The New York herald., 1922-08-15

appointment which all his success could
not dissipate.
| The story of Lord Northcliffe's rise
to wealth, place and power is a ver-
/ table romance Of industry. He was born
in the little town of Chapelizod County
Dublin, Ireland, July Is. 1865. His
parents moved to London before he was
a year old. His four brothers and three
| sisters were born there. The boys father,
| Alfred Harmswortn. barrister. and his
mother wanted their son to follow in
his fathers footsteps. He was bright
boy. his neighbors and school teachers
! said. but his head was full of vaga-
| ries."
While still boy at st. Johns Wood
| he met the girl who was afterward to
be his wife. The grounds Of the house
occupied by the Harmsworth family
adjoined those of a girls seminary. Fre-
quently, when the youngsters were play
1 ing cricket the ball was sent over
the wall. interrupting croquet games ana
other equally decorous recreations or
the seminary students Sharp notes
| from the principal were without avail,
and she gave orders that the ball would
be confiscated the next time 1t tres
passed.
Alfred however, following lost ball
y,
4 girl Of 13 and persuaded her to promise
/ to return the ball every time she found
| 1t within the seminary grounds. Report
does not tell us If she kept her promise,
but 1t does say that six years later she.
Mary Elizabeth Miner. became Mrs.
Alfred Harmsworth.
The youth was headstrong. He
wouldn't study law. he said, no matter
how much IL promised him; he was go
ing to London to become newspaper
man. And in the end he had his way
That was in 1882. He got his first Job
with the Illustrated London News that
year
Young Harmsworths first work was
| To write answers to correspondents.
This suggested to him that the British
newspaper reader was of an inquirlng
nature and wanted information about
almost everything. In 1888 he started
weekly magazine called Anstocrs. a
venture that proved very successful
from the beginning. 1t invited queries
and gave prizes for answers and started
competitions. 1t was n big success from
the start and with the revenue from IL
apd from other similar publications he
founded the Daily Mail in 1s96g The
year before. with Kennedy Jones, he
had acquired the Erenin0 Netos.
| starts Comic Papers.
Two years after it's foundation
4nspers moved into larger quarters and
Harmsworth began to publish two comic
weeklies. Chips and Comic Cuts, not un-
like the present day American Sunday
newspaper supplements. These, too, were
pushed by prize contests
| When Ansicers became prosperous
| Harmsworth introduced his policy OF
paying what were considered exorbitant
prices for contributions. Pessimistic
predictions were made concerning the
future OF the Harmsworth publications.
but in 1891 the youthful publisher was
able to afford an estate at Elmwood
on the coast of Kent. about seventy
miles from London Thisl included a
big mansion and extensive grounds
Harmsworth was described at this
time as "a born hustler. who never
seemed to be hustling." He explained
n his success by the fact that he directed
and left the carrying out of his direc-
tions to others. He placed his faith IN
young employees and laid much em-
phasis on the importance OF the per-
sonal touch in all publications.
On the grounds at Elmwood ne buiit
an editorial sanctum and working study.
Within the next few years he was pub
fishing two weekly papers Tor women
For1ct-M -Me-Not and Homo, STcet Home,
another publication called Home chdt
and the Union Jack weekly, boys
library that was destined TO supplant
the old penny dreadfuls."
The first Harmsworth religious weekly,
the Sunday Companion, made its APP
pearance In 1894. and even In the case
OF this paper Harmsworth employed
spectacular methods. He conducted
prize contests with religious flavor and
| on one occasion imported n tank OF
water from the River Jordan. bottles of
which he distributed for certain NUM-
ber OF coupons clipped from the SUNDAY
Companion. advertising "Christen your
babies with Jordan water"
Later Harmsworth founded six
penny magazine not unlike the ten cent
publications that have been so popular
| In this country.
Seven years after his first paper made
| it's appearance Harmsworth was con-
ceded to he In the front rank OF Eng
lsh publishers and he defied all at
tcmpts to wrest that honor from him.
Hnrmsporth's Hd0dsino came into be-
ing in 1898. Harmsworth bought numer-
Gus magazines that were bankrupt and
began trying out all kinds OF strange
ideas. He decided for himself that
what the people were buying never
Indicated what they would buy.
Magazines failed, he said, because they
tried TO initiate those which had sue
ceeded. He figured that most of the
publications did not appeal to the
masses: they were being printed for Sc
Iect groups So Harmsworth put his
ideas into practice and uniformly he
succeeded.
In October. 1903. Harmsworth Issued