Evening star., 1933-06-07
CYRUS H. X. Curtis.

! lovable of men passed to his rest early
this morning. Advanced in years. frail
in health and recently deprived Of the
companionship Of his loyal helpmate.
Cyrus H. X. Curtis has disappeared
through the curtains of the infinite, and
this world will know him no more. The
occasion will be one Of mourning for
thousands. People who never had the
privilege Of acquaintance with the man
himself. but who nevertheless honored
and admired him, will join with those
who were fortunate enough personally
to have come within the radius of his
smile. He had the power to touch
hearts far beyond the normal circle Of
an ordinary individuals influence. and
it is for this reason that his departure
Is an event of national significance.
The narrative of Mr.. Curtis career
is success story" fascinating to re-
view. He had his origin in poverty and
obscurity. With no more capital than
three pennies he entered upon buSi-
ness enterprise which in the course Of
three score years was to witness such
| development, such expansion. as not
even his most ardent hopes could have
forecast. Out of his genius he de-
veloped three distinct types OF peri
odicals-the Saturday Evening Post, the
Ladies Home Journal and the Country
Gentleman. Each Of these he nursed
from inconsequential infancy to hardy
and prosperous maturity. Each he
made as nearly perfect in formal and
content as was humanity possible.
Nothing else in the world was quite
like the result he achieved. Its influ-
ence was universal, immediate and in
innate. Mr.. Curtis became force for
cultural progress In the homes OF the
land. He was a civilizing factor.
It may be that the secret CT the
thing he did lay in its essential Amer
icanism. His very soul was symptom
attic of the folk from which he came,
and in his publications he managed to
institutionalize the authentic ideology
of the Otherwise narticulate masses.
He knew the national mind. and 1t was
his Joy to mirror 1t. AS it happened,
nothing was too large and nothing too
small to be omitted from the picture
ss he conceived it. The historian Of
the common folk of the United States
will find IN the files of his magazines
the materials to compose the chronicle
of the age. There can be no better
source
In the field of daily journalism Mr..
Curtis made many trials. His most
successful ventures were the Philadel-
phia Public Ledger and Evening Ledger,
and the New York Evening Pest. He
was at an age when most men would
be contemplating retirement when he
took charge Of their destinies, but he
lived to see them spproximating the
ideal he held for them. They are great
papers, invaluable to the communities
they serve.
However, Mr. Curtis was not merely
a talented and fortunate publisher He
had many other interests to which he
gave generously of his time and
strength. Music was one of these, and
he did much to aid in the democratic
zation of the art. Through his concern
for worthy illustrations for his periodi-
Gals he exercised a vast constructive
influence upon drawing and painting
He was the sponsor of far-reaching
Improvements in advertising and in the
printing craft. He supported the best
in architecture. Above all, he con-
tributed toward the elevation of civic
and social standards. A man Of lib
eral temperament, he never essayed to
dictate; he was content to persuade.
All his methods were as gentle as his
objectives were helpful, kind and good.
The Little White Father" was the
nickname by which he was known
among his employees The title was
amply merited. 1t might be used for
his epitaph.