Part 21 (1/2)

It was the same boy who on his hospital cot the next day said: ”Don't you think you could do so for the chap next to : cried like hell all last night It would be a God-send if you could get Doc to do soeon should be seen at once, but the boy was asked: ”How about you?”

”Oh,” ca to hurt My wounded ot so according to such a boy's idea?

Bok had had enough of war in all its aspects; he felt a sigh of relief when, a few days thereafter, he boarded _The Empress of Asia_ for hoain to see, at first hand, ar meant!

CHAPTER XX

THE THIRD PERIOD

On the voyage home, Edward Bok decided that, now the as over, he would ask his company to release him froinal plan had been to retire at the end of a quarter of a century of editorshi+p, when in his fiftieth year He was, therefore, six years behind his schedule In October, 1919, he would reach his thirtieth anniversary as editor, and he fixed upon this as an appropriate time for the relinquishment of his duties

He felt he had carried out the conditions under which the editorshi+p of the azine had been transferred to hiht the on of the periodical by him would be of a supple to create a national institution of service to the American woman, and he felt that his part in the as done

He considered carefully where he would leave an institution which the public had so thoroughly associated with his personality, and he felt that at no point in its history could he so safely transfer it to other hands The position of the azine in the public esti Its circulation not only had outstripped that of any otherso rapidly that it was only a question of a few months when it would reach the almost incredible mark of two e exceeding that of any other monthly, the periodical had becoazine property in the world

The tiain when all conditions would be equally favorable to a change of editorshi+p The position of the ress could hardly be affected by the retirement of one editor, and the accession of another There was a competent editorial staff, the members of which had been with the periodical froe factor in the success of the azine While Bok had furnished the initiative and supplied the directing power, a large part of the editorial success of the azine without his guidance

Moreover, Bok wished to say good-by to his public before it decided, for soood-by to him He had no desire to outstay his welcoent toward his shortco to his best endeavor He would not ask tootenure of office, one of the longest, in point of consecutively active editorshi+p, in the history of Aazines

He had helped to create and to put into the life of the Ainning it had been unlike any other periodical; it had always retained its individuality as ae of stories and articles It had consistently stood for ideals; and, save in one or two instances, it had carried through what it undertook to achieve It had a record of worthy accoined It had becoazine had ever been It was indisputably accepted by the public and by business interests alike as the recognized avenue of approach to the intelligent homes of America

Edward Bok was content to leave it at this point

He explained all this in December, 1918, to the Board of Directors, and asked that his resignation be considered It was understood that he was to serve out his thirty years, thus reazine for the best part of another year

In the material which _The Journal_ now included in its contents, it began to point the way to the proble the reconstruction period Bok scanned the rather crowded field of thought very carefully, and selected for discussion in the azine such questions as seemed to him most important for the public to understand in order to face and solve its i question he sahich would immediately face men and women of the country was the problem of Americanization The war and its after-effects had clearly demonstrated this to be the most vital need in the life of the nation, not only for the foreign-born but for the American as well

The more one studied the problem the clearer it became that the vast , and, in many cases, a new conception of An-born, and that the latter could never be taught what America and its institutions stood for until they were more clearly defined in the mind of the ton, consulted with Franklin K Lane, secretary of the interior, of whose department the Government Bureau of Americanization was a part A comprehensive series of articles was outlined; the most expert writer, Esther Everett Lape, who had several years of actual experience in Areed personally to read and pass upon the material, and to assume the responsibility for its publication

With the full and direct co-operation of the Federal Bureau of Americanization, the material was assembled and worked up with the result that, in the opinion of the director of the Federal Bureau, the series proved to be the most comprehensive exposition of practical Ae, thus far published

The work on this series was one of the last acts of Edward Bok's editorshi+p; and it was peculiarly gratifying to him that his editorial work should end with the exposition of that Americanization of which he hi close to the career of a foreign-born Americanized editor

The scope of the reconstruction articles now published, and the clarity of vision shown in the selection of the subjects, gave a fresh ioverno on the use of paper had been reain be printed The public responded instantly

The result reached phenoures The last number under Bok's full editorial control was the issue of October, 1919 This number was oversold with a printed edition of two azine This sale number of any periodical in the world

It carried between its covers the a total of over one million dollars in advertiseical point at which to stop And Edward Bok did

Although his official relation as editor did not terminate until January, 1920, when the number which contained his valedictory editorial was issued, his actual editorshi+p ceased on September 22, 1919 On that day he handed over the reins to his successor

The announcereat surprise to his friends Save for one here and there, who had a clearer vision, the feeling was general that he had made a mistake He was fifty-six, in the pri easily upon him”--said one; ”at the very sureed it was ”queer,” ”strange,”--unless, they argued, he was really ill Even thehis friends wondered It seeive up before he was, for soo on until he ”dropped in the harness,” they argued

Bok agreed that any ht to work until he _did_ ”drop in the harness” But, he argued, if he conceded this right to others, why should they not concede to hi with the blinders off?