the americanization of edward bok-第32章

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distinctly　feminine　appeal；　he　must；　as　the　term　goes；　〃understand　women。〃　If　Bok　had　believed　this　to　be　true；　he　would　never　have　assumed　the　position。　How　deeply　rooted　is　this　belief　was　brought　home　to　him　on　every　hand　when　his　decision　to　accept　the　Philadelphia　position　was　announced。　His　mother；　knowing　her　son　better　than　did　any　one　else；　looked　at　him　with　amazement。　She　could　not　believe　that　he　was　serious　in　his　decision　to　cater　to　women's　needs　when　he　knew　so　little　about　them。　His　friends；　too；　were　intensely　amused；　and　took　no　pains　to　hide　their　amusement　from　him。　They　knew　him　to　be　the　very　opposite　of　〃a　lady's　man；〃　and　when　they　were　not　convulsed　with　hilarity　they　were　incredulous　and　marvelled。

No　man；　perhaps；　could　have　been　chosen　for　the　position　who　had　a　less　intimate　knowledge　of　women。　Bok　had　no　sister；　no　women　confidantes：　he　had　lived　with　and　for　his　mother。　She　was　the　only　woman　he　really　knew　or　who　really　knew　him。　His　boyhood　days　had　been　too　full　of　poverty　and　struggle　to　permit　him　to　mingle　with　the　opposite　sex。　And　it　is　a　curious　fact　that　Edward　Bok's　instinctive　attitude　toward　women　was　that　of　avoidance。　He　did　not　dislike　women；　but　it　could　not　be　said　that　he　liked　them。　They　had　never　interested　him。　Of　women；　therefore；　he　knew　little；　of　their　needs　less。　Nor　had　he　the　slightest　desire；　even　as　an　editor；　to　know　them　better；　or　to　seek　to　understand　them。　Even　at　that　age；　he　knew　that；　as　a　man；　he　could　not；　no　matter　what　effort　he　might　make；　and　he　let　it　go　at　that。

What　he　saw　in　the　position　was　not　the　need　to　know　women；　he　could　employ　women　for　that　purpose。　He　perceived　clearly　that　the　editor　of　a　magazine　was　largely　an　executive：　his　was　principally　the　work　of　direction；　of　studying　currents　and　movements；　watching　their　formation；　their　tendency；　their　efficacy　if　advocated　or　translated　into　actuality；　and　then　selecting　from　the　horizon　those　that　were　for　the　best　interests　of　the　home。　For　a　home　was　something　Edward　Bok　did　understand。　He　had　always　lived　in　one；　had　struggled　to　keep　it　together；　and　he　knew　every　inch　of　the　hard　road　that　makes　for　domestic　permanence　amid　adverse　financial　conditions。　And　at　the　home　he　aimed　rather　than　at　the　woman　in　it。

It　was　upon　his　instinct　that　he　intended　to　rely　rather　than　upon　any　knowledge　of　woman。　His　first　act　in　the　editorial　chair　of　The　Ladies'　Home　Journal　showed　him　to　be　right　in　this　diagnosis　of　himself；　for　the　incident　proved　not　only　how　correct　was　his　instinct；　but　how　woefully　lacking　he　was　in　any　knowledge　of　the　feminine　nature。

He　had　divined　the　fact　that　in　thousands　of　cases　the　American　mother　was　not　the　confidante　of　her　daughter；　and　reasoned　if　an　inviting　human　personality　could　be　created　on　the　printed　page　that　would　supply　this　lamentable　lack　of　American　family　life；　girls　would　flock　to　such　a　figure。　But　all　depended　on　the　confidence　which　the　written　word　could　inspire。　He　tried　several　writers；　but　in　each　case　the　particular　touch　that　he　sought　for　was　lacking。　It　seemed　so　simple　to　him；　and　yet　he　could　not　translate　it　to　others。　Then；　in　desperation；　he　wrote　an　installment　of　such　a　department　as　he　had　in　mind　himself；　intending　to　show　it　to　a　writer　he　had　in　view；　thus　giving　her　a　visual　demonstration。　He　took　it　to　the　office　the　next　morning；　intending　to　have　it　copied；　but　the　manuscript　accidentally　attached　itself　to　another　intended　for　the　composing…room；　and　it　was　not　until　the　superintendent　of　the　composing…room　during　the　day　said　to　him；　〃I　didn't　know　Miss　Ashmead　wrote；〃　that　Bok　knew　where　his　manuscript　had　gone。

Miss　Ashmead？〃　asked　the　puzzled　editor。

Yes；　Miss　Ashmead　in　your　department；〃　was　the　answer。

The　whereabouts　of　the　manuscript　was　then　disclosed；　and　the　editor　called　for　its　return。　He　had　called　the　department　〃Side　Talks　with　Girls〃　by　Ruth　Ashmead。

〃My　girls　all　hope　this　is　going　into　the　magazine；〃　said　the　superintendent　when　he　returned　the　manuscript。

〃Why？〃　asked　the　editor。

〃Well；　they　say　it's　the　best　stuff　for　girls　they　have　ever　read。　They'd　love　to　know　Miss　Ashmead　better。〃

Here　was　exactly　what　the　editor　wanted；　but　he　was　the　author！　He　changed　the　name　to　Ruth　Ashmore；　and　decided　to　let　the　manuscript　go　into　the　magazine。　He　reasoned　that　he　would　then　have　a　month　in　which　to　see　the　writer　he　had　in　mind；　and　he　would　show　her　the　proof。　But　a　month　filled　itself　with　other　duties；　and　before　the　editor　was　aware　of　it；　the　composition…room　wanted　〃copy〃　for　the　second　installment　of　〃Side　Talks　with　Girls。〃　Once　more　the　editor　furnished　the　copy！

Within　two　weeks　after　the　second　article　had　been　written；　the　magazine　containing　the　first　installment　of　the　new　department　appeared；　and　the　next　day　two　hundred　letters　were　received　for　〃Ruth　Ashmore；〃　with　the　mail…clerk　asking　where　they　should　be　sent。　〃Leave　them　with　me；　please；〃　replied　the　editor。　On　the　following　day　the　mail…clerk　handed　him　five　hundred　more。

The　editor　now　took　two　letters　from　the　top　and　opened　them。　He　never　opened　the　third！　That　evening　he　took　the　bundle　home；　and　told　his　mother　of　his　predicament。　She　read　the　letters　and　looked　at　her　son。　〃You　have　no　right　to　read　these；〃　she　said。　The　son　readily　agreed。

His　instinct　had　correctly　interpreted　the　need；　but　he　never　dreamed　how　far　the　feminine　nature　would　reveal　itself　on　paper。

The　next　morning　the　editor；　with　his　letters；　took　the　train　for　New　York　and　sought　his　friend；　Mrs。　Isabel　A。　Mallon；　the　〃Bab〃　of　his　popular　syndicate　letter。

〃Have　you　read　this　department？〃　he　asked；　pointing　to　the　page　in　the　magazine。

〃I　have；〃　answered　Mrs。　Mallon。　〃Very　well　done；　too；　it　is。　Who　is　'Ruth　Ashmore'？'

〃You　are；〃　answered　Edward　Bok。　And　while　it　took　considerable　persuasion；　from　that　time　on　Mrs。　Mallon　became　Ruth　Ashmore；　the　most　ridiculed　writer　in　the　magazine　world；　and　yet　the　most　helpful　editor　that　ever　conducted　a　department　in　periodical　literature。　For　sixteen　years　she　conducted　the　department；　until　she　passed　away；　her　last　act　being　to　dictate　a　letter　to　a　correspondent。　In　those　sixteen　years　she　had　received　one　hundred　and　fifty…eight　thousand　letters：　she　kept　three　stenographers　busy；　and　the　number　of　girls　who　to…day　bless　the　name　of　Ruth　Ashmore　is　legion。

But　the　newspaper　humorists　who　insisted　that　Ruth　Ashmore　was　none　other　than　Edward　Bok　never　knew　the　partial　truth　of　their　joke！

The　editor　soon　supplemented　this　department　with　one　dealing　with　the　spiritual　needs　of　the　mature　woman。　〃The　King's　Daughters〃　was　then　an　organization　at　the　summit　of　its　usefulness；　with　Margaret　Bottome　its　president。　Edward　Bok　had　heard　Mrs。　Bottome　speak；　had　met　her　personally；　and　decided　that　she　was　the　editor　for　the　department　he　had　in　mind。

〃I　want　it　written　in　an　intimate　way　as　if　there　were　only　two　persons　in　the　world；　you　and　the　person　reading。　I　want　heart　to　speak　to　heart。　We　will　make　that　the　title；〃　said　the　editor；　and　unconsciously　he　thus　created　the　title　that　has　since　become　familiar　wherever　English　is　spoken：　〃Heart　to　Heart　Talks。〃　The　title　gave　the　department　an　instantaneous　hearing；　the　material　in　it　carried　out　its　spirit；　and　soon　Mrs。　Bottome's　department　rivaled；　in　popularity；　the　page　by　Ruth　Ashmore。

These　two　departments　more　than　anything　else；　and　the　irresistible　picture　of　a　man　editing　a　woman's　magazine；　brought　forth　an　era　of　newspaper　paragraphing　and　a　flood　of　so…called　〃humorous〃　references　to　the　magazine　and　editor。　It　became　the　vogue　to　poke　fun　at　both。　The　humorous　papers　took　it　up；　the　cartoonists　helped　it　along；　and　actors　introduced　the　name　of　the　magazine　on　the　stage　in　plays　and　skits。　Never　did　a　periodical　receive　such　an　amount　of　gratuitous　advertising。　Much　of　the　wit　was　absolutely　without　malice：　some　of　it　was　written　by　Edward　Bok's　best　friends；　who　volunteered　to　〃let　up〃　would　he　but　raise　a　finger。

But　he　did　not　raise　the　finger。　No　one　enjoyed　the　〃paragraphs〃　more　heartily　when　the　wit　was　good；　and　in　that　case；　if　the　writer　was　unknown　to　him；　he　sought　him　out　and