The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-04-09
THE EDITORS SIDE.
Why lie IL No Longer Free to Accept
story solely because II Is Literature.

To THE EDITOR or THE SUN--ST: The
discussion OF the policy OF editors or
magazines in their selection OF material
for their pages. aroused anew by the ar
ticle Of Mr.. Henry sydnor Harrison reiat-
ing his Adventures With Editors" does
but partial Justice to the editors and
evinccs little comprehension OF conditions
under which they are obliged to work.
The fundamental error into which Mr..
Harrison falls is that he does not regard
the magazines As strictly commercial prop
ositions There may have been q golden
age during which magasine editors were
free to select the material for their pages
with an eye single to '.s excellence as
literature. II no. that time has passed.
and paused out Of the memory OF the
present working editors as we'll.
The magazine OF to-day that expects TO
he able to make for its owners anything
In the way OF profit IL a proposition
based upon commercial principles. It's
managers make q very close study or the
stratum In society from which they pro-
pose to draw their readers and they In
struct their editors to cater to 1t. In
developing this policy the editors select
such material as they are convinced VIII
appeal to their readers and possible
readers. They plan far In advance. pay
ing little attention 10 literary contribu-
tons that may come In without having
been ordered. They order much OF their
matter. and buy largely from agencies
whose conductors study the needs Of all
Of the periodicals. There Ia left but
small proportion of material to be Sc
lected from the shoals OF manuscripts
that are sent in by writer's who have
made no special study Of the particular
magazines or Of the masasine field.
Editors watch the public taste. and
writers may make through having book
published by well known house. and
largely sold. or because some magazine
editor has had the good luck to guess
right about their maiden efforts. When
Mr.. Harrison became q well known writer
he had added TO his name good will
which editors could afford to consider.
Irrespective Of the intrinsic merits OF the
stories he had passed about among the
editors. 1t was perfectly proper for the
editor he mentions to revise his decision
about the manuscript that had been re-
jected. and he was under no compulslon
whatever to revise his judgment OF its
literary value. Probably he did not dis
cover In Mr.. Harrison's work any new
literary value, or any literary value he
had not recognized when he first ex-
amined IL.
There liz vast amount OF matter
printed In the magazines that would not
get any consideration from competent
Judges as literature. II there is one
title in each OF the larger magazines
worthy OF being classed as real litera-
ture the readers are entitled to congratu-
lations. The articles in the magazines are
mostly interesting and readable for some
other qualities than those we have been
accustomed to seek as literature. And
this condition is not to be regarded as
convicting the magazine editors OF igno-
rance or their managers as sordld and
commercial. II the people who buy and
read the magazines wished for pure liter
ature. or greater proportion OF pure
literature. the editors and publishers
would be quick and keen to give IL TO
them And II this condition prevailed In
the public mind many OF the stories and
books produced by the people who crit-
else the editors would never have seen
the light of book stores.
The wise manufacturer Of any kind OF
wares studies his market and makes his
product such as the market wishes to buy.
Writers who succeed do the same. Liter
AIRY wares conceived wholly in the minds
OF writers. unfavored and uninluenced
by the thought and aspirations OF the
people who must be asked to purchase
books and magazines. have no stable mar
ket and must take their chances with
editors That this Ia 50 is no reflection
upon either the judgment or the acumen
OF the editors. q. r.
NEW YORK. April s.