writer who examines this story, and who as a result determines that the only thing necessary to revise an unsatisfactory Beginning is to present it as a scene has not grasped the complete theory of a Beginning. Whether presented in a scene or an episode, the ma

terial will be rejected by a competent craftsman unless it presents the information necessary to the reader's understanding of the main situation of the whole story. Because "Sunk" does this, it has a first rate Beginning.

MAN

ANY and devious are the paths by which the writer of today arrives at his Climax, his Thrill, or Kick, whichever you will, and ingenious oft-times are the methods of its unfoldment - sometimes subtle, again dramatic, perhaps, occasionally, even bombastic.

But for sheer, stark Punch, unforgetable registered by a certain twelve-year-old mind, and ever thereafter instinctively summoned, sometimes in impatience at the dilatory or "palavering" rounding-out of a crisis; oftener in half-affectionate railery at the contrast between the methods of a former day and those of the verbose present, I offer the above line from "Jane Eyre" and challenge any writer of today to approach it for brevity, straightforwardness and "snap"-qualities which were certainly not always present in such arresting degree at the time even in which the words were penned — penned, not typed, observe!

Everyone of course, remembers Jane's vivid narration of her flight from Rochester after the discovery that he already had a wife, albeit insane, and her subsequent race to his side upon learning of the conflagration which had destroyed his beautiful home, in which

the insane wife perished, and Rochester was blinded in an attempt to save her.

Then follows a keenly dramatic scene in which the once rich and arrogant Rochester appeals to the insignificant little governess to remain beside him always, now that he has nothing to offer her but poverty and life-long helpless dependence.

What an opportunity there was here for page upon page of sustained suspense; for the registering of Jane's agitation, her indecision, and the whole gamut of emotions which would today be good at prevailing rates for not less than a whole harrowing chapter of wordily detailed analysis!

But, unaccountably blind to her wonderful chance for prolonging the agony indefinitely, the untrained little Haworth writer reaches out in a touchingly naive outburst of candor to an unseen audience whose heart she must have felt was unquestionably beating with hers in her high moment, and in quaint apostrophe, exclaims- "Reader, I married him!"

Suppose some of us try summing up our next climax in four words, if only for the salutary experience it will give us in learning how easy it is not!

To 100 people

who wish to become Staff Writers:

June, 1926.

Some time ago you answered our advertisement for Staff Writers. Since that time our business has grown to such an extent that we are in need of Twenty more writers on our staff, and we have a special offer for those 20 who will volunteer to serve us. We are sending this letter to 100 of the most ambitious and seemingly interested writers, in the hopes that we may get 20 additional writers on our Staff by August 1st, 1926.

As a Staff member you furnish us with manuscripts, and if same is O. K., and only needs revision, we accept same. If we cannot use the manuscript it is turned over to our Sales Department, and this department finds a market or sometimes finds several markets for it, so even if we cannot use it, our Sales Dept. will surely find a market for it.

We guarantee to place at least one of your manuscripts with a LARGE publisher.

Now, we will tell you just what manuscripts we can use from our staff writers. We can use stories, any length, articles of any nature, a few good songs, poems of all kinds, but no scenarios. If you can write scenarios in story form, then you have a chance to be accepted, but we do not produce scenarios ourselves. Not yet, at least, until our studio is built, for which plans are being started on

now.

You may remember that our regular staff fees, which paid for our Sales Dept. handling of your manuscripts and any necessary revisions on same, WAS Ten dollars for Three months, Fifteen dollars for Six months; Twenty-Two dollars per year, and ThirtySeven dollars for Two Years.

Because of our urgent need of 20 additional writers by August 1st we are making a special fee rate to get these Twenty. For Three Months it will be Five dollars, and Six months $9.00. No more than six months accepted from any of these twenty special writers, and NO staff writer can rejoin after his or her membership expires.

To those who have mislaid our booklet, we have a new 20-page booklet describing our staff service in full. Those desiring a copy, send 5 cents to the Staff Department of this firm. The fees, remember, are used entirely for any necessary revisions, and the Sales Dept. services.

The Editors Review issued Bi-Monthly will carry a writeup on your best stories to editors all over the country. This is a free service to Staff Writers, which includes our valuable Monthly Bulletin service also, every month. Qualification blank is enclosed, fill it out now, as it is only good until August 1st, 1926.

Staff Dept.

Very truly yours,

The National Publications.

The National Publications,

5428 Wells St., Chicago. Gentlemen:

June 18, 1926.

I have your communication of "June," and have carefully noted all that you have to say. In some respects, your letter is the most remarkable document I have ever read. Let me explain why I make this statement.

You would have the recipient of your letter believe that you are competent to revise short stories, articles, etc., for publication, and yet you have demonstrated in the one page you have written me that you do not even know how to write a letter. Not only is your English rotten, but parts of it are positively ungrammatical. For example in the first paragraph you use the word "writers" four times. Devilish bad English composition.

In the second paragraph you say: "As a Staff member you furnish us with manuscripts, and if same is O. K., and only needs revision, we accept same. This should read: "As a Staff member you furnish us with manuscripts, and if the same are O. K., and only need revision, we accept same." And then you continue in the same paragraph to speak of the manuscript as it, when you started out with manuscripts plural-and this word should be they.

The next paragraph, "We guarantee to place at least one of your manuscripts with a LARGE publisher," is a whopping lie. I have

tried for five years, and while I have sold two dozen short stories, I have never sold one to a BIG publisher, and you have no better opportunity than I have to make such a sale.

In the paragraph just below that, in the last sentence thereof, you say: "Not yet, at least, until our studio is built, for which plans are being started on now." Why did n't you say, "the plans for which are in course of preparation"?

In the paragraph just below the last mentioned you say: "That our regular staff fees, which paid for our Sales Dept. handling of your manuscript and any necessary revisions on same was," etc. This last underscored word should be "were."

In the first sentence of the next paragraph you use the word "booklet," twice. The sentence is short, and it is bad English to use that word more than once in the same sentence.

Your letter-head has not a single name thereon. Your letter is unsigned except "The National Publications," not even any initials below the signature. Not a reputable concern in the United States would send out such a letter.