Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkin Gilman - response to Scudder's (editor of the Atlantic Monthly) comments

Horace Scudder, editor of The Atlantic Monthly, rejected Charlotte Perkin Gilman's request for her short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" to be published on the grounds that it was not 'morally uplifting'. It is understandable that editors would want 'happy' stories as their main market are people who read for enjoyment and to escape from day-to-day life. They do not want to read about political and societal problems. This explains why, for business purposes, they would …

…But is it really possible for an entire nation of readers to miss the subtle hints? It is always a woman creeping around and she can only move when the husband is not inside the house. It could be that if someone was to mention it, there would be a lot of publicity leading to a greater following of the feminist movement, so it is understandable that Scudder would not want such a thing published.