the americanization of edward bok-第27部分

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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　direction　of　a　modern　magazine；　either　essentially　feminine　in　its　appeal　or　not；　can　safely　be　entrusted　to　a　woman　when　one　considers　how　largely　executive　is　the　nature　of　such　a　position；　and　how　thoroughly　sensitive　the　modern　editor　must　be　to　the　hundred　and　one　practical　business　matters　which　today　enter　into　and　form　so　large　a　part　of　the　editorial　duties。　We　may　question　whether　women　have　as　yet　had　sufficient　experience　in　the　world　of　business　to　cope　successfully　with　the　material　questions　of　a　pivotal　editorial　position。　Then；　again；　it　is　absolutely　essential　in　the　conduct　of　a　magazine　with　a　feminine　or　home　appeal　to　have　on　the　editorial　staff　women　who　are　experts　in　their　line；　and　the　truth　is　that　women　will　work　infinitely　better　under　the　direction　of　a　man　than　of　a　woman。

It　would　seem　from　the　present　outlook　that；　for　some　time；　at　least；　the　so…called　woman's　magazine　of　large　purpose　and　wide　vision　is　very　likely　to　be　edited　by　a　man。　It　is　a　question；　however；　whether　the　day　of　the　woman's　magazine；　as　we　have　known　it；　is　not　passing。　Already　the　day　has　gone　for　the　woman's　magazine　built　on　the　old　lines　which　now　seem　so　grotesque　and　feeble　in　the　light　of　modern　growth。　The　interests　of　women　and　of　men　are　being　brought　closer　with　the　years；　and　it　will　not　be　long　before　they　will　entirely　merge。　This　means　a　constantly　diminishing　necessity　for　the　distinctly　feminine　magazine。

Naturally；　there　will　always　be　a　field　in　the　essentially　feminine　pursuits　which　have　no　place　in　the　life　of　a　man；　but　these　are　rapidly　being　cared　for　by　books；　gratuitously　distributed；　issued　by　the　manufacturers　of　distinctly　feminine　and　domestic　wares；　for　such　publications　the　best　talent　is　being　employed；　and　the　results　are　placed　within　easy　access　of　women；　by　means　of　newspaper　advertisement；　the　store…counter；　or　the　mails。　These　will　sooner　or　laterand　much　sooner　than　latersupplant　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　th