Mr. Magazine

A century ago, yes, you read that right, 100 years ago on this day, a new magazine appeared on the nation’s newsstands.  Its name, a three-letter-word and in all caps, breaking every taboo that was out there, and calling it what it is: SEX.  A new monthly magazine for the masses from Dawn Publishing Co., Inc., at 17 West 60^th Street, New York, N.Y.

The magazine was “for sale only on news-stands or in quantities of twenty or more – Express prepaid.”  SEX Monthly Magazine was soliciting “articles dealing in a constructive and wholesome way with sex problems and photographic studies.”  Its editorial policy stated that “SEX, will include reprints of outstanding articles on sex from current magazines, also heretofore unpublished articles, romantic poems and from time to time fiction stories.”

In the first issue, and every issue that followed, SEX Monthly Magazine included what it referred to as “Our Platform.”

The Platform

“Prevailing ignorance, prejudice, and hysteria concerning sex cause widespread misery, error and unhappiness.

         We oppose the conspiracy of silence on the subject of sex because not ignorance but understanding will safeguard morals and happiness.

         Likewise we oppose the conspiracy of shame whereby the beautiful and God-ordained fact of sex has been made to appear horrible and vile.”

The magazine went on stating, “We oppose the conspiracy of repression because psychoanalysis has clearly shown that to repress an impulse does not kill it but produces nervousness, morbidness, depression, shame, a sense of inferiority, sickness and insanity.

         When rationalized, frankly faced and understood, sex energy may be sublimated and used up in constructive activities leading to splendid achievement.”

A call for tolerance and a solution

“Conventions, customs and morals change from place to place and from time to time. Those who fail to accept any particular set of standards should not be condemned if they are sincere, considerate and constructive.

         Marriage is the safest solution of the sex problem but now largely fails thru ignorance of sex laws and technique. The problem of happy marriage should be studied and discussed.

         The human bod is not immortal but beautiful and should be reverenced, appreciated and enjoyed. The nude in art may be beautifully and spiritually presented.”

Identifying the Problem

“Promiscuous sex relationship leads to restless discontent, interferes with success, destroys happiness and endangers health and is not to be advocated as a solution.

         Free love as generally conceived is virtually synonymous with promiscuity and hence will probably fail as a solution for the sex problem.

         Yet love must be free and spontaneous – there is no worse immorality than to compel a man and a woman to live together when they do not love each other.”

Justifying the magazine

“We are in the midst of an almost universal revolt against the fading sex taboos and puritanic sex repression. This revolt needs to be guided in safe and sane channels.  Excesses and extremes breed anarchy. Sex must be rationalized, studied, controlled and wisely directed.

         This magazine proposed to supply sane, sound and clean discussion of this subject more important to human health happiness and advancement than any other social problem.

         Our program does not condone the salacious, suggestive, morbid sensationalism so current in certain contemporary magazines and daily papers.  We propose to face truth bravely, frankly, constructively, hoping to make a real contribution to social good.”

Troubles with law enforcement but not the law

With all its good intentions of being a magazine to supply sane, sound and clean information about sex, some law enforcement officials were not happy with the magazine.  Such an example is the police chief in no other than Des Moines, Iowa.

In the November issue of the magazine, the editors wrote under the heading, SEX VINDICATED, “The spirit, objective, and character of this great human magazine has been called in question in but one city in America namely Des Moines, Iowa. In that great metropolis of the Middle-West, the chief of police beholding a magazine called SEX, and laboring under the ancient delusion that anything connected with sex must be nasty, immoral, and obscene, blushed for shame, called out the reserve squad, and raided the unsuspecting and unoffending wholesale newsdealer, Louis Hyman, confiscated all copies of SEX available and arrested the dealer on a charge of selling obscene literature and pictures.”

SEX Monthly Magazine went to court and, “The case was tried before Municipal Judge, the Honorable Herman Zench, who dismissed the complaint, ruling that neither the text nor the pictures in SEX constituted obscene literature. The pictures were commended in the decision as being an example of pure and unoffensive art.

         This good news, reassuring the publishers of SEX that sanity has replaced unthinking prejudice come just as we are going to press.”

A brief success story: The new and improved SEX

The magazine was launched in the small size of 6.5 X 10.25 inches, but an announcement in the November issue of 1926 read, “DUE to the unprecedented and overwhelming public approval of our efforts to create a sane, constructive, modern magazine treating in a helpful and wholesome manner with the subject more important to human wealth, happiness, and welfare than any other interest of life, namely

                                    SEX

the publishers take pleasure in announcing that the December issue of SEX MAGAZINE will appear in a new and superbly beautiful form. Next month you may look for SEX among the larger magazines. The size will be enlarged to 8 X 11. Finest paper will be used. Only pictures that can be found in no other magazine will appear – and these pictures will be the most magnificent art studies procurable! Articles by world renowned scholars! A department of Physical Culture—Exercises for health and beauty—Styles—A department of personal advice on problems of Love, Marriage, and Sex, and other features which will make SEX the livest, most helpful, most illuminating, most interesting and most beautiful magazine in America. A gorgeous four color cover, and thirty fascinating art pictures worth framing. A dollar magazine and no advance in price.

         WATCH FOR THE IMPROVED SEX Only twenty-five cents at all stands.”

The end is near

With the new size and the success of the magazine, did not last long. From December 1926 to June 1928 the magazine struggled to publish on  a regular monthly frequency. The Monthly Magazine disappeared from the cover leaving only the name SEX, albeit the masthead continued to state, “SEX, a monthly magazine.” Starting in 1927 the magazine appeared every other month.  The last known issue of the magazine was the June 1928 that carried a Vol. II, No. 9.

The end was biblical in nature.  The lead cover story was a sermon given by the Morsemere Methodist Episcopal Church, the minister, Rev. George Maychin Stockdale, B.D., M.A., on “The Companionate Marriage,” with special reference to Judge Ben B. Lindsey’s book by that name.  After reading from John 8: 1-11, Mr. Stockdale took as text Jesus’ words to the woman taken in adultery as reported in John 8:11, “Neither do I condemn thee.””

The entire sermon was published in the magazine under the title, “SEX TOLERANCE Advocated in Methodist Pulpit,” and it took five and half illustrated pages of The Madgalen from different famous religious paintings.

It has been a century ago, yet I wish I can say that things have changed for the better. I feel we have progressed backwards when it comes to culture, art, ethics, tolerance, and morality.

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