To meet this want he proposed the starting of The Girl’s Own Paper to the present proprietors. By them the suggestion was well received—indeed, they themselves had about the same time conceived the notion of a magazine for girls—but many doubts and difficulties were expressed as to the carrying of it out, which was natural, seeing the venture meant the sinking of a considerable amount of capital. At last, however, the decision to start the paper was arrived at and careful preparations were made for launching the first number on Saturday the 3rd of January, 1880.
During the nearly twenty years which have elapsed since then the Editor has been aided in every possible way by the society who own the paper. They have enabled him to conduct it on the most liberal principles of expenditure, and the business management has been such as to make easy what at times might have proved burdensome. Also to the Editor-in-Chief of the Society’s magazines, Dr. Macaulay, the hearty thanks of the Editor are due for liberty of action and a great deal of kindly encouragement.
The first number appeared on the Saturday we have just named. Success shone upon us from the very first, and The Girl’s Own Paper at once and by general consent took a foremost place amongst the magazines of the day.
Professional critics in the Press were generous, and said many a friendly word in our praise. The late George Augustus Sala elevated The Girl’s Own Paper to the position of “first favourite,” and in an encouraging notice expressed a hope that “all the girls” of Great Britain would subscribe, for he thought it would be greatly to their advantage.
Much-valued approval and friendly letters of advice and help also came to us in these early days from Mr. John Ruskin, who, writing to a girl friend, said that he had ordered the paper to be sent to him regularly, and added, “Surely you young ladies—girls, I ought to say—will think you have a fair sixpenny worth.”
But better and more important than even the praise of the critics was the appreciation of the girls themselves. Everywhere throughout the country, far away in the colonies, and up and down all over the world, we found we were being read, valued, and talked about by those for whose benefit the paper had been produced. Girls were unanimous in recognising the merits of this new friend and in letting it be seen that The Girl’s Own Paper was to be henceforth a welcome and, indeed, indispensable visitor in all their homes. It was a great and gratifying success.