Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1909-11-25
R. W. cILDER,POET
AND EDITOR.
Brilliant Career Of a Leader In
the World Of Letters.
ryPESETTER EARLY m LIFE.
Lsts Editor In Chief Of the Century
Became Publisher Before He Was
Twelve Years oid-Novei Experience
With an Unknown Contributor-tiis
Work as a Reformer.


Work as a Reformer.
Richard Watson Glider, poet. lectur.
er and editor in chief of the Century
Magazine. who recently died at the
home of friend In New York city,
was born In Bordentown. n. j., on Feb.
s. 1874. For more than a quarter Of
century he was regarded as an au.
thority on literature.
Mr.. Glider came of colonial stock and
inherited IA scholarly bent. His father
the Rev William II Glider of the
Methodist denomination. was the
founder of Bellevue seminary, Borden
town. y. j.
Ric hard browSed about as a boy iu
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 Perchcd on ar
old soap box. he was wont l6 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
y
fishing the St Thom"S Register at
Flushing. n. Y. whittier his father had
gone tu establish St Thomas Hall. an
academy for boys.
In the Antslavery 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
duction 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
Landis' 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 the country, and at the age
Of twenty-six he was offered the edi,
torship of Hours at Home, published
by the Scribners. When this publica.
ton was absorbed In Scribners Month,
ly, 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 a further re
organization 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 10 time verse, which was the ba
sis of his widest public appreciation
His first book of verse. The New
Day" was published in 1885. and
among these and the six volumes
which have followed are included son.
nets and lyrics which have found a
setting in the American anthology and
have been rated by critics as sure 20
pass into the heritage of the languAre
Novel Experience With a Contributor.
In. nyfT 4 g.Et
perhaps sometimes justly. with show
ing partiality in their acceptance OF
manuscripts. 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 willis
editor of the Century is a case IL
point: He was sitting at dinner next
TO charming young girl whom he
knew slightly as clever young wo.
man with somewhat decided ideas.
which she Saent great deal of energy
in carrying out.
"What are YOU doing now?' he ask.
e1 intercStcd!y Of his bright neighbor.
"%"thiNg rNally nothing in particular
just upvv,' 'e's the reply. Except. per
haps. some rcrses have been writ.
ing"
"Oh. my dear child. don't do that"
cried the editor in tone of Mortified
regret. why. do You know. you ure
really wasting your time. People cans
get % cents for 5000 verses today"
Cant they" with sad surprise II
can, though" she continued. for re-
ceTved $25 for some wrote last
month";
MY goodness exclaimed Mr.. Gil
der in mild amaZement. who paid
you that?"
"Why, you did," cried the girl.
Mr.. Glider was far from being
recluse. In him the cooperative spirit
was highly developed. He took an ac-
tive interest in civic life and performed
valuable services to New York city as
a member of the tenement house com
mission that eradicated many of TIE
evils of tenement life.
He was a member OF several c,,di,s
and one Of the founders of noted So
cieties.