The Minneapolis journal., 1906-03-17
youRNEYINGs AMONG THE MAG

DELPHIA-More than once in this
series Of letters the constructive aim
Of some magazine editor or another has
been mentioned. Such mention has not
been at all accidental. 1t has had be-
hind it a fact Of growing Importance,
indicating a swing of sentiment away
from the destructive and toward the
constructive. The day Of the Literature
of exposure has passed, Or is passing,
and day of composure is being ushered
in. OF course, when evil and corrup-
tion are uncovered there will be me-
diums enough to tell the world of the
|:fact and interpret Its meaning, but the
tendency now is toward the finding of
remedies for evils already disclosed. .
Even those magazines wholly, or al
most wholly, given to fiction are, en-
phasizing their attitu de of reconstruc-
tion, and much of the fiction Of the
near future is sure to be colored with a
mere pronounced optimism. An example
of such a magazine is Lippincott' s. 1t
may seem strange to talk Of, such a
| ma gazine s taking a constructive -attl-
tude, but there need be no surprise
when one remembers that the fiction
| of people represents the life of that
| people, and that if public sentiment
! tearing down, the fiction Of the public
will clearly show the swing, especially
if the editors are in sympathy with the
swing. And that is just the case with
Lippincott 8, according to a statement
made to me by the editor, Mr.. J. Berg
Esenwein. The fact also shows the
strength Of the constructive sentiment
| Mr.. Esenwein emphasized another
thing that has been said again anc
again by magazine writers, but Is still
disbelieved by many, and ht that rs Is ina tna'
coined by publishers. disappointed
amateurs, whose manuscripts have come
back to them declined, credit the state.
ment with difficulty, if they credit il
at all. They forget the tremendous
competition into which they enter when
they prepare manuscript. Lppincott s
alone gets more than 10000 manuscripts
a year, and out Of that number can use
only a very few hundred at the most
The figures should show clearly enough
that story must possess exceptlona
merit and must exactly suit the maga
zine, in order to have any chance at all
AS an evidence of the lengths t
which editors will 90 to get the worl
of new writer who shows exceptiona
ability, a case was cited by Mr.. Esen
vein. 1t was that Of a young woman
in a city some distance away. She hat
submitted a manuscript that had at
tracted the attention Of the readers fo
it's strength Of interest. But it needed
finish and partial reconstruction t.
bring it up to the highest possible point
of effectiveness. It was returned will
suggestions for changes. 1t came bacl
remade, but still did not suit, and Mr.
Esenwein was contemplating visit t.
the writer's home to confer with he
about her story. "The writer who ha
already made name for himself, - sait
the editor of Lippincott's g, 1Iin the rae,
with the new writer has to live up tt
his name, which in measure offset
the glamor of his name. So that alto
gether the new writer has not much t
Complain of, except his own failure t
rise to the heights Of real merit. "
While I was listening to these thing
in the inner editorial circle Of Lippin
room and out Of the windows, taking il
the environment Of the editor and hi
magazine. A trifing thing, yet quit
noteworthy, was that fact that the ed
tors desk was as orderly as the wOr
table Of an exacting housewife. Their
was no litter, no confusion. One woul
have said that the editor had his wor
up and was waiting for new tasks. Thi
condition Of desk, however, I found t
be characteristic of Philadelphia, an il
dication that the Quaker city s editor!
at least, are not SO slow.
Out Of the window the view wa
thru square, or park which in summe
must be tempting spot. 1t was Wash
ington square, in the center of whic
stands marble shaft to the memory o
the artillery corps of the Washingto
Grays Of the civil war. To the righ
stands an unhewn stone, which, I wa
told, marks the sight Of militar
prison of the days Of the revolution
Diagonally across the park | saw
venerable porticoed and cupolaed built
ing which investigation afterward dis
closed to be the First Presbyteria
church of Philadelphia, founded in 1866
windows is independence square on tn
| farther side of which stands Indepel
denee Hall. All of this is enough t
II show that Lippincott IS has at han