The New York herald., 1922-11-16
The Richard K. Fox Era.


The passing of RICHARD X. Fox at
the age of rs must send reminiscent
waves through the memories of men
who were boys when Fox was in his
heyday. 1t may seem to them that
Fox must have been older; but he
was only 80 when he bought the
Police Gazette and proceeded to make
it famous-or notorious-as a sport
ing weekly.
Fox capitalized the arms and legs
of celebrities. He knew the weakness
Of his public. Men of that day wanted
to gaze on the terrific biceps of PADDY
RYAN and on the classic curves Of
LYDIA THOMPSON. This was very
wicked then, for the Victorian urge
toward "niceness' was at its strong
est. A man who had been to see
"The Black Crook" was regarded
with various feelings, including awe,
horror and envy.
In the American household the
Police Gazette was anathema. but Fox
reached his readers through the me-
dium Of the barber shop and sporting
circles. Every barber in those days
was sport" He could tell you
how tall JEM MACE was and how
much JOHN l.. SULLIVAN measured
around the inflated chest. The bar
Der was only the precursor Of the mil
lions who now read the sport pages
every day. He was earnest in his
pursuit of information about the
/ physically great. And he was really
more interested in the doings Of JAKE
KILRAIN than in Mr.. Fox's reports OF
scandalous divorce suits or the Fox
artists thrilling pictures of hand
some young women, always with
neatly turned ankles, shooting their
faithless lovers.
The sex interest" with which Fox
so literally sprinkled his weekly was
added to the boxing and wrestling
news to catch the reader who might
rot be interested in diamond belts
and $4,000 challenges.
To look back to the Police Gazette
of generation ago and the horror
with which it was regarded is to un-
derstand the great changes that the
years. have brought. A parent who
might consent to his boys reading
the Beadle novels, the Jack Harka-
way stories or the Old Sleuth narra-
tives would promise to tan his hide
well If he ever caught him with a
copy of that Police Gdzette.""' But
now, compared with the pictures of
female swimming champions, Winter
Garden heroines and interpretative
Greek dancers, how modest look the
ladies that Mr.. Fox pictured! II
somebody had brought to the Police
Gazette Office in the early sos pho
tograph OF Long Beach bathing
group of 1929 we can fancy Mr.. Fox
giving him lecture.
AS in pictorial representation, SO
in text. The Police Gazette in its
reports of scandals went as far in
its revelations as 1t thought the
average man would care to have II
go. 1t never made the hypocritical
defense Of its articles that they
taught moral lessons, or set forth
great truths, or we're literature"
None of that nonsense for RICHARD
X. Fox But IL the manuscripts of
some books that have been published
since the war-published with the
explanation that they were "art" or
| that they revealed the human soul'
had been brought to Fox in the
days when his Gazette was at its
wickedest he would have turned the
uovels down as too utterly vile. If
JAMES JoYCE's Ulysses" had been
printed in the Police Gazette the pa
irons of that publication would have
torn up their copies lest they be
contaminated.
But, to return to Fox's accomplish
ments, he went a long way in build
ing up the American public's interest
in professional sport. The prizes he
gave, stimulated pugilism and wres-
tling and indirectly promoted their
popularity among amateurs. Nobody
could, do now what Fox did. for the
John LIS of to-day want 100000
purses and scorn diamond belts that
cost mere $4,000.