The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-04-22
WHERE ARE THE LOVE
STORIES?
Anxious Inquiry rs 10 the Present
whereabouts Of Dan CupId.

To THE EDITOR OF THE SrN-Str: From
the editorial Offices Of magazines. be
they OF high degree or low. In point Of
literary standard. continues TO arise an
appealing cry to writer's OF short stories
I'VE are loaded up with ordinary
tales" editors say: every mail brings
us manuscripts by the sore dealing
with politics. finance. divorce. strikes.
shinwr.ck. murder. sudden death But
almost never DO our eager eyes light on
a bit OF real romance on a short story
that Is a love story, and a story OF young
love At that"
II IS an interesting situation. The
very demand on the part OF editors ar
CUES corresponding demand on the part
Of readers. The 'nsis,ence OF the de-
mand indicates that modern authors
either cannot or will not attempt the
most difficult and desirable theme with
which fiction. long or short, can concern
itself. Wars may come and go on +.
business depression may ensue in a hun
dred fields OF endeavor hut II seems
that nothing in the way OF economy can
lessen the market for love stories
To the person OF ordinary business
perception the ways OF authors are past
fndlng out Why should they toll over
stories which deal with everything
under the sun excepting that one Gle
mental relationship between man and
maid which is Of universal, perennial.
compelling Interest," Why should mill
owner, for example. use every ounce Of
energy. every dollar OF working capital
and all Of his machinery. In turning on.
three legged tables. for which there is
no demand, when he knows perfectly
well that tho furniture dealers are ~
their wits end 10 purchase tables hav-
ing four legs
one magazine editor Is reported to
have invited half a dozen authors to his
office recently for the purpose Of i'm
pressing upon them situation which
is becoming more and more critical from
the publishing standpoint.
Here ! stand" he said dcspairingly
holding out my hands with hundred
dollar bills In them. and asking for love
stories, And all YOU say Ia that you
can't think OF any tust now"
1t is not difficult 10 recall days when
majority OF the stories in magazines
were love stories But a change came
over the literary armament, was Il
when "A young man named Kipling burst
with blaze of glory land ducats)
above the horizon OF magazinedom
Little use had ne for tales OF love HIS
power was ~ great, his force so COM
pelling, that II dominated readers OF f'c-
tion wherever the language was under
stood Whereupon other and lesser
writing folk, desiring, doubtless, a share
OF glory (and possibly OF ducats). put
their literary helm down hard turned
from the course OF romance and strove
to sail into tho eye OF tho wind, into
tho stern realities OF NE to deal with
! Things as They Are-or as some imag-
inc such things 10 be- And poor little
Dan cupid was II then that he COM
I I'd ia nlp.
and illustration which heretofore had
| known him so well and so regularly ,
Perhaps M any rate, Cupid Is all hut
vanished from the periodicals now and
IL may not he unfair to say that his
gradual disappearance began when that
robust youngster Kipling arrived from
out of the East
This was ahout-let us see about
1890 Good gracious Did Mulvaney
ride that elephant n quarter of a CEN
fury ago. Impossible r.
NEW YORK, April 81