Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-05-18
What Does the Other Half Read?

hish-class fiction aren't read rs much as
rics in the South End devoted entirely To
ueaiihg IN ten-cent novels at second
hand After you've read your tcn-cent
mover YOU can sell it there for four cents,
ana buy another secondhand one for six
again.
So it appears that If our half beats the
oIher haif in the quality of our literature
me other half excels us in quantity.
My friend. the dealer. thought IL was a
mere mater OF price. IL copyright law
ed at ten cents. the masses would buy
them To 4 certain extent. no doubt
quo Nadis would probably have 4 large
OF the other half would care to thread the
pSychoiosicai intricacies OF the Reign of
Inv. for example
The notoricty which accompanied Miss
Netnersoie's playing Of "Sapho' iast
year caused great demand for that
story. All the ten cent publishers were
turning them ont as fast as their presses
would run, and the competition reduced
them to five cents 4 volume. one dealer
within block of the State House and
less distance from n branch of tie public
library, told me he sold nine hundred
copies. He had lot left over when the
boom broke and now he is willing to sell
them at cent apiece.
The wholesale dealer said that while the
sale OF ten-cent novels is very large the
sale OF the weekly continued story paper
has has been driven out of the cities by The
SUNDAY paper. and il thriVes now only in
the smaller factory towns. For such
towns it is plainly designed. Inc heroine,
is usually factory girl who rises trium-
plant above varied assortment OF trials
ana temptations.
Bostonians who saw the Cadet Girl
will remember the character for whom
life was torment because Just al tho cN-
citing climax of all the stories he read he
ever confronted the legend continued in
whether the footsteps which CLAWS
heard were those of the villain, who still
pursued her or the lover who came to
save. This device is one of the great
tricks of the trade of the purveyors OF
weekly story papers. PImnhiets contain
ing the openir~ chapters of one or more
stories are distributed 81 the doors Of GER
tain sections of the citj: piles of III, 81
specimen numbers a.o left at The news
stands for free distribution. The reader
is given just enough t. what his interest
Just rs beautiful GwerdoI.ne is about to
step into the villain rap. while the
Numbering hoof-beais IL the resCung
hero's horse resound through the dark
some wood. he comes ~ an abrupt stop
and is Informed that 'r..idcrs VINO wish
10 follow the fortunes of this fascinating
belle of Fifth avenue Will find the next
chapters in No. 500 Of The 'iloi-Carrier's
stands.
one specimen number which news
dealer gave me contained the opening
chapters OF Marion .slarl w s Money"
The. first paragraph introduces us to
Marion:
Just as a church clock torcd eleven.
beautiful girl with great graz eyes and
magnificent chestnut hair came tripping
along Fourth avenue toward Twentieth
street. She was dressed neatly and sty-
liShly in dark blue skirt with 4 white
shirt waist. dainty leather ic. rirdlcd
her symmetrical waist While a j'unty
sailor nat was perched becomrSly on her
waving trcsses.
While Marion sst-i,,Dtrr-
benevolent impulse led her To help a de-
crepit Oiu woman home. but the dccrerit
old woman proved To be a sort of female
Fagin. and her home n fence for
thieves. where Marion was held prison
er. After a series Of exciting experiences
with secret springs. trapdo"rs ana the
tive turns M Cppnrtunely and Marion
seems lust on the point Of csca ping. when
we are told that the further experiences
of Marion Marlowc in her interesting an
exciting adventures in the SiIiras of the
Great City will lie detailed in No. If sly
Queen. etc.
The kind Of fiction which The comic m
pers have been from time immemoral as
socated with the holated messenger boy
still exists. hut II has changed to meet
changed conditions. The newspapers Still
say. when Johnny Jones runs away from
home that he was going West To fight
Indians. But he wasn't Writers of thi
class of literature know that there are n"
Indian wars now. and so they carry their
heroes to the Philippines to tight tile saw
ages; or they take them on exploring eN-
petitions into the heart Of Asia. Up-tu-
date-nesS is a much sought quality in this
field, and when you see a newSboN sitting
on step lost in the pages Of his story,
YOU may feel certain he is follow the
fortunes of some hero in arms in China.
The old tenn dime novels no longer ar-
plies. The reduced price Of papsr ana
cost of printing has made ii possible To
sell them at five cents each. The demani
| for them. my business friend assures M.
| is increasing. He claims they are good
| thing for the boys. He says The boy had
better be reading stories of adventure
| than doing the ..IingS which idle hands
| find to do. | am not sure but he is right.
| The worst that can he said of them is
| that they are absurd and impossible.
| They are entirely free from Vicious ten
denotes. Their language is gramma'icallv
| correct. at least; there is no slang: there
are even no contractions like "h"ll'' or
| you'll" one of the most nopUl1r of
these ive-cent stories is in series which
| recounts the adventures of Three
| Chums Ben Bright. Dorothy nare ana
Tom True-carrying them through n
series Of adventures, n boarding school.
running circus, exploring Mammoth
| Cave. at college. exploring the Amazon
| and visiting the Pyramids.
| MARK SULLIVAN.