The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1842-06-14
From the ". Y. Sun.
A NATIONAL LITERATURE-THE LAW
OF COPYRIGHT.


These subjects are brought wildly before us by
card which find upon table from the editors of
"Arcturus," announcing the djscontinuance of that
excellent journal. In this parting communication
they Justly admonish any who may be ambitious
of engaging in the publication of an original other
journal, in this city, or any where OH this North Anne
rcan Continent that it would be well worth his while
consider that he brings himself, by that act, in
mediate competition with journals like the Edinburgh
Review, the London Quarterly, Backw ood's, and
the Dublin University Magazine, containing much
larger amounts of matter than he possibly fur
nish, with liberal fund for contributors, and spread
through the American market at price which makes
the odds against him little less than triumphant
This is undeniaby true. These celebrated and
long established periodicals. sustained by the best tai
of England furnished in market at cheap
rates than similar American journal, possibly
be published The effect is, in the language of the
late editors of Arcturus to leave the young literature
Of America struggling single handed against the lit
erature of all the world"
The impoverishing of our literary men the frustra-
ton of their plans, and the breaking up their pub
locations, consequences which tollowas matter
of course. But these are not the most depbrabe
sequences they not the evils which PLEAD oudes
for reform. The loss of national liteature-or
rather the failure of all efforts to establish uch lit
erature is what appeals to every American bear with
force that should be irresistible. The people of this
country read more than any other people in the world
and their opinions their tastes and feelings, will be
country is it so important that the literature should
be in accordance with the principles and breathe the
spirit of the existing political institutions for by the
purity the uniformity and the force of public opinion
| our institutions must stand or fall.
What then must be the effect of our having no
standard literature of our own, but introducing in
stead thereof that of England, with medley of
French and German? We answer, in tn, concise,
but strong and true language of Mr. Matthew's,
anarchy of opinion and national establishment"
A. I'LL
riodicals which we have named. We knov they are
able, learned, brilliant and profound; we ,ead them
with deep interest but still they radically oppos-
ed to form of government; they have 10 faith in
mankind; they cling to the worn out momrchies of
the old world as afording the only practicable sys-
TENS of human government; they scout tie idea Of
the durability of republic and rdicule the popular
principles and the order of things Which the he
roes and sages of the American revolution fought and
toiled to establish Is such literature proper to be-
come the exclusive food fthe Americanmindi
We would not however wish to deprive any one of
the many good things to be found scattered here and
there among these ant-American sentiments. We
would not wholly drive away foreign periodicals but
we would adopt such measures as to enable American
authors to compete successfully with them and to es-
tabsh national literature, moulding the American
mind in conformity with the spirit Of institutions,
and giving form, compactness and dignity to American
opinion. When this is done, need have no fear
of the foreign political heresies which come to us
mingled with the sparkling gems of foreign literature.
| The first ste towards achieving an object so desi-
rable, and may say Indispensable is the passage
of the International Law of Copyright. ought to be
fficent argument in favor of this measure, that
simple justice to eminent authors, at home and abroad
demands it.
But the reflect upon the subject, the more
decided becomes our conviction that our true policy
nation requires it, and that too in much higher
degree than the policy of the European governments
requires it of them. We earnestly hope that Con-
gress will yet do something satisfactory in reference
to this measure-that men high in authority will
give their candid attention to it, and take correct
view of it. How can a nation with reading people
keep the public mind pure and uncontaminated when
it is fed almost exclusively with literature hostile, in
principle and spirit, to its institutions 2 And how
can hope to establish national literature when
force authors into such competition with pi-
rated editions of foreign works is to bring
ruin upon them 7 We ask American statesmen to
think of these questions, and answer them by prompt
and right action