The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-01-09

response to a public demand. or mere
ly as the survival of an old custom 2,
In other words, would any magazine
lose prestige if it stopped publishing
poetry?
Mr. Bok-No magazine of general
literature has ever published SO little
poetry as The Ladies' Home Journal;
still we live!
Mr. McClure-If there is not an &C
tual demand, there is at least a warm
appreciation of good verse among the
readers of magazines. Some publica-
tons would undoubtedly lose prestige
and friends by cutting off their verse;
upon others the effect would be prac-
tically nil.
Mr. Perry-When our poets quit
marking time and begin to march
again, it would be pity if they could
not find the magazine roads open.
Meantime, it is they who are losing
prestige rather than the magazines.
Mr.. Johnson believe that the pub
lie, which in general is Indifferent to
poetry and short stories in book form,
would look with less favor upon any
magazine which should entirely es-
chew either of these two attractive
features. The American people, in
spite of their commercialism, have
much sentiment, and I believe that,
in a more or less shame-faced way,
taste will increase as we get, first, bet
ter poetry, and, second, better crit
icism of poetry, if, indeed, I do not
reverse the true order in which they
are likely to come.
Colonel Harvey-Prestige, possibly,
but no subscribers.
Proffered Manuscripts.
IV.-Do you care to say how large
a proportion of the descriptive and
historical articles published by your
magazine in the course Of the year are
ordered by the editor and based on
ideas given by him to the writer's?
Mr.. Perry-The last time The At
Iantic analysed the source Of the
articles for a given year almost ex-
actly one-third of them were the re-
suit of direct editorial suggestion.
Another third were sent by regular
contributors who allowed this maya
zine thru consultation to select from
their current work. The remaining
third were entirely unsolicited.
Mr.. McClure-More than rs per cent
of the articles published in McClure's
represent the ideas and suggestions of
the editorial staff.
Colonel Harvey-About four in five
of the articles printed in The North
American Review, Harper's Magazine
and Harper's Bazaar are ordered by
the editors.
Mr.. Johnson--It is impossible to
give data in response to this question,
but I may say that we generally find
that the ordered article is less likely to
turn out we'll. Writers unconsciously
are less on their mett1e than when
writing from an original impulse and
with an uncertain market, and, if truth
must be told, are less likely to be con-
scientiOus in their work. There Is
! moreover, an element of unfairness to
the editor in asking him to speculate
upon the result of these ventures
Such articles are often written to time
as we'll as to order, and the disar-
rangement of ones menu by a poor
dish which arrives late need not be
enlarged upon. The most trying thing
| in editing is to have well-conceived
idea which has been placed in appar-
emily competent hands turn out at the
last moment unexpectedly wrong in
cluded, but not good enough to have
the desired significance.
Short Stories.
V.-Does the supply Of good short
stores equal the demand? ...
Mr.. Misunderstanding not. Neither
in short fiction nor in any other prod
uct Of mans brain does the good sup
ply equal the demand.
Colonel Harvey-No.
Mr.. Bok-It takes a mighty goot
while, you know, to write good shor
story. and generally about half an hour
to read it. SO how could the supply
ever equal the demand?
Mr.. Perry-Barring out those work!
of genius which are not often writer
to order, I should say that short storie:
illustrate the law of the equivalence
of supply and demand better thar
anything else in literature. "The de.
mand being what we know it is, the
merchant must supply it, as he will
supply saddles and pale ale for Bonn
bay or Calcutta.''