Show WHY WRITE SO MUCH ASKS VETERAN PUBLISHER x I I I I I II I 4 I tt j AW I I t I V jj l vi Z P i S c F 4 S. S Major George Georg Haven Putnam as drawn by his friend Sir William I Orpen the famous British artist Too Many Aspiring Authors Authol and a Deploring Lack of Mature Intellects Says Major Maor Putnam By LEON M. M SILER NEA N EA Service Writer Writ r NEW YORK July 24 Its It's Its It's Intellectual Intellectual Intellectual Intel Intel- modesty we e moderns need Ask Major George Haven Putnam He H Hi knows He is the dean of American American Amer ican publishers For sixt sixty one one years year he has been a target of the ever ever- hotter barrage laid down on hi his profession by folks who have literary lit lit- more more or less less' less messages 10 for mankind The major has grown gray an and grizzled in this service e as a buffer buffe between the long suffering public and American authorship In n the majors major's one sixty one years o of at scrutinizing literary efforts cUorts Americans Americans Ameri Amen cans have come to be five times a as prolific as Englishmen in attempts attempt at authorship and twenty times a as fertile as the people of the European continent YOUTH IN LEAD We Ve lack modesty modest standards knowledge the major sums up An active actie mind isn't apt to be s a success at book writing when It h is backed by only a half baked intel Intel- lect Day after day we still receive manuscripts on such subjects a as squaring the circle and perpetual perpetua motion Most material submitted for publication publication pub pub- came from elderly people in lii is in inthe my ny earlier days Now youth the he lead And youth lacks back back- ground round Youth is flighty and florid lorid Works on natural science are among the most popular modern publications of a serious nature Major Maor Ma Ma- jor or Putnam finds People welcome tales ales of or expeditions explorations and nd such Vanity and dreams of profit alike Inspire the present day torrents of words Vanity's share of at the re responsibility responsibility re- re clearly is reflected in inthe inthe the he large number of authors who are ale willing sIlling to pay all publication costs oats out of or their own po pockets At 82 Major Putnam remains in personal and very active control of ot the he business of the Putnam concern Ho He commutes across the Atlantic so 0 he can keep his eyes and fingers fingerson on on a the London office as well as thata that In a New ew York He has visited Europe one or more times every year except two since ince 1865 when he was discharged rom the Union army Diminutive of or stature he bears beals a alose close lose resemblance to the late lat Charles Proteus Steinmetz wizard of at I the electrical world A crusader by disposition he left len school chool in en Germany to toome come ome home and enlist in the Union army irmy as a buck private WROTE TH THIRTEEN BOOKS I He Ia be became ame an officer and served it at t New Orleans in the Shenandoah valley alley and with Sherman in the Carolinas Twice captured he saw Libby ibby and Danville prisons of or the Confederacy from the inside but through exchanges was again at the front oat when the wars war's end came Major Putnam though president Df of f the Peace society at the time of earliest advocates the was vas as one of ot entry by the United States into the thear war var ar against Germany German The league of or nations and the of ot world orld court are favorite causes In these piping times of the he e major atthe of at ofie and the peace eade These union of Speaking English-Speaking he the ie which he is vice president The University of or Oxford conferred conferred con con- of letters leters let- let of or doctor the degree major this year He lie is Isie Isone the ers rs on the three Americans on of the one ie London's sod sod- soci- soci roll oil 11 of or in which Is con- con membership ety ty y eminence med erred for distinguished in n L the fhe s sciences lences literature or the service arts tu or for lor public Withal he he has found leisure hours for or writing thirteen books bools of his r of them theta are historical own wn Most 1 But ut the most popular oddly enough for youngsters youngsters tIThe The is B a volume Little Ittle Gingerbread Man ian Herbert Put- Put Putnam One of ot his brothers lam nam mis is the librarian of cong congress ess I |