Evening star., 1938-03-27
VOGUES
Harpers Shows Loyalty to Its Type-Its
Latest Number-Bookkeeping
in Government Policy.

a|ocities' put only IN America Is It
possible for the masses to 70 In for
Ncarious Torquemadlan exercises
through the simple expedient Of
patronizing the nearest newsstand"
MIR. Henry then goes into the ousi.
ness Of describing a typical horror
periodical, even to outlining and par.
TALLY writing its leading story. He il
pretty complete, to be sure, but he
neglects one thing. He does not say
anything about the publishers whose
income derives from such unspeakable
sources. That is the aspect Of the de-
graded newsstand product which has
always interested the reviewer. Who
turns it out? Who plans it? Who
gives serious thought to gathering
such muck and to putting it in It's
typical bait dress to poison the minds
Of the simple? AS it was remarked
in these columns some weeks ago,
there obviously are Such People. They
own homes? They live In neat,
charming suburbs? They have pleas
ant children of their own? One won-
ders. Why, they may even be Some
body's Neighbors.
Mr.. Henry pays attention to the
authors and writers who contribute to
these despicable publications, however.
even though he does overlook the
greatest culprits. He offers us a com.
posite picture of writer for the hor-
ror sheets under the rather prissy
name Of Fructon Mahanowell.
"Fructon Mahanowell," he says, Els
hollow -chested fellow from up Bos-
ton way who used to write basement
ad copy and answer to the name OF
Bill Johnson. He has wife, two fine
children and passion for burnt al
monds, but he can whip out the most
blood-curdling fiction on the market.
Fructon, in fact, writes most OF the
stories in our "a single) magazine,
under variety Of pseudonyms, and
who cares If they're alike as-shall
We say-two skeletons"
Mr.. Henry further debunks the
touching faith held by so many young
writers as to the munificence of Fruc.
tons earnings. Many such youths
come to the reviewer to ask advice on
how to establish themselves as writ
ers, and by far the commonest solu-
ton which the children seem to have
worked out for the wolf-and door
puzzle is to write deliberately COM
mercial Chorror or thrilD stuff until
the earnings therefrom shall have
made them independent, after which
they will redeem themselves, of course.
One and all they seem firmly to be-
lieve that the lowest publications pay
the highest rates. But, according to
Mr.. Bruce Henry, the Fructon Ma
hanowells would get about $50 for a
story. The youngsters have to keep
pretty busy to achieve independence
on that in a short period.
The illustrators of these appalling
sheets, however, seem to do better.
According to Mr.. Henry. about the
only specifications which an artist
will receive for job on the horror
type of magazine is to avoid violation
Of the postal laws. The work will be
done, he tells us, by "a New York
hack who once lived squalidly in
Greenwich Village but now does very
well, if you please, in White Plains -"
He will get about s25 a sketch, saws
the piece, but one supposes that he
can do a dozen or so in a day, and
therefore that the low rate does not
hamper him.
Well, there the set-up is, as the
Mercury's author sees it. The re-
viewer has never gone into an exam
ination of the cheap fiction periodicals
herself. She has felt that they were
too bad to mention. But it is a good
sign that the better magazines gen.
orally seem to be attacking their dis
reputable rivals, as witness Scribner's
series Of magazine histories, now run
ming. Maybe general letting Of light
into the fetid mess will do something
to clean it up. One hopes so, anyhow.
THE Mercury's leading article this
month is from the pen Of Frank
r. Kent. 1t charges very simply that
the President, under cover of his
departmental reorganization bill, made
an unparalleled bid for dictatorship.
The danger, says Mr.. Kent, is now
passed. If the bill does go through
Congress it will be toned down a great
deal. and it needed the accompanying
court packing measure to give the
President the absolute power which
he tried to seize. But, while few of
us realized it, there was a period when
the threat was very real. IF he (Mr.
Roosevelt) had had his way" says Mr..
Kent, "he would now be the most
powerful potentate on earth, and the
traditional American form Of govern
ment would have been an out-dated
memory of the past" And he adds.
Let the American voter keep his eve
on Congress during the days after
these lines appear in print-lest last
minute attempt be made to reinstate
some Of the original clauses in the
bill"