The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-03-05

mistic frame of mind. Yet editors have
motives and with the editors Of the more
serious magazines these motives are born
of fine ideals and aim at high goals. One
has only to circulate a little among the
magazine offices of New York that are
recording the march Of events to discover
that the editors Of, such magazines are
in a way all preachers, preachers who
are seeking to convey important truth in
an intensely interesting way to audiences
of hundreds Of thousands every month.
Such editors are not only preachers, they
are prophets, who read the handwriting
on the wall of the5present and the imme-
date past, and apply 1t to the future.
A most interesting and Instructive talk
with Mr.. Walter Page, the guiding spirit
Of The Worlds Work, impressed me with
the truth in the above statement. Mr..
Pages talk originated in question as to
the underlying motive in the foundation
Of his magazine: tThere was a field that
was vacant" said ME-. Page, 'or. at best
only partially occupied There were
plenty Of men putting history and ro-
nance into. good. literary form, making
literature, In short, Of their material, but
there were few indeed making literature
of the events of the day, or even APP
preaching it. Our aim was at the outset,
and still is, to- do$just that. It is an aim
not easily realized. It requires trained
writers, men and women who hate made
a study off, such work and practiced it
long enough to acquire the necessary
readiness and skill III Expression. Sum
married., thesproblem is? this:s To tell the
truth, or make fair presentation Of facts
which are important, and to do It in, a
way that will interest and gripHthe at
tention of the reader. There must be
- ~
as Interestingly told as an exciting tale
of adventure. or at least, must approach
that $50, .---~,.--~rl~.. u
To work along this line, Mr.. Page be-
lieves,t is to put oneself in the place of a
preacher. The work of a serious maya
zine always implies such an attitude for
| it's editor. AS a seeker after truth and
as; one who :proclaims abroad what he
conceiyes to be the truth, whether about
1 material or spiritual things, is to preach
! which involves motives, ideals and goals
These, however, need not necessarily lie
outside of the mere proclamation of the
/ truth so told as to make men read as they
| run. ~ %,%E W. 2
/ OF course such motives will prove futile
unless they have an audience, unless the
magazines in which they result have 8
circulation. Hence the minor motives
working toward attractiveness, toward ar
|appeal to the. eye and the emotions
toward ample returns for the bushes!
1 office. Such minor motives, however, ART
no denial of the larger motives which
have produced great reviews, which arr
4 today great forces in the nation AND
among the peoples Of the earth.
The Worlds Work issues from a thor
oily modern office It is in one Of thu
older parts of the city, but office itsel
/ is new,s and was built and equipped TO
the firm of Doubleday, Page & Co. 1t il
only a block and a half from the home o
Washington Irving, and only about tw,
blocks from Tammany hall and tn
Academy Of Music. Inside one finds fin
ishings and furnishings of the craftsman
a type. He would be blind also who woul
fail to note the happy, prosperous an
ll-favored appearance of the employee
of the office-the feminine portion as we
as the masculine Indeed, this IS true Q
] all the publishing houses Z have visited
It bespeaks a generosity chara cteristic Q
the printing craft. IT
, The Worlds Work IS edited alongsid
Of Country Life in America, The Garde
Magazine and Farming, all four com
from the same office, and unless one ha
s been told he does not see where the offic
& lines are drawn.
r Country Life sprang from the expert
ences of the members of the Doubleday
: Page firm Mr.. Doubleday, like hosts c
others in the east, was building a coun
try home; endless questions arose as
) how to provide this or that; how to d
one thing or another. No ready answe
& was to be found to any one of the Dues
lions. Libraries had to be searched, es
perts consulted, problems worked OF
anew. The recognition Of the fact thu
these difficulties were the difficulties (