reading is largely confined to newspapers and periodicals.

Because of the commercial value of satisfying his readers, an editor
occasionally assumes that he must give all of them whatever some of them
crave. "We are only giving the public what it wants," is his excuse for
printing fiction and articles that are obviously demoralizing in their
effect. A heterogeneous public inevitably includes a considerable number
of individuals who are attracted by a suggestive treatment of morbid
phases of life. To cater to the low desires of some readers, on the
ground of "giving the public what it wants," will always be regarded by
self-respecting editors and authors as indefensible.

The writer's opportunity to influence the mental, moral, and æsthetic
ideals of hundreds of thousands of readers is much greater than he often
realizes. When he considers the extent to which most men and women are
unconsciously guided in their ideas and aspirations by what they read in
newspapers and magazines, he cannot fail to appreciate his
responsibility. Grasping the full significance of his special feature
writing, he will no longer be content to write just well enough to sell
his product, but will determine to devote his effort to producing
articles that are the best of which he is capable.




CHAPTER III

FINDING SUBJECTS AND MATERIAL