On the mother's side, not a journalist is visible.
Edward attended the Sunday-school of the Carroll Park Methodist Episcopal Church, in Brooklyn, of which a Mr.Elkins was superintendent.

One day he learned that Mr.Elkins was associated with the publishing house of Harper and Brothers.

Edward had heard his father speak of _Harper's Weekly_ and of the great part it had played in the Civil War; his father also brought home an occasional copy of _Harper's Weekly_ and of _Harper's Magazine_.

He had seen _Harper's Young People_; the name of Harper and Brothers was on some of his school-books; and he pictured in his mind how wonderful it must be for a man to be associated with publishers of periodicals that other people read, and books that other folks studied.

The Sunday-school superintendent henceforth became a figure of importance in Edward's eyes; many a morning the boy hastened from home long before the hour for school, and seated himself on the steps of the Elkins house under the pretext of waiting for Mr.Elkins's son to go to school, but really for the secret purpose of seeing Mr.Elkins set forth to engage in the momentous business of making books and periodicals.