Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-03-24

People read magazines for authors
and subjects nowadays rather than for
the magazine itself.
This is a fundamental change In the
reading habits of Nation.
In the early days Of the Republic q
| few magazines were read by all well
educated people.
It was possible for one to say then,
with some approximation of the truth,
that unless one read certain magazines
he could not be regarded as abreast of
the thought of the day.
The great increase in the number Of
magazines and the broadening Of the
scope of all monthlies and weeklies
made such an idea untenable.
1t is safe to say that no magazine,
not even the old boys themselves, hold
the same place in the reading mind
that those oldtimers once held.
It is impossible on the face Of It.
The country is too large, the maya
zines are too numerous and the inter-
ests of readers are too varied.
Changes and counter changes in the
magazines themselves have left many a
reader gasping. while the publishers
have switched from large form to small
form and back again in an effort to
hold old readers and gain new ones.
x x * II
All this time the reading habits of
the people have been changing.
A great deal of the old-time state of
mind has gone into the discard.
The strictly literary magazine" has
permitted articles Of a nature which
would have been unthinkable in its COL
umns two decades ago.
In looking over the array Of vapid,
teeth showing girls on the magazine
covers on the newsstand one is re-
minded of the similar change which has
taken place in photographs put in the
Hobbies of theaters showing musical ex-
travaganza Ten years ago the man
ayers would have been arrested for the
photographs Of the nude and semi
nude. Now no one, not even the pro-
fessional moralist, evidently thinks any,
thing about it one way or the other.
We overheard the following interest
ing conversation at newsstand the
other day. Two friends greeted third
gentleman. who was purchasing copy
OF the latest issue Of very old maya
znine, which has done somersault
from small size to large size.
He pointed to the name Of an author
in large type. We will call him here
John Brown, the well known political
writer. He had an article on President
Hoover.
Did YOU read Browns article in the
Yocum Magazine?" asked one of the
newcomers.
NO" said the other, shortly. Il
never read the Yocum. 1t gives me the
mental indigestion"
But John Brown on Coolidge in the
Hocum was just as diverting as John
Brown on Hoover in the Yokum.
And the gentleman who made the in
curry although he said nothing, went
away feeling that he had the best of
the argument after all.
The best way to read a modern maya
zine. one can say who loves many of
them. is to read either because of some
subject which interests one or because
OF some particular writer whose articles
one enjoys.
To read any one magazine steadily,
and especially from cover to cover" is
to risk, If not mental indigestion. at
least sense of intellectual fullness
which holds more Of fullness than of
intelligence.
This is, we believe. the modern at
titude, as contrasted with the old. In
grandfathers day, it was matter CT
pride with all good readers to read
everything" in the favorite journal.
Usually the household dictator began
with the cover, and read solemnly page
after page There was not SO much
skipping around in those days, because
there were not so many advertisements
and the modern art of mixing up read
ing matter and ads" was in its in
fancy.
When grandfather finally got through,
the remainder of the family could read