enny Monthly_, that I went over and
waylaid Mr. Stead as he was coming with his family out of church. I
explained my views to him, and in a few minutes he agreed that I was
right, and the title was altered to that which has now become so
familiar. Well, when the _Review of Reviews_ went out of my field of
vision, I had made certain arrangements with people for publishing
magazine work, and so on, and I wanted something to take its place. Then
came to me a very old and favourite idea of mine--the idea of a
_magazine with a picture on every page_! I engaged the services of Mr.
Greenhough Smith, now my assistant editor on the _Strand Magazine_, who
had the idea of largely producing translations from foreign authors, and
as soon as the _Review of Reviews_ had gone, I was at work on the new
venture."

[Illustration: THE DRAWING-ROOM.]

"And, with regard to its title, Mr. Newnes," said I, "you are great on
titles, are you not?" "I attach great importance to them, certainly," he
vigorously replied. "I thoroughly agree with Shakespeare that there is
much in a name. Why, indeed, should names be valueless? They are as
great facts as anything else in the constitutions of humanity. And in
the journalistic world a name is half the battle. _The Strand_ was a
good title, it appeared to me, short, and at the same time attractive.
After all, it is through the Strand itself that the tide of life flows
fullest and strongest and deepest. I felt that with a good picture on
the cover it would sell well on the book-stalls. The picture was rather
difficult, and much depended on that picture. At first I did not succeed
in getting the artist to embody my idea of a picture of a street. Now I
had here at home an oil painting which I thought would help him." And as
he spoke, Mr. Newnes led me to the staircase and showed me a very
charming perspective of some street in an English town. "I showed Mr.
Haite this picture," he continued, "and I asked him if he could do a
similar perspective of the Strand."

[Illustration: "I WORK VERY QUICKLY."]

_The Picture Magazine_, which started with this year, is likely to
be nearly as successful as _The Strand_. After we had discussed the
position and the prospects of the new paper which Mr. Newnes has started
to fill the place in the Radical journalistic ranks of the _P.M.G._,
we drifted into a general conversation on his habits of life, his
occupations, and the varied qualities which go to the making of a