United Amateur Press Association
EXPONENT OF AMATEUR JOURNALISM
ITS OBJECT
The desire to write for publication is one which inheres strongly inevery human breast. From the proficient college graduate, storming thegates of the high-grade literary magazines, to the raw schoolboy, vainlyendeavoring to place his first crude compositions in the localnewspapers, the whole intelligent public are today seeking expressionthrough the printed page, and yearning to behold their thoughts andideals permanently crystallized in the magic medium of type. But while afew persons of exceptional talent manage eventually to gain a footholdin the professional world of letters rising to celebrity through thewide diffusion of their art, ideals, or opinions; the vast majority,unless aided in their education by certain especial advantages, aredoomed to confine their expression to the necessarily restricted sphereof ordinary conversation. To supply these especial educationaladvantages which may enable the general public to achieve thedistinction of print, and which may prevent the talented but unknownauthor from remaining forever in obscurity, has arisen that largest andforemost of societies for literary education =The United Amateur PressAssociation=.
ITS ORIGIN
Amateur journalism, or the composition and circulation of small,privately printed magazines, is an instructive diversion which hasexisted in the United States for over half a century. In the decade of1866-1876 this practice first became an organized institution; ashort-lived society of amateur journalists, including the now famouspublisher, Charles Scribner, having existed from 1869 to 1874. In 1876 amore lasting society was formed, which exists to this day as an exponentof light dilettantism. Not until 1895, however, was amateur journalismestablished as a serious branch of educational endeavour. On September2nd of that year, Mr. William H. Greenfield, a gifted professionalauthor, of Philadelphia, founded =The United Amateur Press Association=,which has grown to be the leader of its kind, and the representative ofamateur journalism in its best phases throughout the English-speakingworld.
ITS NATURE
In many respects the word "amateur" fails to do full credit to amateurjournalism and the association which best represents it. To some mindsthe term conveys an idea of crudity and immaturity, yet the =United= canboast of members and publications whose polish and scholarship arewell-nigh impeccable. In considering the adjective "amateur" as appliedto the press association, we must adhere to the more basicinterpretation, regarding the word as indicating the non-mercenarynature of the membership. Our amateurs write purely for love of theirart, without the stultifying influence of commercialism. Many of themare prominent professional authors in the outside world, but theirprofessionalism never creeps into their association work. The atmosphereis wholly fraternal, and courtesy takes the place of currency.
The real essential of amateur journalism and =The United Amateur PressAssociation= is the amateur paper or magazine, which somewhat resemblesthe average high-school or college publication. These journals, varyinggreatly in size and character, are issued by various members at theirown expense, and contain, besides the literary work of their severaleditors or publishers, contributions from all the many members who donot publish papers of their own. Their columns are open to every personin the association, and it may be said with justice that no one willfind it impossible to secure the publication of any literary compositionof reasonable brevity. The papers thus published are sent free to allour many members, who constitute a select and highly appreciativereading public. Since each member receives the published work of everyother member, many active and brilliant minds are brought into closecontact, and questions of every sort, literary, historical, andscientific, are debated both in the press and in personalcorrespondence. The correspondence of members is one of the mostvaluable features of the =United=, for through this medium a greatintellectual stimulus, friendly and informal in nature, is afforded.Congenial members are in this way brought together in a letteredcompanionship, which often grows into life-long friendship, whilepersons of opposed ideas may mutually gain much breadth of mind byhearing the other side of their respective opinions discussed in agenial manner. In short, the =United= offers an exceptionallywell-proportioned mixture of instruction and fraternal cheer. There areno limits of age, sex, education, position, or locality in this mostcomplete of democracies. Boys and girls of twelve and men and women ofsixty, parents and their sons and daughters, college professors andgrammar-school pupils, aristocrats and intelligent labourers, Easternersand Westerners, are here given equal advantages, those of greatereducation helping their cruder brethren until the common fund of cultureis as nearly level as it can be in any human organization. Members areclassified according to age; "A" meaning under sixteen, "B" from 16 to21, and "C" over 21. The advantages offered to those of limitedacquirements are immense, many persons having gained practically alltheir literary polish through membership in the =United=. A muchcherished goal is professional authorship or editorship, and numerousindeed are the =United= members who have now become recognized authors,poets, editors, and publishers. True, though trite, is the saying thatamateur journalism is an actual training school for professionaljournalism.
ITS PUBLISHING ACTIVITIES
Members of the =United= may or may not publish little papers of theirown. This is a matter of choice, for there are always enough journals toprint the work of the non-publishing members. Youths who possessprinting presses will find publishing an immense but inexpensivepleasure, whilst other publishers may have their printing done at veryreasonable rates by those who do own presses. The favorite size foramateur papers is 5x7 inches, which can be printed at 55 or 60 cents perpage, each page containing about 250 words. Thus a four-page issuecontaining 1000 words can be published for less than $2.50, ifarrangements are made, as is often the case, for its free mailing withany other paper. Certain of the more pretentious journals affect the7x10 size, which costs about $1.60 for each page of 700 words. Thesefigures allow for 250 copies, the most usual number to be mailed. Mr.E. E. Ericson of Elroy, Wisconsin, is our Official Printer, and his workis all that the most fastidious could demand. Other printers may befound amongst the young men who print their own papers. In many casesthey can quote very satisfactory prices. Two or more members may issue apaper co-operatively, the individual expense then being very slight.
ITS CONTRIBUTED LITERATURE
The =United= welcomes all literary contributions; poems, stories, andessays, which the various members may submit. However, contribution isby no means compulsory, and in case a member finds himself too busy foractivity, he may merely enjoy the free papers which reach him, withouttaxing himself with literary labour. For those anxious to contribute,every facility is provided. In some cases negotiations are made directlybetween publisher and contributor, but the majority are accommodated bythe two Manuscript Bureaus, Eastern and Western, which receivecontributions in any quantity from the non-publishing members, and aredrawn upon for material by those who issue papers. These bureauspractically guarantee on the one hand to find a place for each member'smanuscript, and on the other hand to keep each publisher well suppliedwith matter for his journal.
ITS CRITICAL DEPARTMENTS
The two critical departments of the =United= are at present the mostsubstantial of its various educational advantages. The Department ofPrivate Criticism is composed exclusively of highly cultured members,usually professors or teachers of English, who practically mould thetaste of the whole association, receiving and revising beforepublication the work of all who choose to submit it to them. The servicefurnished free by this department is in every way equal to that forwhich professional critical bureaus charge about two dollars.Manuscripts are carefully corrected and criticised in every detail, andauthors are given comprehensive advice designed to elevate their taste,style, and grammar. Many a crude but naturally gifted writer has beendeveloped to polished fluency and set on the road to professionalauthorship through the =United's= Department of Private Criticism.
The Department of Public
Criticism reviews thoroughly and impartiallythe various printed papers and their contents, offering precepts andsuggestions for improvement. Its reports are printed in the officialorgan of the association, and serve as a record of our literaryachievement.
ITS LITERARY AWARDS
To encourage excellence amongst the members of the =United=, annualhonours or "laureateships" are awarded the authors of the best poems,stories, essays, or editorials. Participation in these competitions isnot compulsory, since they apply only to pieces which have beenespecially "entered for laureateship." The entries are judged not by themembers of the association, but by highly distinguished litterateurs ofthe professional world, selected particularly for the occasion. Ourlatest innovation is a laureateship for the best home-printed paper,which will excite keen rivalry among our younger members, and bring outsome careful specimens of the typographical art. Besides thelaureateships there are other honours and prizes awarded by individualpublishers within the =United=, many of the amateur journals offeringexcellent books for the best stories, reviews, or reports submitted tothem.
ITS OFFICIAL ORGAN
The association, as a whole, publishes a voluminous 7x10 monthlymagazine called =The United Amateur=, which serves as the officialorgan. In this magazine may be found the complete revised list ofmembers, the reports of officers and committees, the ample reviewsissued by the Department of Public Criticism, a selection of the bestcontemporary amateur literature, together with the latest news ofamateur journalists and their local clubs from all over the Anglo-Saxonworld. =The United Amateur= is published by an annually elected OfficialEditor, and printed by the Official Publisher. It is sent free to allmembers of the association.
ITS GOVERNMENT
=The United Amateur Press Association= is governed by a board ofofficers elected by popular vote. The elections take place at the annualconventions, where amateurs from all sections meet and fraternize. Thosewho attend vote in person, whilst all others send in proxy ballots.There is much friendly rivalry between cities concerning the selectionof the convention seat each year. The principal elective officers of the=United= are the President, two Vice-Presidents, the Treasurer, theOfficial Editor and the three members of the Board of Directors. Thereare also a Historian, a Laureate Recorder, and two Manuscript Managers.Appointed by the President are the members of the two Departments ofCriticism, the Supervisor of Amendments, the Official Publisher, and theSecretary of the association. All save Secretary and Official Publisher,serve without remuneration. The basic law of the =United= comprises anexcellent Constitution and By-Laws.
ITS LOCAL CLUBS
The =United= encourages the formation of local literary or press clubsin cities or towns containing several members. These clubs generallypublish papers, and hold meetings wherein the pleasures of literatureare enlivened by those of the society. The most desirable form of clubactivity is that in which a high-school instructor forms a literarysociety of the more enthusiastic members of his class.
ITS PLACE IN EDUCATION
During the past two years, as it has approached and passed its twentiethbirthday, the =United= has been endeavoring more strongly than ever tofind and occupy its true place amongst the many and varied phases ofeducation. That it discharges an unique function in literary culture iscertain, and its members have of late been trying very actively toestablish and define its relation to the high-school and the university.Mr. Maurice Winter Moe, Instructor of English at the Appleton HighSchool, Appleton, Wisconsin, and one of our very ablest members, tookthe first decisive step by organizing his pupils into an amateur pressclub, using the =United= to supplement his regular class-room work. Thescholars were delighted, and many have acquired a love of goodliterature which will never leave them. Three or four, in particular,have become prominent in the affairs of the =United=. Afterdemonstrating the success of his innovation, Mr. Moe described it in=The English Journal=, his article arousing much interest in educationalcircles, and being widely reprinted by other papers. In November, 1914,Mr. Moe addressed an assemblage of English teachers in Chicago, andthere created so much enthusiasm for the =United=, that scores ofinstructors have subsequently joined our ranks, many of them formingschool clubs on the model of the original club at Appleton. Here, then,is one definite destiny for our association: to assist the teaching ofadvanced English in the high-school. We are especially eager forhigh-school material, teachers and pupils alike.
But there still remain a numerous class, who, though not connected withschool or college, have none the less sincere literary aspirations. Atpresent they are benefited immensely through mental contact with ourmore polished members, yet for the future we plan still greater aids fortheir development, by the creation of a systematic "Department ofInstruction," which will, if successfully established, amountpractically to a free correspondence school, and an "Authors' PlacingBureau," which will help amateurs in entering the professional field.Our prime endeavor is at present to secure members of high mental andscholastic quality, in order that the =United= may be strengthened forits increasing responsibility. Professors, teachers, clergymen, andauthors have already responded in gratifying numbers to our whollyaltruistic plea for their presence among us. The reason for the=United's= success as an educational factor seems to lie principally inthe splendid loyalty and enthusiasm which all the members somehowacquire upon joining. Every individual is alert for the welfare of theassociation, and its activities form the subject of many of the currentessays and editorials. The ceaseless writing in which most of themembers indulge is in itself an aid to fluency, while the mutualexamples and criticisms help on still further the pleasantly unconsciousacquisition of a good literary style. When regular courses ofinstruction shall have been superimposed upon these things, theassociation can indeed afford to claim a place of honour in the world ofeducation.
ITS ENTRANCE CONDITIONS
The only requirement for admission to the =United= is earnest literaryaspiration. Any member will furnish the candidate for admission with anapplication blank, signed in recommendation. This application, filledout and forwarded to the Secretary of the association with the sum offifty cents as dues for the first year, and accompanied by a"credential," or sample of the candidate's original literary work, willbe acted upon with due consideration by the proper official. Nocandidate of real sincerity will be denied admittance, and the applicantwill generally be soon rewarded by his certificate of membership, signedby the President and Secretary. Papers, letters, and postal cards ofwelcome will almost immediately pour in upon him, and he will in duetime behold his credential in print. (Unless it be something alreadyprinted.) Once a member, his dues will be one dollar yearly, and if heshould ever leave the =United=, later desiring to join again, hisreinstatement fee will be one dollar.
ITS REPRESENTATIVES
=The United Amateur Press Association= is anything but local in itspersonnel. Its active American membership extends from Boston to LosAngeles, and from Milwaukee to Tampa, thus bringing all sections incontact, and representing every phase of American thought. Its Englishmembership extends as far north as Newcastle-on-Tyne. Typical papers arepublished in England, California, Kansas, Wisconsin, Ohio, Illinois,Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, District of Columbia, New York,and Rhode Island.
In writing for entrance blanks or for further information concerning the=United=, the applicant may address any one of the following officers,who will gladly give details, and samples of amateur papers: LeoFritter, President, 503 Central National Bank Bldg., Columbus, Ohio;H. P. Lovecraft, Vice-President, 598 Angell St., Providence, R. I.; Mrs.J. W. Renshaw, Second Vice-President, Coffeeville, Miss.; William J.Dowdell, Secretary, 2428 East 66th St., Cleveland, Ohio; or Edward F.Daas, Official Editor, 1717 Cherry St., Milwaukee, Wis. Professionalauthors interested in our work are recommended to communicate with theSecond Vice-President, while English teachers may derive expertinformation from Maurice W. Moe, 658 Atlantic St., Appleton, Wis. Youthswho possess printing-presses are referred to the Secretary, who ishim
self a young typographer.
ITS PROVINCE SUMMARIZED
=If you are= a student of elementary English desirous of attaining literary polish in an enjoyable manner,
=If you are= an ordinary citizen, burning with the ambition to become an author,
=If you are= a solitary individual wishing for a better chance to express yourself,
=If you own= a printing-press and would like to learn how to issue a high-grade paper,
=If you are= a mature person eager to make up for a youthful lack of culture,
=If you are= a professor or teacher seeking a new method of interesting your English class, or
=If you are= an author or person of ripe scholarship, anxious to aid your cruder brothers on their way, then
YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO BECOME A MEMBER OF THE UNITED AMATEUR PRESS ASSOCIATION.
H. P. LOVECRAFT, Vice-President.
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