the americanization of edward bok-第34部分

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now　reading　them；　but　there　seems　little　or　no　understanding　of　the　fact　that　there　lies　an　uncultivated　field　of　tremendous　promise　to　the　publisher　who　will　strike　out　on　a　new　line　and　market　his　books；　so　that　the　public　will　not　have　to　ferret　out　a　book…store　or　wind　through　the　maze　of　a　department　store。　The　American　reading　public　is　not　the　book…reading　public　that　it　should　be　or　could　be　made　to　be；　but　the　habit　must　be　made　easy　for　it　to　acquire。　Books　must　be　placed　where　the　public　can　readily　get　at　them。　It　will　not；　of　its　own　volition；　seek　them。　It　did　not　do　so　with　magazines；　it　will　not　do　so　with　books。

In　the　meanwhile；　Bok's　literary　letter　had　prospered　until　it　was　now　published　in　some　forty…five　newspapers。　One　of　these　was　the　Philadelphia　Times。　In　that　paper；　each　week；　the　letter　had　been　read　by　Mr。　Cyrus　H。　K。　Curtis；　the　owner　and　publisher　of　The　Ladies'　Home　Journal。　Mr。　Curtis　had　decided　that　he　needed　an　editor　for　his　magazine；　in　order　to　relieve　his　wife；　who　was　then　editing　it；　and　he　fixed　upon　the　writer　of　Literary　Leaves　as　his　man。　He　came　to　New　York；　consulted　Will　Carleton；　the　poet；　and　found　that　while　the　letter　was　signed　by　William　J。　Bok；　it　was　actually　written　by　his　brother　who　was　with　the　Scribners。　So　he　sought　Bok　out　there。

The　publishing　house　had　been　advertising　in　the　Philadelphia　magazine；　so　that　the　visit　of　Mr。　Curtis　was　not　an　occasion　for　surprise。　Mr。　Curtis　told　Bok　he　had　read　his　literary　letter　in　the　Philadelphia　Times；　and　suggested　that　perhaps　he　might　write　a　similar　department　for　The　Ladies'　Home　Journal。　Bok　saw　no　reason　why　he　should　not；　and　told　Mr。　Curtis　so；　and　promised　to　send　over　a　trial　installment。　The　Philadelphia　publisher　then　deftly　went　on；　explained　editorial　conditions　in　his　magazine；　and；　recognizing　the　ethics　of　the　occasion　by　not　offering　Bok　another　position　while　he　was　already　occupying　one；　asked　him　if　he　knew　the　man　for　the　place。

〃Are　you　talking　at　me　or　through　me？〃　asked　Bok。

〃Both；〃　replied　Mr。　Curtis。

This　was　in　April　of　1889。

Bok　promised　Mr。　Curtis　he　would　look　over　the　field；　and　meanwhile　he　sent　over　to　Philadelphia　the　promised　trial　〃literary　gossip〃　installment。　It　pleased　Mr。　Curtis；　who　suggested　a　monthly　department；　to　which　Bok　consented。　He　also　turned　over　in　his　mind　the　wisdom　of　interrupting　his　line　of　progress　with　the　Scribners；　and　in　New　York；　and　began　to　contemplate　the　possibilities　in　Philadelphia　and　the　work　there。

He　gathered　a　collection　of　domestic　magazines　then　published；　and　looked　them　over　to　see　what　was　already　in　the　field。　Then　he　began　to　study　himself；　his　capacity　for　the　work；　and　the　possibility　of　finding　it　congenial。　He　realized　that　it　was　absolutely　foreign　to　his　Scribner　work：　that　it　meant　a　radical　departure。　But　his　work　with　his　newspaper　syndicate　naturally　occurred　to　him；　and　he　studied　it　with　a　view　of　its　adaptation　to　the　field　of　the　Philadelphia　magazine。

His　next　step　was　to　take　into　his　confidence　two　or　three　friends　whose　judgment　he　trusted　and　discuss　the　possible　change。　Without　an　exception；　they　advised　against　it。　The　periodical　had　no　standing；　they　argued；　Bok　would　be　out　of　sympathy　with　its　general　atmosphere　after　his　Scribner　environment；　he　was　now　in　the　direct　line　of　progress　in　New　York　publishing　houses；　and；　to　cap　the　climax；　they　each　argued　in　turn；　he　would　be　buried　in　Philadelphia：　New　York　was　the　centre；　etc。；　etc。

More　than　any　other　single　argument；　this　last　point　destroyed　Bok's　faith　in　the　judgment　of　his　friends。　He　had　had　experience　enough　to　realize　that　a　man　could　not　be　buried　in　any　city；　provided　he　had　the　ability　to　stand　out　from　his　fellow…men。　He　knew　from　his　biographical　reading　that　cream　will　rise　to　the　surface　anywhere；　in　Philadelphia　as　well　as　in　New　York：　it　all　depended　on　whether　the　cream　was　there：　it　was　up　to　the　man。　Had　he　within　him　that　peculiar；　subtle　something　that；　for　the　want　of　a　better　phrase；　we　call　the　editorial　instinct？　That　was　all　there　was　to　it；　and　that　decision　had　to　be　his　and　his　alone！

A　business　trip　for　the　Scribners　now　calling　him　West；　Bok　decided　to　stop　at　Philadelphia；　have　a　talk　with　Mr。　Curtis；　and　look　over　his　business　plant。　He　did　this；　and　found　Mr。　Curtis　even　more　desirous　than　before　to　have　him　consider　the　position。　Bok's　instinct　was　strongly　in　favor　of　an　acceptance。　A　natural　impulse　moved　him；　without　reasoning；　to　action。　Reasoning　led　only　to　a　cautious　mental　state；　and　caution　is　a　strong　factor　in　the　Dutch　character。　The　longer　he　pursued　a　conscious　process　of　reasoning；　the　farther　he　got　from　the　position。　But　the　instinct　remained　strong。

On　his　way　back　from　the　West；　he　stopped　in　Philadelphia　again　to　consult　his　friend；　George　W。　Childs；　and　here　he　found　the　only　person　who　was　ready　to　encourage　him　to　make　the　change。

Bok　now　laid　the　matter　before　his　mother；　in　whose　feminine　instinct　he　had　supreme　confidence。　With　her；　he　met　with　instant　discouragement。　But　in　subsequent　talks　he　found　that　her　opposition　was　based　not　upon　the　possibilities　inherent　in　the　position；　but　on　a　mother's　natural　disinclination　to　be　separated　from　one　of　her　sons。　In　the　case　of　Fanny　Davenport's　offer　the　mother's　instinct　was　strong　against　the　proposition　itself。　But　in　the　present　instance　it　was　the　mother's　love　that　was　speaking；　not　her　instinct　or　judgment。

Bok　now　consulted　his　business　associates；　and；　to　a　man；　they　discouraged　the　step；　but　almost　invariably　upon　the　argument　that　it　was　suicidal　to　leave　New　York。　He　had　now　a　glimpse　of　the　truth　that　there　is　no　man　so　provincially　narrow　as　the　untravelled　New　Yorker　who　believes　in　his　heart　that　the　sun　rises　in　the　East　River　and　sets　in　the　North　River。

He　realized　more　keenly　than　ever　before　that　the　decision　rested　with　him　alone。　On　September　1；　1889；　Bok　wrote　to　Mr。　Curtis；　accepting　the　position　in　Philadelphia；　and　on　October　13　following　he　left　the　Scribners；　where　he　had　been　so　fortunate　and　so　happy；　and；　after　a　week's　vacation；　followed　where　his　instinct　so　strongly　led；　but　where　his　reason　wavered。

On　October　20；　1889；　Edward　Bok　became　the　editor　of　The　Ladies'　Home　Journal。



XV。　Successful　Editorship

There　is　a　popular　notion　that　the　editor　of　a　woman's　magazine　should　be　a　woman。　At　first　thought；　perhaps；　this　sounds　logical。　But　it　is　a　curious　fact　that　by　far　the　larger　number　of　periodicals　for　women；　the　world　over；　are　edited　by　men；　and　where；　as　in　some　cases；　a　woman　is　the　proclaimed　editor；　the　direction　of　the　editorial　policy　is　generally　in　the　hands　of　a　man；　or　group　of　men；　in　the　background。　Why　this　is　so　has　never　been　explained；　any　more　than　why　the　majority　of　women's　dressmakers　are　men；　why　music；　with　its　larger　appeal　to　women；　has　been　and　is　still　being　composed；　largely；　by　men；　and　why　its　greatest　instrumental　performers　are　likewise　men；　and　why　the　church；　with　its　larger　membership　of　women；　still　has；　as　it　always　has　had；　men　for　its　greatest　preachers。

In　fact；　we　may　well　ponder　whether　the　full　editorial　authority　and　direc