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In announcing the awards of Poetry's prizes. for 1918, the editor of Poetry says:

"When the magazine began, prizes in the art of poetry were practically unheard-of in America, although annual prizes and scholarships in painting, sculpture, architecture, and music have been common. The editors be-lieved, and still believe, in these awards, both as a stimulus to the artists, and a kind of advertisement of the art before the public.. We believe that they are as well deserved and as effective for these purposes in poetry as in the other arts, and we rejoice that the example of the magazine is being followed by the Poetry Society of America, through Columbia University, and that other institutions and individuals are at least considering the bestowal of such awards.

"Compared with other artists, the poet, as. every one knows, is absurdly ill-paid. Poetry is, we believe, almost the only one of the special magazines which has been able to pay anything to its contributors, yet we should hate to expose the ridiculous smallness of our checks for far-famed poems ridiculous compared with the five, eight, even ten thousand dollars paid to our contemporary painters and sculptors for a single work of no greater beauty and inherent value. Nor will the few prizes offered in this art bear comparison with the numerous and extremely large awards to painters and sculptors in our various large cities for example, thirtyfour hundred dollars in five prizes, accompanied by gold, silver, and bronze medals, at a single annual exhibition of the Chicago Art Institute !

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"Poetry would like to change all this it would like to be rich enough to pay for poems at least a living wage, so that poets. would not have to face the grim alternative of starving, or getting an engrossing and art-destroying job. At this point, to enforce my argument, the postman hands me a letter from Sara Teasdale, who recently received the Poetry Society's five-hundred-dollar prize. She tells of the soul-destroying struggles of one or two young poet friends, and adds :

"I wish that you would write an editorial about Crowder's dictum that poets are essential to the

nation's well-being. So far, so good, but how is a poet to live on his work? Did General Crowder, or any of these other patriotic people and organizations who continually write to poets for verses (to be furnished free for patriotic causes), ever consider that point? If a poet makes five hundred dollars a year on his poems, he is doing well. Most of the laity' have no idea how small the sums paid to poets are. If they knew, I think there might be some patriotic and generous millionaires who would come forward with more prizes, endowments, and what not.

"One chief trouble is that the short-story writers and their publishers make a point of advertising the huge sums paid to successful shortstory writers. Therefore, the unsuspecting laity think that poets fare equally well. An eager lady asked a friend of mine quite confidentially the other day: Sara Teasdale gets about a thousand dollars for each of her poems, does n't

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is, necessarily, a blunt instrument. No matter how many or how honeyed its words, in fact it says just one word: "No!"

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That word must be said, concerning good manuscripts and poor ones, long and short, witty and solemn, wise and foolish. It must be said to the Editor's best friends and to perfect strangers. The must of it is in the nature of things. Forty manuscripts out of a hundred are not good enough, ten are poetry, ten are not timely, ten deal with themes already in hand or recently considered, ten are much too long, ten were not written with the paper's constituency in mind, five are almost exactly right if the paper could double its size and the other five are accepted! For the poetry there is almost chance at all until public taste changes. To tell the ninety-five authors just why their manuscripts are not accepted would wear out any Editor, by the sheer physical labor of it. And much of the telling would start something." The author, naturally, would not agree with the Editor's judgment, and would desire to state his case. Then the Editor would try to defend his decision, unless in panic fear he capitulated at the first shot.

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The Epworth Herald, in common with all papers whose editors have been on both sides of the rejection slip, thoroughly dislikes the cold formality of the slip's impersonal "No." If somebody would invent a form of sound words, mutually satisfying to author and editor, to be used in returning an unavailable manuscript, he could soon retire on his royalties.

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[This information as to the present special needs of various periodicals comes directly from the editors. Particulars as to conditions of prize offers should be sought from those offering the prizes. For full addresses of periodicals mentioned, see "The Writer's Directory of Periodicals." ]

Henry Ford expects to get one million subscriptions at one dollar each for "the Dearborn Independent, Henry Ford's National Weekly," which will comprise sixteen pages, eleven by sixteen inches in size, and will print no advertising. Mr. Ford says he is willing to spend $10,000,000 to "put the thing over," although he does not believe any such sum will be necessary. Indeed he looks forward to making money out of it, although the money is a secondary consideration.

The Christian Herald (New York) is going to publish a short story every week

hereafter, in addition to the regular fiction serial, and the editors want the best stories that are being written for clean periodical publication. They need not be religious, and there are no special limitations, excepting that they be clean stories and worth while. Prompt decisions will be made and good prices paid.

Today's Housewife is now published by the Geiger-Crist Company, at Cooperstown, N. Y. The editorial offices are under the management of Mrs. Della Thompson Lutes, who is well known to the readers of THE WRITER as editor of American Motherhood and managing editor of Table Talk, the National Food Magazine. Today's Housewife is in the market for short stories, preferably of not more than 3,000 words. Short love stories, appealing to the younger element the kind that always appeals to everybody are particularly wanted, as wel! as stories with a humorous strain, and stories with child and home interest. Articles of special interest to the readers of a woman's magazine will be considered, and short poems, if unusually good, will be used. All manu! scripts should be sent to the Cooperstown office, although Mrs. Lutes will continue an editorial office in New York.

Judge (New York) wants short sketches and stories of a distinctly humorous char

acter.

The Jersey Bulletin & Dairy World (Indianapolis) needs articles on dairymen using Jersey cows.

The Illustrated World (Chicago) wants direct, practical, inspirational articles; also photographs (with descriptive captions) showing new inventions, processes, etc.; helps for the garden, the garage, shop, home, kitchen, and nursery short cuts, and inventions that make life easier. Four dollars and upward will be paid for each photograph, with brief text.

McCall's Magazine (New York) is always in the market for good fiction, preferably love stories with reality, sincerity, and a certain amount of originality. The space devoted to general articles is limited, so that topics must be of wide interest to all women, and articles

must possess a sound basis as well as have individual handling. In the Household Department, only practical articles answering housewives' question "How?" are needed.

Farm and Fireside, with offices now at 381 Fourth avenue, New York, is in the market for 300- to 700-word sketches of successful men and women. If their success has been in growing things, particularly if they had difficulties to overcome, so much the better. Farm and Fireside wants that "snappy, fascinating stuff that Every Week used to buy," and is looking for picture spreads on: My most peculiar relative; hair-breadth escapes ; pet economies; men who came back; why dogs leave home; what becomes of hired girls; and school marms who taught famous folks.

internationally

John Alfred Spotts known as "Gentleman Jack Nilo" is going to start a new magazine for the actor at Wichita, Kansas, and is in the market for high-class jokes, suitable for theatrical use; and also real humorous monologues for stage use, of from 500 to 1,000 words long. A cent a word will be paid for these on acceptance, and from 50 cents to $2.00 each for jokes. The editors wish only "the best and different."

The Jewish Forum (New York) wants short stories and poems. All fiction should be Jewish in treatment, dealing with American Jewish life.

The Boston Evening Record is paying one dollar each week day for a poem written by a Record reader.

Beginning with the January issue, the Musician is published by the Henderson Publications, Inc., New York, instead of by the Oliver Ditson Company, Boston.

Pacific Shipping, Illustrated, has suspended publication.

Business Success and Business Philosopher has been succeeded by Both Sides and Business Philosophy.

The publishers of the Foyer (Philadelphia) say that, contrary to a recent announce

ment (not made in THE WRITER), they are not in the market for manuscripts of any kind at present.

Our Young People is now American Young People (Milwaukee ).

Letters addressed to the Laura Leonard Newspaper Service, New York, are returned by the postoffice.

The Sky-Line, a small radical newspaper devoted to music, drama, and international affairs, was established in February of last year by Emma L. Trapper, New York. In May a partnership was formed and the paper was enlarged to a magazine of twenty-four pages. July, August, and September numbers were issued, but since then the affairs of the company have been in litigation, and no magazine has been published.

The Humanitarian (New York), which at present cannot pay for contributions, although it hopes to do so later, would like some prose articles and some verse on humanitarian and progressive subjects.

The Household Guest (Chicago) does not want any contributions sent to it for the next six months.

The Western Christian Advocate (Cincinnati) states that it is not now in the market for manuscripts of any kind, and that it is daily having to return manuscripts sent in.

Green's American Fruit Grower (Chicago) has no manuscript needs at present.

Ray Long, formerly editor of the Blue Book, the Green Book, and the Red Book, has become the editor of the Cosmopolitan, and consulting editor of all the Hearst magazines.

Karl Edwin Harriman, formerly managing editor of the Ladies' Home Journal, is now the editor of the Red Book, the Green Book, and the Blue Book.

The Lyric Society, 1425 Grand Concourse, New York City, will pay $500. each for the three best books of Poetry submitted to it be

fore April 1, 1919. The books may be of any length, form, or purpose, but must be written in English. The Society is enabled to make this offer through the generosity of an American who has asked that his name be withheld. The names of the judges will be announced later.

The World Tomorrow (118 East 28th street, New York) offers a prize of $500 for an original essay on "The League of Nations : Its Practicability and Its Need." Essays should be constructive, and must not be shorter than 4,000 words nor longer than 7,000 words. Each essay must be typewritten, signed by a pen name and accompanied by a sealed envelope, giving the name and address of the competitor. The contest will close January 31. The World Tomorrow reserves the right to the first publication of the prize essay, but will release the copyright to the author within one month after publication. Primarily the magazine seeks new definitions, a new philosophy of the State, and new motives in human relations, of which the League of Nations should be the natural organized expression.

The Engineering Company of America, 35 West 39th street, New York, is offering a prize of $100 for the best story on the subject, "America in War and Peace." Νο words not appearing in the "Victory White House Vocabulary," compiled by Bannell Sawyer, and containing all the 6,221 different words used by President Woodrow Wilson in the delivery of his seventy-five classic addresses, 1913-1918, may be used, and every word in the Vocabulary must be used at least once. Other things being equal, the shortest story will win the prize. Other stories that reach a standard will be purchased at fair rates and any subject may be selected that best lends itself to making use of the words contained in the Vocabulary. A copy of the Vocabulary will be sent to any reader of THE WRITER on request.

The Boston Post offers weekly prizes for original short stories, as follows: Ten dollars for the best, five dollars for the second best, and two dollars each for the other short

stories published each day by the Post. Only women are allowed to compete, and contestants are asked not to use their initials or their husbands' given names, and to indicate whether they are "Miss" or "Mrs." Each contestant's name should be written in full, with place of residence. Stories should not exceed 1,000 words.

Of the mass of songs offered in competition in the Patriotic Song contest conducted by the Hearst newspapers, 10,000 have been submitted to the judges, who will select the fifteen songs which they regard as the best. These will be printed, words and music, one each Sunday in the Hearst papers, and on the sixteenth Sunday a voting coupon will be printed, readers of the papers will be asked to designate their preference, and the prizes, ranging from $2,000 to $100, will be awarded in accordance with this vote. Contestants are asked not to offer their songs to publishers until the contest is over. If a publisher should bring out one of the songs and begin pushing it, it will immediately be withdrawn from the contest.

Prize offers still open :

Prize of $20,000 offered by the National Institute for Moral Instruction (Washington, D. C.) for the best method of character education in the public schools. Contest closes February 22, 1919. Particulars in May WRITER.

Prize of $100 to be awarded to the D. A. R. Chapter sending in before February 1, 1919, the best 5,000-word essay written by one of its members on the subject: "Would President Wilson's Definite Program (as stated in his terms of peace, addressed to Congress January 8, 1918), If Adopted at the Settlement After the War, Remove All Probabilities of Future Wars?" Particulars in July WRITER.

Prizes of $100, $50, $25, and $25 offered by the League for Permanent Peace for essays on the subject, A Law-Governed World," submitted before April 1, 1919, by students of women's colleges in Massachusetts. Particulars in October WRITER.

Prize of $5,000 offered by the National Federation of Music Clubs, for the best oratorio submitted between February 1 and March 1, 1919. Particulars in August WRITER.

Prizes offered by American Ambition (Philadelphia) in poem, novel, comedy-drama, short story, song, and other contests. Particulars in December WRITER.

Monthly prizes offered by the Photo-Era (Boston) for photographs, in an advanced competition and a beginner's competition.

Prizes offered by Poetry (Chicago) for the best work printed in the magazine during the year Oc

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Albert Jay Cook, author of the poem, “The Reverie of an Old ‘Regular,'” in Adventure for November 3, was when last heard from a sergeant in France, where his contributions to the Stars and Stripes, the official A. E. F. newspaper, are frequently seen. Poetry he has written has appeared for the past few years in the outdoor magazines, western dailies, and soldier publications. He is also a prose writer on hunting, fishing, and "roughing it" in the sparsely-settled frontiers of the world. Some of his outdoor "Poems of the Water Trails" were collected by Dixie Carroll, editor of the National Sportsman, and used in Mr. Carroll's latest book on angling. The "Rhyme of the Red Heads," published several years ago in Adventure, was the battle song of the red-head regiment formed at that time, and gained interest when a red-headed gunner fired our first shot in the great war. Mr. Cook is a believer in the "straight from the shoulder' type of poetical expression, and has small regard for the shallow, pearly day-dreams of those who have not scraped the ragged edges of the earth where "a man 's a man for a' o' that," and free verse is tabu. His themes have to do with soldiers and with soldier life, with which he has been in close contact for years, and he has written much on outdoor subjects. He is honorary secretary of the Army and Navy Club of Pittsburgh; vice-president of the American Anglers' League; a contributing member of the Vigilantes; a member of the Veterans of Foreign Service; of the Adventure Club; and of various press clubs.

Roy S. Durstine, whose sketch, "Sister to a Million Men," was printed in Scribner's

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