Fewer Centuries

Six weeks ago announcement was made that in September the monthly Magazine of Business would become a weekly (The Business Week) in order that it might keep up with "the new tempo in business" (TIME, June 24). Last week announcement was made that Century, for 60 years a monthly, would make its first appearance in October as a quarterly because the world is going a. "too fast a pace." Explained Century Editor Hewitt Hanson Rowland: "We have stepped on the accelerator with such a heavy foot that time is out of joint; what we once spread over three leisurely months we now crowd into one, with the leisure squeezed out. . . The Century proposes to take the first move. With added leisure in which to make a better magazine we give you [Century readers] added leisure in which to read and reflect." In 1906 Century circulation was 150,000 and there was a commensurate amount -of advertising. In 1925, Century circulation had shrunk to 31,000; last year had shrunk still more, to 22,000. Advertising pages have been scarce in Century. Was Century losing money? Editor Howland said he did not know because he had nothing to do with the accounting department. Furthermore, explained he: "It's an honest-to-God fact that we are changing Century's issues to four times a year because we think people in this hurry-up-age really want more time to read it! I have already received many letters commending the change. We'll still have the same standards Century has always had." The Century standards were first thought of by two men, Roswell Smith and Josiah Gilbert Holland, who met in Geneva in 1869, confided in each other their ambitions to become publishers. Next year with help of funds subscribed by Scribner & Co., book publishers, they founded Scribner's Monthly-- later changed to the Century. Scribner money withdrawn, the magazine thrived on its appeal to wealthy time-to-spare persons who were interested in reading of world topics, controversies, the writings of famed men of the day. Thomas Nelson Page, Mark Twain, Lord Tennyson, Poet Whittier were contributors. When Editor-Publisher Holland died in 1881, his assist ant, Richard Watson Gilder, became editor. After Editor Gilder came in succession Editors Robert Underwood Johnson, Robert Sterling Yard, Douglas Zabriskie Doty, T. R. Smith. When Glenn Frank went to the Century soon after the War he changed the cover, eliminated colored illustrations, raised the newsstand price from 35-c- to 50-c-, tried to make Century "different." Ambitious, resourceful, a good writer, he almost succeeded. But, trying to pioneer in the tempo later perfected by Henry Louis Mencken in his American Mercury and to a lesser extent by Harpers and the Forum, Editor Frank never quite achieved the sophistication and smart-chat which has made circulation for the others. When, in 1926, Hewitt Hanson Howland went from Indianapolis and the book editorship of Publishers Bobbs-Merrill to take charge because Editor Frank had been elected University of Wisconsin president, he too thought of altering Century. But since then the slight decrease in circulation has been accompanied by changes upon which not even Editor Howland could put a distinguishing finger last week. He bought articles by such writers as Aldous Huxley, Bertrand Russell, Rev. John Haynes Holmes, Ida M. Tarbell. but he could not buy more readers.

--No connection with present-day Scribner's, which was founded in 1887.