the americanization of edward bok-第79部分

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y　and　the　New　York　Philharmonic　had　their　deficits　met　by　one　individual　patron　in　each　case。　This；　to　Bok's　mind；　was　an　even　worse　system；　since　it　entirely　excluded　the　public；　making　the　orchestra　dependent　on　the　continued　interest　and　life　of　a　single　man。

In　1916　Bok　sought　Mr。　Alexander　Van　Rensselaer；　the　president　of　the　Philadelphia　Orchestra　Association；　and　proposed　that　he；　himself；　should　guarantee　the　deficit　of　the　orchestra　for　five　years；　provided　that　during　that　period　an　endowment　fund　should　be　raised；　contributed　by　a　large　number　of　subscribers；　and　sufficient　in　amount　to　meet；　from　its　interest；　the　annual　deficit。　It　was　agreed　that　the　donor　should　remain　in　strict　anonymity；　an　understanding　which　has　been　adhered　to　until　the　present　writing。

The　offer　from　the　〃anonymous　donor；〃　presented　by　the　president；　was　accepted　by　the　Orchestra　Association。　A　subscription　to　an　endowment　fund　was　shortly　afterward　begun；　and　the　amount　had　been　brought　to　eight　hundred　thousand　dollars　when　the　Great　War　interrupted　any　further　additions。　In　the　autumn　of　1919；　however；　a　city…wide　campaign　for　an　addition　of　one　million　dollars　to　the　endowment　fund　was　launched。　The　amount　was　not　only　secured；　but　over…subscribed。　Thus；　instead　of　a　guarantee　fund；　contributed　by　thirteen　hundred　subscribers；　with　the　necessity　for　annual　collection；　an　endowment　fund　of　one　million　eight　hundred　thousand　dollars；　contributed　by　fourteen　thousand　subscribers；　has　been　secured；　and　the　Philadelphia　Orchestra　has　been　promoted　from　a　privately　maintained　organization　to　a　public　institution　in　which　fourteen　thousand　residents　of　Philadelphia　feel　a　proprietary　interest。　It　has　become　in　fact；　as　well　as　in　name；　〃our　orchestra。〃



XXXIII。　How　Millions　of　People　Are　Reached

The　success　of　The　Ladies'　Home　Journal　went　steadily　forward。　The　circulation　had　passed　the　previously　unheard…of　figure　for　a　monthly　magazine　of　a　million　and　a　half　copies　per　month；　it　had　now　touched　a　million　and　three…quarters。

And　not　only　was　the　figure　so　high；　but　the　circulation　itself　was　absolutely　free　from　〃water。〃　The　public　could　not　obtain　the　magazine　through　what　are　known　as　clubbing…rates；　since　no　subscriber　was　permitted　to　include　any　other　magazine　with　it；　years　ago　it　had　abandoned　the　practice　of　offering　premiums　or　consideration　of　any　kind　to　induce　subscriptions；　and　the　newsdealers　were　not　allowed　to　return　unsold　copies　of　the　periodical。　Hence　every　copy　was　either　purchased　by　the　public　at　the　full　price　at　a　newsstand；　or　subscribed　for　at　its　stated　subscription　price。　It　was；　in　short；　an　authoritative　circulation。　And　on　every　hand　the　question　was　being　asked：　〃How　is　it　done？　How　is　such　a　high　circulation　obtained？〃

Bok's　invariable　answer　was　that　he　gave　his　readers　the　very　best　of　the　class　of　reading　that　he　believed　would　interest　them；　and　that　he　spared　neither　effort　nor　expense　to　obtain　it　for　them。　When　Mr。　Howells　once　asked　him　how　he　classified　his　audience；　Bok　replied：　〃We　appeal　to　the　intelligent　American　woman　rather　than　to　the　intellectual　type。〃　And　he　gave　her　the　best　he　could　obtain。　As　he　knew　her　to　be　fond　of　the　personal　type　of　literature；　he　gave　her　in　succession　Jane　Addams's　story　of　〃My　Fifteen　Years　at　Hull　House；〃　and　the　remarkable　narration　of　Helen　Keller's　〃Story　of　My　Life〃；　he　invited　Henry　Van　Dyke；　who　had　never　been　in　the　Holy　Land；　to　go　there；　camp　out　in　a　tent；　and　then　write　a　series　of　sketches；　〃Out　of　Doors　in　the　Holy　Land〃；　he　induced　Lyman　Abbott　to　tell　the　story　of　〃My　Fifty　Years　as　a　Minister。〃　He　asked　Gene　Stratton　Porter　to　tell　of　her　bird…experiences　in　the　series：　〃What　I　Have　Done　with　Birds〃；　he　persuaded　Dean　Hodges　to　turn　from　his　work　of　training　young　clergymen　at　the　Episcopal　Seminary；　at　Cambridge；　and　write　one　of　the　most　successful　series　of　Bible　stories　for　children　ever　printed；　and　then　he　supplemented　this　feature　for　children　by　publishing　Rudyard　Kipling's　〃Just　So〃　stories　and　his　〃Puck　of　Pook's　Hill。〃　He　induced　F。　Hopkinson　Smith　to　tell　the　best　stories　he　had　ever　heard　in　his　wide　travels　in　〃The　Man　in　the　Arm　Chair〃；　he　got　Kate　Douglas　Wiggin　to　tell　a　country　church　experience　of　hers　in　〃The　Old　Peabody　Pew〃；　and　Jean　Webster　her　knowledge　of　almshouse　life　in　〃Daddy　Long　Legs。〃

The　readers　of　The　Ladies'　Home　Journal　realized　that　it　searched　the　whole　field　of　endeavor　in　literature　and　art　to　secure　what　would　interest　them；　and　they　responded　with　their　support。

Another　of　Bok's　methods　in　editing　was　to　do　the　common　thing　in　an　uncommon　way。　He　had　the　faculty　of　putting　old　wine　in　new　bottles　and　the　public　liked　it。　His　ideas　were　not　new；　he　knew　there　were　no　new　ideas；　but　he　presented　his　ideas　in　such　a　way　that　they　seemed　new。　It　is　a　significant　fact；　too；　that　a　large　public　will　respond　more　quickly　to　an　idea　than　it　will　to　a　name。

This　The　Ladies'　Home　Journal　proved　again　and　again。　Its　most　pronounced　successes；　from　the　point　of　view　of　circulation；　were　those　in　which　the　idea　was　the　sole　and　central　appeal。　For　instance；　when　it　gave　American　women　an　opportunity　to　look　into　a　hundred　homes　and　see　how　they　were　furnished；　it　added　a　hundred　thousand　copies　to　the　circulation。　There　was　nothing　new　in　publishing　pictures　of　rooms　and；　had　it　merely　done　this；　it　is　questionable　whether　success　would　have　followed　the　effort。　It　was　the　way　in　which　it　was　done。　The　note　struck　entered　into　the　feminine　desire；　reflected　it；　piqued　curiosity；　and　won　success。

Again；　when　The　Journal　decided　to　show　good　taste　and　bad　taste　in　furniture；　in　comparative　pictures；　another　hundred　thousand　circulation　came　to　it。　There　was　certainly　nothing　new　in　the　comparative　idea；　but　applied　to　a　question　of　taste；　which　could　not　be　explained　so　clearly　in　words；　it　seemed　new。

Had　it　simply　presented　masterpieces　of　art　as　such；　the　series　might　have　attracted　little　attention。　But　when　it　announced　that　these　masterpieces　had　always　been　kept　in　private　galleries；　and　seen　only　by　the　favored　few；　that　the　public　had　never　been　allowed　to　get　any　closer　to　them　than　to　read　of　the　fabulous　prices　paid　by　their　millionaire　owners；　and　that　now　the　magazine　would　open　the　doors　of　those　exclusive　galleries　and　let　the　public　inpublic　curiosity　was　at　once　piqued；　and　over　one　hundred　and　fifty　thousand　persons　who　had　never　before　bought　the　magazine　were　added　to　the　list。

In　not　one　of　these　instances；　nor　in　the　case　of　other　successful　series；　did　the　appeal　to　the　public　depend　upon　the　names　of　contributors；　there　were　none：　it　was　the　idea　which　the　public　liked　and　to　which　it　responded。

The　editorial　Edward　Bok　enjoyed　this　hugely；　the　real　Edward　Bok　did　not。　The　one　was　bottled　up　in　the　other。　It　was　a　case　of　absolute　self…effacement。　The　man　behind　the　editor　knew　that　if　he　followed　his　own　personal　tastes　and　expressed　them　in　his　magazine；　a　limited　audience　would　be　his　instead　of　the　enormous　clientele　that　he　was　now　reaching。　It　was　the　man　behind　the　editor　who　had　sought　expression　in　the　idea　of　Country　Life；　the　magazine　which　h