the americanization of edward bok-第31章

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tersupplant　the　practical　portions　of　the　woman's　magazine；　leaving　only　the　general　contents；　which　are　equally　interesting　to　men　and　to　women。　Hence　the　field　for　the　magazine　with　the　essentially　feminine　appeal　is　contracting　rather　than　broadening；　and　it　is　likely　to　contract　much　more　rapidly　in　the　future。

The　field　was　altogether　different　when　Edward　Bok　entered　it　in　1889。　It　was　not　only　wide　open；　but　fairly　crying　out　to　be　filled。　The　day　of　Godey's　Lady's　Book　had　passed；　Peterson's　Magazine　was　breathing　its　last；　and　the　home　or　women's　magazines　that　had　attempted　to　take　their　place　were　sorry　affairs。　It　was　this　consciousness　of　a　void　ready　to　be　filled　that　made　the　Philadelphia　experiment　so　attractive　to　the　embryo　editor。　He　looked　over　the　field　and　reasoned　that　if　such　magazines　as　did　exist　could　be　fairly　successful；　if　women　were　ready　to　buy　such；　how　much　greater　response　would　there　be　to　a　magazine　of　higher　standards；　of　larger　initiativea　magazine　that　would　be　an　authoritative　clearing…house　for　all　the　problems　confronting　women　in　the　home；　that　brought　itself　closely　into　contact　with　those　problems　and　tried　to　solve　them　in　an　entertaining　and　efficient　way；　and　yet　a　magazine　of　uplift　and　inspiration：　a　magazine；　in　other　words；　that　would　give　light　and　leading　in　the　woman's　world。

The　method　of　editorial　expression　in　the　magazines　of　1889　was　also　distinctly　vague　and　prohibitively　impersonal。　The　public　knew　the　name　of　scarcely　a　single　editor　of　a　magazine：　there　was　no　personality　that　stood　out　in　the　mind：　the　accepted　editorial　expression　was　the　indefinite　〃we〃；　no　one　ventured　to　use　the　first　person　singular　and　talk　intimately　to　the　reader。　Edward　Bok's　biographical　reading　had　taught　him　that　the　American　public　loved　a　personality：　that　it　was　always　ready　to　recognize　and　follow　a　leader；　provided；　of　course；　that　the　qualities　of　leadership　were　demonstrated。　He　felt　the　time　had　comethe　reference　here　and　elsewhere　is　always　to　the　realm　of　popular　magazine　literature　appealing　to　a　very　wide　audiencefor　the　editor　of　some　magazine　to　project　his　personality　through　the　printed　page　and　to　convince　the　public　that　he　was　not　an　oracle　removed　from　the　people；　but　a　real　human　being　who　could　talk　and　not　merely　write　on　paper。

He　saw；　too；　that　the　average　popular　magazine　of　1889　failed　of　large　success　because　it　wrote　down　to　the　publica　grievous　mistake　that　so　many　editors　have　made　and　still　make。　No　one　wants　to　be　told；　either　directly　or　indirectly；　that　he　knows　less　than　he　does；　or　even　that　he　knows　as　little　as　he　does：　every　one　is　benefited　by　the　opposite　implication；　and　the　public　will　always　follow　the　leader　who　comprehends　this　bit　of　psychology。　There　is　always　a　happy　medium　between　shooting　over　the　public's　head　and　shooting　too　far　under　it。　And　it　is　because　of　the　latter　aim　that　we　find　the　modern　popular　magazine　the　worthless　thing　that；　in　so　many　instances；　it　is　to…day。

It　is　the　rare　editor　who　rightly　gauges　his　public　psychology。　Perhaps　that　is　why；　in　the　enormous　growth　of　the　modern　magazine；　there　have　been　produced　so　few　successful　editors。　The　average　editor　is　obsessed　with　the　idea　of　〃giving　the　public　what　it　wants；〃　whereas；　in　fact；　the　public；　while　it　knows　what　it　wants　when　it　sees　it；　cannot　clearly　express　its　wants；　and　never　wants　the　thing　that　it　does　ask　for；　although　it　thinks　it　does　at　the　time。　But　woe　to　the　editor　and　his　periodical　if　he　heeds　that　siren　voice！

The　editor　has；　therefore；　no　means　of　finding　it　out　aforehand　by　putting　his　ear　to　the　ground。　Only　by　the　simplest　rules　of　psychology　can　he　edit　rightly　so　that　he　may　lead；　and　to　the　average　editor　of　to…day；　it　is　to　be　feared；　psychology　is　a　closed　book。　His　mind　is　all　too　often　focussed　on　the　circulation　and　advertising；　and　all　too　little　on　the　intangibles　that　will　bring　to　his　periodical　the　results　essential　in　these　respects。

The　editor　is　the　pivot　of　a　magazine。　On　him　everything　turns。　If　his　gauge　of　the　public　is　correct；　readers　will　come：　they　cannot　help　coming　to　the　man　who　has　something　to　say　himself；　or　who　presents　writers　who　have。　And　if　the　reader　comes；　the　advertiser　must　come。　He　must　go　where　his　largest　market　is：　where　the　buyers　are。　The　advertiser；　instead　of　being　the　most　difficult　factor　in　a　magazine　proposition；　as　is　so　often　mistakenly　thought；　is；　in　reality；　the　simplest。　He　has　no　choice　but　to　advertise　in　the　successful　periodical。　He　must　come　along。　The　editor　need　never　worry　about　him。　If　the　advertiser　shuns　the　periodical's　pages；　the　fault　is　rarely　that　of　the　advertiser：　the　editor　can　generally　look　for　the　reason　nearer　home。

One　of　Edward　Bok's　first　acts　as　editor　was　to　offer　a　series　of　prizes　for　the　best　answers　to　three　questions　he　put　to　his　readers：　what　in　the　magazine　did　they　like　least　and　why；　what　did　they　like　best　and　why；　and　what　omitted　feature　or　department　would　they　like　to　see　installed？　Thousands　of　answers　came；　and　these　the　editor　personally　read　carefully　and　classified。　Then　he　gave　his　readers'　suggestions　back　to　them　in　articles　and　departments；　but　never　on　the　level　suggested　by　them。　He　gave　them　the　subjects　they　asked　for；　but　invariably　on　a　slightly　higher　plane；　and　each　year　he　raised　the　standard　a　notch。　He　always　kept　〃a　huckleberry　or　two〃　ahead　of　his　readers。　His　psychology　was　simple：　come　down　to　the　level　which　the　public　sets　and　it　will　leave　you　at　the　moment　you　do　it。　It　always　expects　of　its　leaders　that　they　shall　keep　a　notch　above　or　a　step　ahead。　The　American　public　always　wants　something　a　little　better　than　it　asks　for；　and　the　successful　man；　in　catering　to　it；　is　he　who　follows　this　golden　rule。



XVI。　First　Years　as　a　Woman's　Editor

Edward　Bok　has　often　been　referred　to　as　the　one　〃who　made　The　Ladies'　Home　Journal　out　of　nothing；〃　who　〃built　it　from　the　ground　up；〃　or；　in　similar　terms；　implying　that　when　he　became　its　editor　in　1889　the　magazine　was　practically　non…existent。　This　is　far　from　the　fact。　The　magazine　was　begun　in　1883；　and　had　been　edited　by　Mrs。　Cyrus　H。　K。　Curtis；　for　six　years；　under　her　maiden　name　of　Louisa　Knapp；　before　Bok　undertook　its　editorship。　Mrs。　Curtis　had　laid　a　solid　foundation　of　principle　and　policy　for　the　magazine：　it　had　achieved　a　circulation　of　440；000　copies　a　month　when　she　transferred　the　editorship；　and　it　had　already　acquired　such　a　standing　in　the　periodical　world　as　to　attract　the　advertisements　of　Charles　Scribner's　Sons；　which　Mr。　Doubleday；　and　later　Bok　himself；　gave　to　the　Philadelphia　magazineadvertising　which　was　never　given　lightly；　or　without　the　most　careful　investigation　of　the　worth　of　the　circulation　of　a　periodical。

What　every　magazine　publisher　knows　as　the　most　troublous　years　in　the　establishment　of　a　periodical；　the　first　half…dozen　years　of　its　existence；　had　already　been　weathered　by　the　editor　and　publisher。　The　wife　as　editor　and　the　husband　as　publisher　had　combined　to　lay　a　solid　basis　upon　which　Bok　had　only　to　build：　his　task　was　simply　to　rear　a　structure　upon　the　foundation　already　laid。　It　is　to　the　vision　and　to　the　genius　of　the　first　editor　of　The　Ladies'　Home　Journal　that　the　unprecedented　success　of　the　magazine　is　primarily　due。　It　was　the　purpose　and　the　policy　of　making　a　magazine　of　authoritative　service　for　the　womanhood　of　America；　a　service　which　would　visualize　for　womanhood　its　highest　domestic　estate；　that　had　won　success　for　the　periodical　from　its　inception。　It　is　difficult　to　believe；　in　the　multiplicity　of　similar　magazines　to…day；　that　such　a　purpose　was　new；　that　The　Ladies'　Home　Journal　was　a　path…finder；　but　the　convincing　proof　is　found　in　the　fact　that　all　the　later　magazines　of　this　class　have　followed　in　the　wake　of　the　periodical　conceived　by　Mrs。　Curtis；　and　have　ever　since　been　its　imitators。

When　Edward　Bok　succeeded　Mrs。　Curtis；　he　immediately　encountered　another　popular　misconception　of　a　woman's　magazinethe　conviction　that　if　a　man　is　the　editor　of　a　periodical　with　a　distinctly　feminine　appeal；　he　must；　as　the　term　goes；　〃understand　women。〃　If　Bok　had　believed　this