The age-herald., 1902-04-08

The death of MT. F. c. Mann. the edi- tor of Town Topics. which for years has been one of the most widely read society journals in the country, Is worthy of more than passing comment.
 MT. Mann called his journal the Jour nal of Society," and he attempted to have it's pages reflect a glittering phase of social life. He discussed the drama, mu- sic, art, literature, to say nothing of modes and stock markets with an origi- naity and a cleverness that distinguished his journal from any other publication in the country. But while it's cleverness is admitted by all who read it. there are few persons who have approved of the policy persued by it's late editor in giving publicity to risque gossip.
 That MT. Mann openly discussed incl dents that Madame might prefer to con- fide to you behind the fiuIter of her fan and that MT. Millionaire would have preferred that the reasons that secured for him a black ball at the club would not have been so prominently aired no one will deny.
 The persons who socially are unknown quantities and whose strategic methods for recognition furnished a succession of stories that amused MT. Manns exclu- sive clientele doubtless had sufficient cause for condemning the publication Certain divorces are also among the class that was apt to resent Mir. Mann's investigations. That Town Topics has been no respecter of persons Is evident. but in exposing the charms of society, 1t bringing into bold relief incidents that reflected upon certain members of the so- called smart set. MT. Mann emphasized. unconsciously perhaps, another and truer side of social life, that element that con stitutes the highest social life of the Re- | public and which forms the basis for the best civilization.
 | l do not say that the object of Town Topics has been to maintain the higher standards, but its very attitude to inn morality, the viciousness with which 1t 1 exposed certain phases of social life, was almost in the nature of a crusade Its late editor did not attack the entire cial fabric and tear it to shreds, but he did throw a searchlight in many quarters of the globe.
 IOWn IODlcS appedleQ to US TeauerS De- cause 1t dismissed with such cleverness the affairs of prominent people through out the country The fashionable pat ronage secured by it's late editor copa> prises the element, however, that Would hardly be influenced by the publication. The readers of Town Torpircs are men and women of the worlH and who are not likely to be biased in their opinions by the gossip as /te3id in it's pages. They may be amuseS by the little filings and entertain ed, the stories that are picturesquely f'told, but that this journal of society," should be taken seriously has never oc- cured to any one of it's countless read CTS.
 Its editor made no attempt to print a l journal along serious lines, and while it has attracted attention throughout the | country and found its way from the most luxurious club to the most fragrant bou- doir, the publication cannot be classed among those that mould public opinion in any channel. While it was not cal culated to exert a broad influence, it was scarcely demoralizng to the clientele that supported it. Journals conducted along similar lines have been usually short lived, and there is usually tragedy that terminated their existence
 The writer who deals in personalities treads on dangerous ground, and a publi- cation devoted to revealing the skeleton in the closet has no good reason for ex- isting The frankness of Town Topics causes one to reflect upon the moral right of any publication to openly attack char acter, but it is done every day. The meth ods of Town Topics are, however, dis tinctive. but it carries little weight with the class of readers that support it.