ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION, FOUR DOLLARS. SINGLE COPIES TWENTY
CENTS, FOREIGN POSTAGE, 75 CENTS EXTRA. CANADIAN POSTAGE, 50
CENTS EXTRA ENTERED AT THE POST OFFICE AT NEW YORK, N. Y.,
AS SECOND-CLASS MATTER. COPYRIGHT, 1913, BY THE MENTOR
ASSOCIATION, INC., PRESIDENT AND TREASURER, R. M. DONALDSON;
VICE-PRESIDENT, W. M. SANFORD; SECRETARY, L. D. GARDNER.
_Editorial_
When the plan of The Mentor Association was in its formative state a
prominent educator said, “Your principle, ‘Learn One Thing Every Day,’
is good. Stick to it. Don’t give too much in a single number. There are
four things that I regard essential to the success of your plan. They
are: Make your matter simple, make it interesting, be sure that it is
correct and authoritative, and last, don’t give too much at a time. The
mental fare that you serve to your many readers should be frugal. If
not, mental indigestion will follow.”
* * * * *
We have had that good advice in mind in all of our work. Some of our
readers have asked us why we do not exhaust a subject in one number of
The Mentor. Our answer is that, in no case, could we exhaust a subject
in a single number, and, in most cases we would exhaust the reader. We
give as much on any subject as will interest the reader, and as much as
he can conveniently retain in mind.
* * * * *
Just in the way of illustration: In the issue of September 29th,
“Beautiful Buildings of the World,” Professor Clarence Ward describes
the Alhambra. Mr. Dwight L. Elmendorf also tells about this celebrated
Moorish palace in the issue of September 15th. A large volume could
be written on the Alhambra without exhausting all that is interesting
in it. But a large volume would be more than most people would
care to read. The bare facts about the Alhambra could be told in
a brief encyclopedic article. But that would be dry and, to many,
uninteresting. In The Mentor Mr. Elmendorf describes the Alhambra as
an experienced traveler and observer sees it. Professor Ward, with the
cultivated eye of a student of architecture, appraises the Alhambra
as a beautiful building. Two well-informed men tell about the same
subject, each from his own point of view. The result is a fuller and
more satisfying impression. And later on, in considering the historic
palaces of the world, the Alhambra may again be considered from another
point of view.
* * * * *
In this way the light of information is brought to bear on a subject
from various sides, and the reader is brought with fresh interest to
the subject several times, and can view it in its different aspects.
We want all the members of The Mentor Association to appreciate the
breadth of this plan, for it will make clear to them the reason why
some important subjects are at present merely touched upon in The
Mentor. We want our members to know the plan that we are building up in
a simple, constructive way, under the advice of the wisest educators.
And we want our members to feel a share in this constructive work.
* * * * *
Write to us freely and frankly. It will be a great help. Tell us what
has interested you most in The Mentor. It is most interesting in our
work to note the desire shown by readers for certain subjects, and the
demand for back numbers. In a plan of this sort back numbers are just
as valuable as forthcoming numbers, and as the weeks go by the store of
valuable material increases in volume. This makes a binder desirable.
We have a very attractive Mentor box binder, neat in appearance and
holding 13 copies. It will preserve your Mentors in good condition, and
that is worth something, for you will always want them. The price is 50
cents each (or four for $1.75), by prepaid parcel post.
[Illustration: LA SALLE’S HOUSE. NEAR MONTREAL, CANADA]
_THE CONTEST FOR NORTH AMERICA_
_La Salle_