The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-05-06
OWNER POPULAR
MECHANICS TELLS
OF ITS GROWTH

iilNSfldilNS tiaiiSl'ii i's "
parts OF the world, when written
so that everybody can under
stand them, would make a maya
zine that would be a welcomed
addition to the Libraries OF the
world 1t was this idea that
took firm hold on the mind OF
II. H. Windsor of Chicago, eigh-
teen years ago, when he was the
editor OF a trade paper with a
circulation of possibly 1000 cop
les. Today he is the owner of
Popular Mechanics with circu-
lation OF 100000 copies monthly,
a daily mail OF more than 1000
letters, correspondents in every
country OF the civilized world
and in some parts OF all coun-
tries OF the world.
Stopping at the Seminole hotel
Yesterday with his young son on
his way home to Chicago. MIR.
Windsor talked most entertain
ingly OF the development OF his
magazine and OF what he expects
it to accomplish in future. Some
OF his ideas and ideals are origi-
nal in every sense. He said:
Get Brains on the Staff.
The editorial department OF a
magazine and a daily paper, too,
for that matter, is the place to
get and to keep circulation. Pay
salaries enough to get brains on
your staff and those brains will
bring results in your circulation.
have demonstrated this to be
true, for Popular Mechanics has
no circulation department, no
agents, no solicitors, no club lists
or club rates and it has never Of
fered or given a premium.
Publishing a magazine IS like
running a restaurant in some re-
spects, different tastes have to
be catered to: one man in res
taurant wants soup, another fish,
some roast beef and others corn
ed beef and cabbage; as each
goes away with his taste salts
fed he approves OF the restau-
rant and comes again. SO 1t is
with the magazine; some do not
care for aviation but are ex-
tremely fond of boating; others
like to fish but hate golf, while
each sport and recreation has its
own circle of devotees.
"In both restaurant and maya
zine give the patrons clean.
wholesome diet, a diet of bread
and meat. and in the magazine
field all the bread and meat is
cooked in the editorial depart
ment."
Influence of the Movies
Mr.. Windsor said that the
moving pictures have to GER
tain extent exerted a great in
huence on the circulation of the
magazines, as there are thous-
ands of people who would go out
at night to a moving picture
show who would otherwise re-
manned at home reading their
favorite periodicals.
He declared that photographs
today have valuation of about
Is per cent in educational i'm
portance compared with text.
The picture without words is a
whole story in itself, except in
rare cases where the photograph
is much complicated. He cited
the moving pictures as another
incident of the picture without
words on the minds of the pub
lie.
Declaring that Popular Me-
chanics was the first magazine OF
its kind in the world, Mr.. Wind
sor proceeded to tell of the big
gest story he ever handled. This,
he said, was The Seven Modern
Wonders of the World. OF this
story more than fifteen hundred
columns were rewritten by
newspapers and journals in all
parts of the world. His first
work in projecting this big story
was to write 1000 letters which
were addressed to the leading
scientists, college presidents and
men of great prominence every
where, asking what in their
opinion were the seven modern
wonders of the world. These
letters had to be translated into
nearly all of the known Ian
guages and as he received replies
t. 90 per cent of them these also
had to be translated.
When the votes were counted
up the majority agreed upon the
wireless, the N-ray, improved
anaesthesia, the Panama canal
the telephone and electric light
as comprising the seven modern
wonders of the world. Accom-
panying the story when printed
was an invaluable contribution
from one of the leading scient-
lists in his particular line OF
wonder" such as Alexander