Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-01-19
THE DEMI ARTS


DRoBABLY no one is unsophisticated
4 enough to think that best-seller has any
literary merit, or that musical comedy
librettist Is of any particular literary impor-
tance or that there is any spontaneity about
most magazine illustrations, but 1t is a shock
to have the magazines admit all this This
months magazines are ruthlessly iconoclastio
about the arts.
Harrison Rhodes himself a successful
librettist, although better known as author
of "The Gentleman From Mississippi" was
sitting at his desk one day composing
magazine article when the telephone rang,
and manager asked him to come over and
confer about writing a musical comedy. This
in Itself Is a shock. One always thinks of
authors, hat in hand, their knees knocking
together, the manuscript carefully finished
and typed and tied UP, but not rolled, waiting
for hours and days in dimly lighted ante
rooms for the privilege of seeing manager.
However Mr.. Rhodes ought to know. He
writes (1):
They were, to put It succnctly, putting on
new SHOW" at the managers chief thea
tire. The company had been engaged. The
songs were chosen. The dances being
rehearsed. The scenery was being painted.
and the costumes were already in the dress
makers hands, But they wanted libretto,
in the confusion. This Thursday, and,
Of course, delay tlresome. Still 1t was
admitted In answer to what must have been
a faint squeak of protest on my part, that
they could manage II they had the first act
by Monday. As l saw reason to believe
could write even one act by Monday, l
said why not both acts by Monday while
we are about it?' and my speech, while 1t
caused no surprise to any one but me- found
favor in the managerial eyes.
AS to the plot, there was no dlfnculty about
that There amiable and clever
young man about the office who mad that,
something very like 1t all ready. The
managers brother or cousin or somebody
had been in Paris, and had engaged num-
ber of "acts" by "artistes" who were al
ready afloat upon the Atlantic. The nice
young man about the office had had a really
ingenious idea for Incorporating all these
gifted foreigners into the very structure Of
the projected piece. One of the characters
was to give evening party where pro-
fessional entertainers should appear This
was, in fact, the whole plot of the piece"
Mr. Eastman's View
In a similarly gaunt and disillusionizng
vein Max Eastman, who is primarily poet,
and secondarily professor of philosophy,
but who also edits a magazine, and draws
primitive pictures, explains What Is the
Matter with Magazine Art:
The Magazine drawings are mainly "lllus-
trative." Their creation Is usually initiated
and accomplished somewhat in the follow
ing manner: The editor hands a manu-
script to a poor man who is, metaphorically
at least, hungry.
I'VE want two illustrations for this" he
says, land we must have them by the 18th.
Play up the woman"
The artist goes home and reads the story.
He does not enjoy 1t, and he has desire
to illustrate 1t. He probably never had
desire to illustrate any story Neither did
the author have desire to have anybody
rat Npfhar he
have any desire to see an illustration of the
story. Neither does the reader consider the
illustration an addition to the story. All the
reader cares about Is that the magazine
should not look dull when he approaches
it, Hll that the author cares apout is that
he should have popular artists name at
tached TO his story; and all the artist
about is that he should sufficiently conform
to the business standard of art, that the
editor will give him full or at least a
half-page and pay him full or at least
haR-prce.
Having disposed OF art and musical COM
edy we may turn to literature, where The
Bookman seizes upon the triumphant best
seller of the last three months, and under
takes to explain, in an incredulous sort OF
way, as though hating to admit 1t, THE Pop
uIarty of Harold Bell Wright" (3):
The conversation having turned upon the
perpetual conundrum of Harold Bell
WrghtB popularity veteran book seller
said the other day In burst OF confidence,
1t is no mystery at ALL just matter OF
sheer advertising. like selling patent medi-
cines or breakfast foods. Take any novel,
don't care how good bad it is, and use
the same methods, give away as many pres
entaton copies in special leather bindings
to the retail dealers, accompanied by nice
little personal letters and I will guarantee
that you will get similar results
He Who Hestates Is Lost
OF course one expects sophisticated atti-