CHAPTER IX

HOW BRYANT BECAME RICH

We have already seen that Bryant was born a poor country boy; that his father was so poor he could not send his son to college more than a year; and that Bryant himself, when he first went to New York, worked for a time at a salary of only five hundred dollars a year.

When he became assistant editor of the _Evening Post_, the editor-in-chief, William Coleman, who was also the chief proprietor, thought it would be well to give a small interest in the paper to one or two young men, so that when the older proprietors died others would be coming on to take their places. An eighth part was given to Bryant, who was to pay for it gradually from the money he could save. Another portion was offered to a friend of his, who decided not to take it.

Three or four years later, when Mr. Coleman died, Bryant was made editor-in-chief, and bought a larger interest in the paper. He finally secured one half. The other half was owned for a time by a Mr. Burnham, a practical printer. Later, one of Bryant’s assistants, whose name was Leggett, owned a part interest.

In those days newspapers were not such costly properties as they are to-day. Bryant always made a good living, but he regarded the work in which he was engaged as drudgery.

After he had been in the newspaper work for some years, he wrote to his brother, who was a pioneer in Illinois, saying he thought of retiring from the _Post_, and asking what could be done in the West with four or five thousand dollars. His interest at this time was two fifths, so that he must have valued the paper at about twelve thousand dollars.

About this time, while he was away from New York, his partner and assistant editor, Mr. Leggett, nearly ruined the paper. When Bryant returned he found that it was earning no money, and that he could not sell his interest at any price.

He therefore set to work to win popularity for the paper once more. This he succeeded gradually in doing, and during the next ten years there was an average yearly profit of over $10,000, of which Bryant received a little less than half. In 1850 the yearly profit was $16,000, and in 1860 it was $70,000. If Bryant received $30,000 for his share of the profits of a year’s business, he might be regarded as a rich man. After his death, the _Evening Post_ was sold for $900,000, of which Bryant’s share was half.

During his later years he bought a great deal of land and many houses on Long Island, where he had a country home. He had another country home at Cummington, his grandfather’s homestead, where he built a beautiful house. He also traveled a great deal, going to Europe many times, and to other parts of the world.

Thus, by faithful, plodding work for many years Bryant, though a poet, became rich. He was delicate and sympathetic, like all true poets, but he did not indulge in what some have supposed to be the poet’s liberty to be reckless and careless. He worked faithfully and very diligently all his life; and in his old age he was well rewarded for all his labor.