Youth's Companion (1827-1929) was a popular American children's magazine while it was published. Its first publishers, Nathaniel Wills and Asa Rand, stated that it was created to encourage "virtue and piety, and... warn against the ways of transgression". Its sales reached peak in the 1893s, and it began to target adults as well as children with its pieces done by writers including Harriet Beecher Stowe, Mark Twain, Emily Dickinson, Booker T. Washington, and Jack London. Its early issues were centered around religion, as most years the circulation didn't reach 5,000, but when it increased one-hundredfold in the 1890s, it centered around entertainment. It had a children's section, which included short poems and puzzles, and a medical column for older readers. In fact, it was advertized in 1897 as "An Illustrated Family Paper", as, as one person said of it, it "did away with childish things". But, going back to its begginings, the Youth's Companion did not mention drugs or alchohol, and did not use politics much. When it did, it usually used them in a humorous way. Harriet Beecher Stowe Harriet Beecher Stowe Harriet Elizabeth Beecher Stowe, born (June 14, 1811 – July 1, 1896) was an abolitionist and writer of 30 books, the most famous being Uncle Toms Cabin which describes life in slavery, and which was first published in serial form from 1851 to 1852... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, the lead section of this article may need to be expanded. ... A young Emily Dickinson, sometime around 1846-1847, for many years the only known photograph of her. ... Booker T. Washington Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856 – November 14, 1915) was an American political leader, educator and author. ... Jack London, probably born John Griffith Chaney (January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916)[4][5][6] was an American author who wrote The Call of the Wild and over fifty other books. ...

The Companion was published for over one hundred years until it finally merged with American Boy in 1929. From 1892 until then it promoted the Pledge of Allegiance, as a staff member, Francis Bellamy, wrote it. It has been suggested that Pledge of Allegiance criticism be merged into this article or section. ... Francis Bellamy (1855 - 1931), a devout Baptist minister, a graduate of the University of Rochester, and a socialist, composed the original Pledge of Allegiance for the Boston-based Youths Companion in 1892. ...

External links

http://history.vineyard.net/pdgech2.htm