The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-10-28

washington, II. u, OCt. SS.-A
you have read some particularly
uninspired fiction lately you will be
glad to know that methods OF
measuring imagination are being
evolved. How to induce all the
writer's and would.be writer's to
test themselves Is, of course. an
other problem. a. yet unsolved.
In recent years there has ap-
peared q vast literature designed
to show that anybody who il 90 in
clined can turn out fiction. The
result of this teaching has been
that magazine offices are 000de1
with neat stories carefully put to-
gether by rule and cafefully con
forming to the psychology of read
er and editor, as the textbook ad-
vised.
Thus scarcely'a fiction writer in
the country remains ignorant OF
the established fact that editors
abhor blue ribbon bows on manu-
script. 1t is 4widely understood
that a rolled manuscript would be
coldly returned unread. Also, few
if any fiction manufacturers are
unaware that happy ending is as
Necessary to q story as snappy
beginning. Editors, writer is
told, acquire the habit Of reading
the first page and the last of a
story. II they are aroused from
their apathy the interior of the
manuscript may be explored. Such
beliefs have become tradition
among the vast circle of fiction
GERS.
The creative faculty, being more
elusive. has been passed over
vaguely by most textbook writer's.
1t is assumed that certain
amount of imagination goes with
the desire to create characters and
plots. Nevertheless most Of the
fiction writer's who never land sim
ply lack a flexible imagination
They are encouraged by friends
and by their own judgments to
weave stories when they have nc
inventive talents or when their
imaginations run along stereotyped
lines.
1t must be admitted that occa.
sionally fiction writer's attain sue
cess in spite of this defect. A
charming style, a knack of writing
from the humorist's viewpoint
may raise the most hackneyed plot
out Of the ordinary. Generally
however, the gift of style or humcl
goes with an original and imagina
tive. mind.
The problem Of classifying mag
ination from a literary standpoint
attracted DR.. Edwin Slosson ant
DR.. June Downey. DIR. Slosson i!
an editor, author and teacher o
journalism. DR.. Downey is a writ
er and professor of psychology a
the University Of Wyoming. Us
ing as subjects college students
mainly those interested in .creativ
writing, a variety Of tests wer
made.
Tests From the Agony Column.
! For test material DR.. Slossol
went first of all to the persona
column of the London times. Til
personal column in this particula
paper is notable for its unusua
messages and is popularity know
as the agony column Lover
who cannot write or get togethe
Exchange cryptic endearments
Business firms send signals ii
code. Mothers beg estranged son
to return home, and people Of pc
culiar talents advertise here hop
ing that some reader may nee
their services.
| Most Of the messages are onl
for the person to whom they ar
addressed, and the general reade
must guess at the meaning. Sue
a message as "Golliwog-The gol
is gone-Waiting." might refer t
an attempted burglary. or bus
ness deal. or it might be lover
sentimental way Of saying that
:, trouble-making blonde had passe
out OF his life.
DR.. Downey tried series &
these items on students, askin