lean
ing toward letters in his early youth
and before he was twelve years old
was writing, setting type for and pub
fishing the st. Thomas Register at
Flushing. n. Y, whittier his father had
gone to establish st. Thomas Hall, an
academy for boys.
In the AntisIavery Cause.
His education was completed under
his fathers tuition, and when he was
sixteen he was following national is
sues. His ardor for the antislavery
cause led him at this period to unite
with two young colleagues in the pro-
ductfon of newspaper in the support
OF Bell and Everett for presidential
honors
He was always somewhat frail, but
when the civil war broke out he was
anxious to fight, and at the time when
the northern cause seemed threatened,
in the campaign OF 1868, he enlisted In
Lands Philadelphia battery, serving
until Lee was beaten back from Penn
sylvania.
Mr.. elders first serious editorial
venture on his own responsibility was
the establishment in 1868 Of the New
ark On. j. Morning Register. a daily,
which he founded and edited with
Murray Crane. The Register was not
a financial success, and he gave up his
connection with it in short time.
His literary ability had already re-
ceived wide recognition in New York,
which then represented the best
thought of tho country, and at the age
of twenty-six he was offered the edi-
torsbip of Hours at Home. published
by the Scribners. When this publica-
ton was absorbed in Scribner's Month
~, organized shortly thereafter, he be-
came associate editor under DR.. Hol-
land, retaining that post for eleven
years. When at DR.. Hollands death
the magazine underwent further re
and change of ownership,
becoming the Century, Mr.. Glider fol-
lowed 1t as managing editor. he held
this post from 1881 until his death.
During all the period of his editorial
work Mr.. Glider was writing from
time to time verse, which was the ba-
sis of his widest public appreciation.
His first book of verse. 1.-The New
Day." was published in 1885. and
among these anil the six volumes
which have follow ed are included SON
nets and lyrics which have found a
setting in the American anthology and
have been rated by critics as sure to
Novel Experience With Contributor.
Magazine editors are often charged.
perhaps sometimes justly, with show
ing partiality in their acceptance OF
but far more often the
case is the reverse, and manuscripts
are accepted purely on their merits
without the editor knowing or realiz-
ing who the author may be. The fol-
lowing experience of Mr.. Glider while
editor of the. Century is a case in
point: He was sitting at a dinner next
to a charming young girl whom he
knew slightly as a clever young wo-
man with somewhat decided ideas,
which she spent great deal of energy
In carrying out.
"What are you doing now?' he ask
ID interestedly of his bright neighbor.
Nothing, really nothing in particular
lust now," was the reply, except, per-
laps. some verses 1 have been writ
ng."
"Oh, my dear child, don't do that!'
,ried the editor in a tone of Mortified
'egret. why, do you know, you are
,eally wasting your time. People can't
get 25 cents for 5000 verses today"
Cant they?'' with sad surprise. 81
IAN. though" she continued. "for 1 re-