The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1910-11-10
Has Written l57 Books.
James Otis kaler Of South Portland,

James Otis KaIer Of South Portland.
James Otis known to Portland and
South Portland people, as James Otis
Kaler. and who lives in South Portland,
has lust had published by Dana Estes &
Company ~ Boston another boys book,
which Is sailed "The Minute Boys Of
Boston. . and will be on sale at the local
book sellers shortly. 1t is stirring tale
of REVOLUTIONARY days in Boston. The
historical facts are correctly stated and
the live. wide awake Boston boys, who
had MANY adventures in the early days
of our war for independence, are the
heroes of this charming story:
1t was 80 wears ago, or such matter,
when James Otis Kaler, then a newspa-
per and magazine writer, spent ten weeks
with one of the large circuses in the ca
pacity of assistant treasurer. He went
with the circus to get local color for
magazine article and he succeeded in
finding it and incidentally in getting his
feet placed on the highway to fame and
fortune.
Mr.. Kaler was assigned to do this work
by then famous publication. Another
man was associated with him in the en-
terprise and the two writer's had the
choice of two positions assigned them by
the circus manager. Kaler had first
choice of these places. One which was
open was assistant press agent. 1t look
ed too much like work of the kind he was
tired of doing. The other position was
that of assistant treasurer and to news
paper writer it seemed like pleasing
prospect to be able to handle a lot of
money, even though the money didn't be-
long to him. In addition to this the place
seemed to be more dignified one and
the salary was better.
"When the season closed" said Mr..
Kaler in telling Press reporter about it
while ago, Il wished that had taken
the other job, even though it wasn't as
dignified as that of assistant treasurer
Every man, woman and child who had
any bad money laying around loose
brought it to my window and passed it
off on me. | found that instead of draw
ing princely salary from the circus that
in the end owed them money, for had
to make good all the spurious coin took
in,''
But the circus gave him his first start
! in juvenile literature. He wrote '"Toby
Tyler or Ten Weeks with Circus. y
1t was a story of boy who ran away
from home and went off with a circus, OF
his trials and hardships, of the compan-
ionship ne found among the odd charac-
+, tiers of the circus, and in his loneliness he
found sympathy in monkey called Mr..
Stubs. The story went like wild fire
when it was published by Harper Broth
ers, first as serial in weekly publica-
ton and later as book. The publishers
demanded one of the same kind and Mr..
Kaler wrote ''Mr. Stubs Brother" a
sequel to the first. This was also ex-
tremely popular and many man who
now has full grown sons Of his own re-
members when he read these stories and
of the delight they gave him.
Today, after 80 years, Mr.. Kaler has
been engaged by Harper Brothers to
write sequel to these two books and is
now preparing it. 1t is called cold Ben, -
and is named after an old driver in the
circus who was one Of Toby Tyler's
friends. The Toby Tyler books still sell
remarkably we'll and the publishers are
clamoring for more Of the same kind,
even though all of these years have clap
sed since the first one was published.
The minute Men of Boston" which
has just been printed, makes the 18th
volume which Mr.. Kaler has written, all
of them boys short stories of the most
delightful kind One who visits Mr..
Kaler at his pleasant South Portland
home and sees the rows Of books on the
shelves of his library which he has him
self produced would acquire a liberal
education could he find time to read
them all, for Mr.. Kaler's books are not
idle stories alone but all deal with his
torical events, and each one of them con-
tains much valuable information in other
subjects as well.
"Never write down to boys" was the
advice Mr.. Kaler once gave to young
man who was attempting some juvenile
writing himself. 1.-THE boys are the most
critical readers in the world. If you can
please them you can please older people
as we'll. The boys know when histori-
cal fact is wrongly stated before any one
else will discover it. They appreciate
good grammar and are quick to dis
eliminate between what is trash and
what has some literary merit. Boys like
plenty of action in their stories, but the
probability of the event must be care
fully considered before it is written"
So none of the James, Otis books are
trashy or sensational. In the latest book
to come from James Otis pen the histori-
cal incidents are true and the dramatic
story Of the first days of the Revolution
about Boston are extremely interesting.
1t is book which boy will not care to
leave until he has finished it, and the
same might be said of all the other books
this man has written.
Mr.. Kaler takes great interest in
young people. He is, and has been for
many years, superintendent of the schools
= n n
to these schools than might be expected
of such busy man for he finds in them
much to interest and help him. He is a
decided favorite with young people and
their elders as we'll, and the story of
what he has accomplished for the South
Portland school system would of itself
be well worth telling. Portland Sunday