The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-11-12
WOMEN READERS HARD TOSUlT
rHE OLD FASHIONED LOVE
STORY STILE ~ THE LEAD.
fsut There Arc iseundaries which u Must
Not Transgress. Hayden Carruth
Points Out-ldeals Tnat Must he ne
spected- fem,lninr sense OF Humer.

Neitn"T the incnrslOn OF woman intO hnr
economic word nor the call Of politics
has had any appreciable effect upon her
taste IN literature. Al l.ast that is the
view taken 10y HAYDEN Carruth. editor
Of he Wom1n's HOW. Com punior. After
he had voiced this opinion he paused aud
murmur"d IN distressed tones:
Now don't you get my position con-
fused. will yru' Won sa.' am not the
only editor ~ this publication. OH. dear.
no. As matter OF fact deal only with the
purely literary end Of il
u don't bother with the departments
To any extent. lhav. no knowledge what
ever. for instance. Of tn. cooking column
nr the fashions. or the articles treating
of ne~ IDEAS for Thanksgiving entertain
ments or church -oClaOlr> or for cheap
but .Npensiv. looking Christmas gifts.
" IN my province merely tn select fiction
that ! think will please the Companion
readers In fact | am called the literary
e'iitor"
And you find that comparatively easy.
don't you'' he was asked
'Easv" gasped Mr.. Carru,h IN horror
Any one who thinks it looks easy To ind
half a dozen stories that ar" bright and
snappy, with plenty Of heart interest,
stories that must toe absolutely original in
plot while they are thoroughly conv on
tional IN the sense that they don't conflict
with any possible pref udices. either relig-
ious or social that may be held by women
in small country towns ought TO try it for
about a month
An audience oC women il not by any
means easy To cater TO. The business
story. which ID Just now so popular among
the readers 81 tn. general magazine
wouldn't GO at all with us Neither would
the story of adventure
The story dealing with sport pure and
simple il equally taboo Very few women
hour reading IAN account Of "A football
game. no matter how vivid the de-crip-
ton was. This too despite the fact that
tn. average Young woman Processes her
self SIMPLY crazy To watch one varsity
beat another.
No. h. replied IN answer to another
question. i haven't been aware OF any
demand on the part of our readers for the
slrship tale. The air-hip does very well
as setting for An exciting elopsmsnt or
something Of that sort bur a very small
quantity Of technical description goes a
long way with feminine readers What
woman wants is the personal appeal
But arsn women very much inter ssted
IN the working out If problems concerned
with class struggles and with the estab-
lishmant If their sex a. factor in the
business world asked tho reporter
Not a hit IL it laughed the literary
editor If you want To know what
women really like To- read will tell you
They like. lowering his voice To con-
hdcntIal whisper the good old fashioned
Low" story with happy ending.
Nos mind you | am not saying that
they object To an appsa rance OF novelty
in the form " n few side remai Ks about
New Thought ar Ihev-rphy. or trad.
unionlsm or woman -uffrag. But those
are. after all. merely frill~ Tn. kernel
II the love interest
No. | cant -ay that | have ALWAYS
known this h" admitted in reply to
another Question 1t = -ad expe rianre
10 hunt all over Tor something different.
something that must Needs at first glance
be pronounced absolutely unique. only
To find that what IL really wanted il some
thing cat after the time hnnor-d pattern.
Once more MIR Carruth looked dis
tre-sed and sxpress.,da fear that he IN ght
I've mlsIndsr stood.
Don't imagine for one moment he
said. that any old wI-hywashy common
plac" effIsion will do for us. for IL won't
Women are nothing II not up to date. YOU
know.
What you give them must b- enough I
like what they hav. had beior. thai It !
won't puzzle or shock them. and AT the |
same time II must have enough ~ the new /
ana une Spect.'d 10 - iniulats heir curiosity |
and hold their interest. Women don't |
take readily a. do men to either the !
purely imaginative ~ the brutality realis- (
tic. The first often appears silly to them /
and n q latter Goa rae and vulgar nr horrible (.
Above all things they never have a 7,
good word TO LAY for "A story thar they
charaCteriZ. 40 depressing. A certain
amount Of parho- will go hut II must h.
followed by a cheerful climax Whatever
tears tale contains must com. IN the
middle
editor sighed heavily
-Humor'- h" exclaimed with "A g"~tur"
Il despair. -Of rourr. women hav" a
sense II II They must have. b-csus.
they -eem :" laugh good deal. but IN .
nut u mildly II II. from IN" masculine
point II view "A tant aliZing elusive and
Intangible" quality
Their. arr. .orn. men who haven, she
power 10 appr~cIat" Ioke upon Them
selves. hut almost ANY man can
Jok~ on hi- wife or hi- grandmoi her or
his 20, dog II there happens to b. one.
Now. woman cant. or az any rate -h.
won't
Nothing that she IL fond of or that she .
invests with dignity IN her own mind u, 10 /
her it subject for laughter. 4 Ioke on
her husband ia all right II IN. ~ the only
one thai knows about ~ but he must prIi
up iii gnified appearance for the mel ghbor- .