9 February 1927
The Christian Century has a request to make of you which may, at first reading, sound presumptuous, but which will mean much to many perplexed people if you will accede to it. We think that, both within and without the church, the circumstances of the moment are causing multitudes to ask seriously the old question, Is life worth living? Have you noticed that more than half a dozen college students have committed suicide within the past three weeks? We feel this to be only one expression of a current mood of disillusionment and world-weariness, which has in it enormous possibilities for evil.
We believe that no one thing more needs doing at this moment than to have a small group of men and women who have lived long enough to have their experience count come into the court of public attention with their testimony as to what life has meant to them. With that in view, we are asking Bishop Brent, Dr. Gordon, Rabbi Wise, Dr. Charles M. Sheldon, Dr. Henry Van Dyke and yourself to write for us articles not more than 2500 words in length under this general title: "What Life Has Meant to Me." You can phrase that as you will for your own purposes. What we really want is to have a significant group, each one of whom has known life in enough phases to be as familiar with its disappointments as its blessings, tell the public why they didn't commit suicide years ago!
We will not, of course, treat the material in any such sensational way as that. I am merely expressing the idea thus informally in an effort to make clear what we have in mind. We conceive of each of these articles as, perhaps, beginning with a brief bit of intimate biographical background -- just enough to set the material following in its proper personal frame -- and then continuing with an outline of what you conceive to have been the ruling, satisfying conceptions, or motives, or ideals, or call them what you will, of your life.
I regret that a paper of our sort is not able to pay for such contributions more than a fraction of their worth, but if you can provide us with this article, we will be glad to offer the modest honorarium of $50.00, knowing that you will obtain your principal return from the help which you will certainly afford a large audience of open-minded and searching people. We should have your manuscript before April 1. Will you let me know at once whether or not you will be able to assist us in this manner?
Faithfully yours,
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