the americanization of edward bok-第57部分

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s　righteous　concern　offering　fifty　thousand　of　their　names　for　sale。

Bok　had　now　kept　up　the　fight　for　over　two　years；　and　the　results　were　apparent　on　every　hand。　Reputable　newspapers　and　magazines　were　closing　their　pages　to　the　advertisements　of　patent　medicines；　legislation　was　appearing　in　several　States；　the　public　had　been　awakened　to　the　fraud　practised　upon　it；　and　a　Federal　Pure　Food　and　Drug　Act　was　beginning　to　be　talked　about。

Single…handed；　The　Ladies'　Home　Journal　kept　up　the　fight　until　Mark　Sullivan　produced　an　unusually　strong　article；　but　too　legalistic　for　the　magazine。　He　called　the　attention　of　Norman　Hapgood；　then　editor　of　Collier's　Weekly；　to　it；　who　accepted　it　at　once；　and；　with　Bok's　permission；　engaged　Sullivan；　who　later　succeeded　Hapgood　as　editor　of　Collier's。　Robert　J。　Collier　now　brought　Samuel　Hopkins　Adams　to　Bok's　attention　and　asked　the　latter　if　he　should　object　if　Collier's　Weekly　joined　him　in　his　fight。　The　Philadelphia　editor　naturally　welcomed　the　help　of　the　weekly；　and　Adams　began　his　wonderfully　effective　campaign。

The　weekly　and　the　monthly　now　pounded　away　together；　other　periodicals　and　newspapers；　seeing　success　ahead；　and　desiring　to　be　part　of　it　and　share　the　glory；　came　into　the　conflict；　and　it　was　not　long　before　so　strong　a　public　sentiment　had　been　created　as　to　bring　about　the　passage　of　the　United　States　Food　and　Drug　Act；　and　the　patent…medicine　business　of　the　United　States　had　received　a　blow　from　which　it　has　never　recovered。　To…day　the　pages　of　every　newspaper　and　periodical　of　recognized　standing　are　closed　to　the　advertisements　of　patent　medicines；　the　Drug　Act　regulates　the　ingredients；　and　post　office　officials　scan　the　literature　sent　through　the　United　States　mails。

There　are　distinct　indications　that　the　time　has　come　once　more　to　scan　the　patent…medicine　horizon　carefully；　but　the　conditions　existing　in　1920　are　radically　different　from　those　prevailing　in　1904。

One　day　when　Bok　was　at　luncheon　with　Doctor　Lyman　Abbott；　the　latter　expressed　the　wish　that　Bok　would　take　up　the　subject　of　venereal　disease　as　he　had　the　patent…medicine　question。

〃Not　our　question；〃　answered　Bok。

〃It　is　most　decidedly　your　question；〃　was　the　reply。

Bok　cherished　the　highest　regard　for　Doctor　Abbott's　opinion　and　judgment；　and　this　positive　declaration　amazed　him。

〃Read　up　on　the　subject；〃　counselled　Doctor　Abbott；　〃and　you　will　find　that　the　evil　has　its　direct　roots　in　the　home　with　the　parents。　You　will　agree　with　me　before　you　go　very　far　that　it　is　your　question。〃

Bok　began　to　read　on　the　unsavory　subject。　It　was　exceedingly　unpleasant　reading；　but　for　two　years　Bok　persisted；　only　to　find　that　Doctor　Abbott　was　right。　The　root　of　the　evil　lay　in　the　reticence　of　parents　with　children　as　to　the　mystery　of　life；　boys　and　girls　were　going　out　into　the　world　blind…folded　as　to　any　knowledge　of　their　physical　selves；　〃the　bloom　must　not　be　rubbed　off　the　peach；〃　was　the　belief　of　thousands　of　parents；　and　the　results　were　appalling。　Bok　pursued　his　investigations　from　books　direct　into　the　〃Homes　of　Refuge；〃　〃Doors　of　Hope；〃　and　similar　institutions；　and　unearthed　a　condition；　the　direct　results　of　the　false　modesty　of　parents；　that　was　almost　unbelievable。

Bok　had　now　all　his　facts；　but　realized　that　for　his　magazine；　of　all　magazines；　to　take　up　this　subject　would　be　like　a　bolt　from　the　blue　in　tens　of　thousands　of　homes。　But　this　very　fact；　the　unquestioned　position　of　the　magazine；　the　remarkable　respect　which　its　readers　had　for　it；　and　the　confidence　with　which　parents　placed　the　periodical　on　their　home　tablesall　this　was；　after　all；　Bok　thought；　the　more　reason　why　he　should　take　up　the　matter　and　thresh　it　out。　He　consulted　with　friends；　who　advised　against　it；　his　editors　were　all　opposed　to　the　introduction　of　the　unsavory　subject　into　the　magazine。

〃But　it　isn't　unsavory；〃　argued　Bok。　〃That　is　just　it。　We　have　made　it　so　by　making　it　mysterious；　by　surrounding　it　with　silence；　by　making　it　a　forbidden　topic。　It　is　the　most　beautiful　story　in　life。〃

Mr。　Curtis；　alone；　encouraged　his　editor。　Was　he　sure　he　was　right？　If　he　was；　why　not　go　ahead？　Bok　called　his　attention　to　the　fact　that　a　heavy　loss　in　circulation　was　a　foregone　conclusion；　he　could　calculate　upon　one　hundred　thousand　subscribers；　at　least；　stopping　the　magazine。　〃It　is　a　question　of　right；〃　answered　the　publisher；　〃not　of　circulation。〃

And　so；　in　1906；　with　the　subject　absolutely　prohibited　in　every　periodical　and　newspaper　of　standing；　never　discussed　at　a　public　gathering　save　at　medical　meetings；　Bok　published　his　first　editorial。

The　readers　of　his　magazine　fairly　gasped；　they　were　dumb　with　astonishment！　The　Ladies'　Home　Journal；　of　all　magazines；　to　discuss　such　a　subject！　When　they　had　recovered　from　their　astonishment；　the　parents　began　to　write　letters；　and　one　morning　Bok　was　confronted　with　a　large　waste…basket　full　brought　in　by　his　two　office　boys。

〃Protests；〃　laconically　explained　one　of　his　editors。　〃More　than　that；　the　majority　threaten　to　stop　their　subscription　unless　you　stop。〃

〃All　right；　that　proves　I　am　right；〃　answered　Bok。　〃Write　to　each　one　and　say　that　what　I　have　written　is　nothing　as　compared　in　frankness　to　what　is　coming；　and　that　we　shall　be　glad　to　refund　the　unfulfilled　part　of　their　subscriptions。〃

Day　after　day；　thousands　of　letters　came　in。　The　next　issue　contained　another　editorial；　stronger　than　the　first。　Bok　explained　that　he　would　not　tell　the　actual　story　of　the　beginning　of　life　in　the　magazinethat　was　the　prerogative　of　the　parents；　and　he　had　no　notion　of　taking　it　away　from　either；　but　that　he　meant　to　insist　upon　putting　their　duty　squarely　up　to　them；　that　he　realized　it　was　a　long　fight；　hence　the　articles　to　come　would　be　many　and　continued；　and　that　those　of　his　readers　who　did　not　believe　in　his　policy　had　better　stop　the　magazine　at　once。　But　he　reminded　them　that　no　solution　of　any　question　was　ever　reached　by　running　away　from　it。　This　question　had　to　be　faced　some　time；　and　now　was　as　good　a　time　as　any。

Thousands　of　subscriptions　were　stopped；　advertisements　gave　notice　that　they　would　cancel　their　accounts；　the　greatest　pressure　was　placed　upon　Mr。　Curtis　to　order　his　editor　to　cease；　and　Bok　had　the　grim　experience　of　seeing　his　magazine；　hitherto　proclaimed　all　over　the　land　as　a　model　advocate　of　the　virtues；　refused　admittance　into　thousands　of　homes；　and　saw　his　own　friends　tear　the　offending　pages　out　of　the　periodical　before　it　was　allowed　to　find　a　place　on　their　home…tables。

But　The　Journal　kept　steadily　on。　Number　after　number　contained　some　article　on　the　subject；　and　finally　such　men　and　women　as　Jane　Addams；　Cardinal　Gibbons；　Margaret　Deland；　Henry　van　Dyke；　President　Eliot；　the　Bishop　of　London；　braved　the　public　storm；　came　to　Bok's　aid；　and　wrote　articles　for　his　magazine　heartily　backing　up　his　lonely　fight。

The　public；　seeing　this　array　of　distinguished　opinion　expressing　itself；　began　to　wonder　〃whether　there　might　not　be　something　in　what　Bok　was　saying；　after　all。〃　At　the　end　of　eighteen　months；　inquiries　began　to　take　the　place　of　protests；　and　Bok　knew　then　that　the　fight　was　won。　He　employed　two　experts；　one　man　and　one　woman；　to　answer　the　inquiries；　and　he　had　published　a　series　of　little　books；　each　written　by　a　different　author　on　a　different　aspect　of　the　question。

This　series　was　known　as　The　Edward　Bok　Books。　They　sold　for　twenty…five　cents　each；　without　profit　to　either　editor　or　publisher。　The　series　sold　into　the　tens　of　thousands。　Information　was；　therefore；　to　be　had；　in　authoritative　form；　enabling　every　parent　to　tell　the　story　to　his　or　her　child。　Bok　now　insisted　that　every　parent　should　do　this；　and　announced　that　he　intended　to　keep　at　the　subject　until　the　parents　did。　He　explained　that　the　magazine　had　lost　about　seventy…five　thousand　subscribers；　and　that　it　might　just　as　well　lose　some　more；　but　that　the　insistence　should　go　on。

Slowly　but　surely　the　subject　became　a　debatable　one。　Where；　when　Bok　began；　the　leading　prophylactic　society　in　New　York　could　not　secure　five　speaking　dates　for　its　single　lecturer　during　a　session；　it　was　now　put　to　it　to　find　open　dates　for　over　ten　speakers。　Mothers'　clubs；　women's　clubs；　and　organizations　of　all　kinds　clamored　for　authoritative　talks；　here　and　there　a　much…veiled　article　apologetically　crept　into　print；　and　occasionally　a　progressive　school　board　or　educational　institution　experimented　with　a　talk　or　two。

The　Ladies'　Home　Journal　published　a　full…page　editorial　declaring　that　seventy　of　every　one　hundred　special　surgical　operations　on　women　were　directly　or　indirectly　the　result　of　one　cause；　that　sixty　of　every　one　hundred　new…born　blinded　babies　were　blinded　soon　after　birth　from　this　same　cause；　and　that　every　man　knew　what　this　cause　was！

Letters　from　men　now　began　to　pour　in　by　the　hundreds。　With　an　oath　on　nearly　every　line；　they　told　him　that　their　wives；　daughters；　sisters；　or　mothers　had　demanded　to　know　this　cause；　and　that　they　had　to　tell　them。　Bok　answered　these　heated　men　and　told　them　that　was　exactly　why　the　Journal　had　published　the　editorial；　and　that　in　the　next　issu