factor in the attainment of that which he desires. "Every day, in every way, I am growing better and better" is hypocrisy, but it is often efficacious. By imagining and playing a part other than our own true one we may soon assume that part.

More than one writer in the past has gone to the length of some thousand words to defend hypocrisy. I am inclined to go one astonishing, yet sane, step further and praise it! Paul P. Faris. Fayette, Missouri

Editor, the Forum:

I read Beatrice Brace's letter, and it appears to me that she has put a misconstruction upon much of the advice in Mr. Ben Ames Williams' article, entitled "The Functions of the Literary Agent."

I have re-read Mr. Williams' article very carefully, and I find nothing in it that savors of superciliousness, egotism, or the selfish satisfaction of the "arrived." On the other hand, it seems to me to be one of the most practical commonsense articles on the subject of writing that I have read. It is just such advice as Mr. Williams offers that is needed to balance the scales. Surely the novice has an overdose of optimism poured out for him by the horde that would make capital of his dreams and aspirations. I believe the novice would arrive at a surer pace if he would read more of such hard-headed advice as Mr. Williams gives and somewhat less of the insidious assurances of those whose business it is to earn their livelihood from the eager masses of the "unarrived."

Miss Brace takes issue with Mr. Williams on his statement that: "No one can be 'taught' anything of value; he must learn it for himself." "Why send children to school? They could go out into the world and learn things for themselves," asked Miss Brace.

There is a vast difference in the ability of an adult and that of a child to grasp ideas and facts. I am sure Mr. Williams' article pre-supposes adult students of the art, at least in the main, with minds stored with the things that were "taught" them while they were growing up. Also his remarks pre-suppose a subconscious mind that is a reservoir of impressions from infancy. A child has a few mental tools with which to construct a line of reasoning. It may have looked at the word "candy" on the paper on sugar sticks and on jars up to the age at which it started to school and it meant nothing to it. When it began to study the alphabet and phonics, certain letters taken from the alphabet and placed together properly would suggest hun

ger, taste, color, and perhaps other ideas to its mind. A child is taught that it may become able to teach itself.

I am sure Mr. Williams did not mean to leave the impression that an ambitious student could not be taught anything about technique. What Mr. Williams meant, and what he said, was that such a student could not be taught much of anything that he could not learn himself from the same amount of time and effort applied on his own account.

While it was not an effort to do so, I proved this theory of Mr. Williams', at least to my satisfaction. I took up a course in writing that was being taught in University Extension work in my city. I very soon gave it up. The Professor was monotonously going over things that my own avid curiosity had long since caused me to discover for myself.

If one has the itch to write, one will have the itch to find out how it is done, and I can see no better method than that suggested by Mr. Williams -"see, read, think, write."

The least of the difficulties of a would-be writer is grasping the rules. The essential qualities must proceed from within. Most good writing comes from a catholicity of heart and mind-the ability to see four square. I do not believe any writer who is emotionally sluggish reaches the spiritual nature of his readers. He might touch the intellectual side of their nature, but not otherwise.

So to Mr. Williams' excellent advice, "see, read, think, write," we might add-"and feel, if you can."

While it hurts those of us who belong to the "unarrived" to admit it, in the truest sense of the word, we can't be taught to write. We may know the rules by heart and yet not be able to recognize a story and tell it. But it won't help us any to get bitter about it. Acrimony usually springs from narrow vision, and narrowness of vision is fatal to the game. Ann Price Turner. Dallas, Texas

within our own time. Even so, he adds, the matter of variety enters again, and if a story of olden times has the plot, the action, the human interest, as well as the authenticity to hold the reader, he is glad to have it. He is also glad to have now and then an Indian story, preferably with the Indian as a subordinate character and a white man as a hero. Frontier Stories uses no serials, but it can use complete novels, of from 40,000 to 50,000 words, novelettes and short stories, of from 4,000 to 10,000 words, and fillers, not exceeding 500 words.

LOVE ROMANCES 461 Eighth avenue, New York, especially wants some "gripping" stories, and the editor gives a formula for success, as follows: A breath-holding plot full of suspense, with a thrillingly strong climactic scene. (A touch of mystery or adventure is permissible if it does n't overshadow the love interest); a girl-appealing hero and, perferably though not necessarily, a poor-girl heroine. (The girl as a rule should hold the center of the stage); romance; emotion.

THE BRADFORD GREETING CARD COMPANY Newton, Mass., is in the market now for verses for Easter, Mother's day, and birthday cards. Payment is made at the customary fifty cents a line.

THE PEOPLE'S POPULAR MONTHLY - Des Moines, Iowa, is eager to see more short stories. Miss Stewart, the managing editor, says that plenty of stories come to the magazine, and that many of them are "pretty good," but that it is surprising how few out of the thousands of manuscripts submitted turn out to be really good. The People's Popular Monthly does n't want realism, but it does want possible stories, with enough action to keep the reader interested, as well as a pleasing literary style.

of Westerners to put the material into straight story form. Characterization, local color, and plot are the three essentials, Mr. Hersey says, and their importance is in the order given. Humor, even of the slapstick variety, is welcome, but trick endings, a la O. Henry, should be avoided. Mr. Hersey urges contributors not to be afraid to write well. He is paying as high as four cents a word to regular contributors, and from a cent and a half upward to new writers.

THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY-250 Fourth avenue, New York, is in especial need just now of short fiction that conveys something of the romance and drama of industrial, mechanical, or scientific progress. The railroads, steel mills, big automobile and other factories, and the structural industries offer typical settings. All stories should be presented from a man's viewpoint, and accuracy in scientific or mechanical details is essential, while love interest is of secondary importance. Stories should not exceed 6,500 words.

SEA BREEZES-764 State street, San Diego, Calif., is in the market for a limited amount of strictly humorous material, particularly short storiettes, not exceeding 3,000 words, which, in addition to being humorous have as their theme something pertaining to the sea. MCCALL'S MAGAZINE -236 West Thirtyseventh street, New York, is always interested in serials, novelettes, short stories, and special articles, as well as manuscripts for the departments of special interest to women. The editors stress the point that contributors can obtain a much better idea of the needs of the magazine by examining the issues of the past year.

THE FUR AGE WEEKLY-47 West Thirtyfourth street, New York, is in the market for news about fur retailers and fur departments of department stores, and wants correspondents for any city except New York, Boston, Baltimore, Chicago, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Detroit, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, where it has regular correspond

ACE-HIGH MAGAZINE-799 Broadway, New 799 Broadway, New York, is keenly interested in buying Western stories written by those who have either lived beyond the Mississippi, or who know enough, by study, of the customs, creeds, and history

ents. The paper wants news of fur buyers, with snapshots of everyone interviewed. THE JEWISH HUMORIST-32 Union Square, New York, a new weekly magazine, with Herbert Forbush as editor, announces that it is in the market for all kinds of material of Jewish life stories, verse, jokes, "wise cracks," anecdotes, short burlesques both in prose and verse, cartoons of prominent Jewish people, and comic cartoons for the cover as well as for the inside. Material should have literary merit, be cleverly humorous, and full of human interest.

THE LARIAT STORY MAGAZINE-461 Eighth avenue, New York, is in the market for good "cracking" short stories, containing from 4,000 to 6,000 words, and some complete cowboy novels, containing from 10,000 to 25,000 words. Fiction for the Lariat should have a fast start, plenty of plot, and a punch at the finish. The editor adds that it is quite possible to tell a cowpunching yarn without a sheriff, and advises writers to put more real characters in their stories.

BRIEF STORIES-584 Drexel Building, Philadelphia, Penn., is in the market for anecdotes, fact stories, or picturesque legends of the early West. These manuscripts should contain from 200 to 1,000 words.

THE OUTLOOK 120 East Sixteenth street, New York, is overstocked with manuscripts at the present time and so is not accepting anything new unless it be of immediate importance and special timeliness.

THE INTERNATIONAL POETRY MAGAZINE · Box 57, Hammond, Indiana, the first number of which is that for February, with Harold Alexander Leon De Aryan as editor, desires love sonnets and love lyrics, which are true to form and of literary excellence, written in English, French, Spanish, Italian, Swedish, German, and Russian. The magazine does not, as yet, pay for contributions. THE PRISM - Box 700, Kansas City, Missouri, is a new magazine edited by David Boston, and wants very short sparkling verse and prose not exceeding sixteen lines. Prefers quatrains and epigrams. No payment is made for manuscripts at present.

JUNIOR LIFE-Box 5, Station N, Cincinnati, Ohio, wants articles dealing with junior sports.

THE MOTOR CAMPER AND TOURIST — 1133 Broadway, New York, has suspended publication.

THE BROADWAY BREEZE BREEZE-80 Lafayette street, New York, has suspended publication.

ization, and dialogue which determine "reader interest." Children's stories and allegories will not be considered. Manuscripts must not exceed 5,000 words, may be realistic or critical, must be typewritten in double space and mailed flat. They must be signed with an assumed name, and be accompanied by a sealed envelope bearing the name of the manuscript and the assumed name, and containing the name and address of the author, the title of the story, and return postage. The contest will close April 12, and manuscripts

should be addressed addressed to Mrs. Gertrude Springer, Short Story Contest Committee, 151 Fifth avenue, New York, from whom further information may be obtained.

THE AMERICAN NATURE ASSOCIATION wants to bring out the three cartoons best expressing the need of roadside beautification and directed against the various desecrations of Nature's beauties, and is conducting through the Nature Magazine the Outdoor Good Manners Cartoon contest, offering prizes of $100, $50, and $25. In addition, a year's membership in the American Nature Association will be given to all whose cartoons are accepted. The contest will close April 1, and cartoons should be sent to Cartoons, Nature Magazine, 1214 Sixteenth street, N. W., Washington, D. C. In addition, the magazine offers an amateur cartoon contest with the same objects, and prizes of $25, $10, $5, and ten honorable mentions of one dollar each. This contest will close June 1.

THE AMERICAN ARBITRATION CRUSADE 114 East Thirty-first street, New York, with the idea of inducing the Government to outlaw war by negotiating treaties between the United States and every other nation, providing for obligatory arbitration or adjudication of all disputes that may arise between them, offers prizes of $100 each for the best letter, editorial, or article appearing in any publication having at least 5,000 circulation; for the best cartoon appearing in the same way; for the best slogan appearing in the same way; for the best public demonstration or concerted endeavor for obligatory arbitration; and for the best sermon preached before July 4. Competitors must send in proof of their entries not later than five p. m., July 4. BRITH SHOLOM NEWS-506 Pine street, Philadelphia, Penn., announces its second annual short story contest, offering prizes of $75, $50, $40, and $25 for the best short stories of Jewish interest. In addition, $10 will be paid for each other story accepted. Stories should contain from 2,500 to 3,500 words, must be typewritten, signed by an as

sumed name, and accompanied by a sealed envelope endorsed with the assumed name and containing the name, address, and age of the contestant. The contest will close April 20. RAYS FROM THE CROSS-Oceanside, Calif., a Rosicrucian Fellowship magazine offers prizes of $25, $15, $10, and two prizes of $5 for the best manuscripts of mystical stories and interesting personal experiences bringing out some phase of the occult teaching; philosophical articles on mysticism, occultism, philosophy, and religion, either theoretical or practical; astrological articles, both esoteric and exoteric; and health articles bringing out interesting scientific and occult facts about the human nature, as well as articles of a practical nature on the gaining and retaining of health. Manuscripts must not exceed 2,500 words, and should bear the words "Manuscript Competition" at the top of the first page, as well as the name and address of the author, and the number of words in the manuscript. The contest will close May 1. W. B. FOSHAY COMPANY-826 Second avenue, South, Minneapolis, Minn., an investment concern controlling and managing pubprizes of $2,500, $1,000, $500, and ten prizes lic utilities, and distributing securities, offers of $100 each for the best newspaper or magazine advertisements, booklets, folders, or chase worth-while advertising which does not slogans. In addition, the Company will purwin a prize. Every advertisement should carry the Foshay border and the Foshay signature, as well as the Foshay slogan, "All Your Money All the Time - On Time," nant thought covering the Company's busiand all copy must be centered on one dominess of financing, controlling and managing public utilities and industrials, and the distribution of securities. The contest will close April 30.

THE FEDERATION OF MUSIC CLUBS OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA announces that no manuscript worthy of the prize offered for an official song for the District of Columbia was received, and that therefore no prize was awarded.