The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-09-23
From the n. Y Erpres,
THE LAW OF COPYRIGHT.

The Literah of Great Britain seem dc erained T.,
lombard US Americans, by their paper shells INTO
passing law for an International copyright and o.
no out that especial object Of the Wei, Of
Mr. Dickens war To survey the ground lay the
matches and then touch of the bomb. Now though
we have often c0ntended ia columns that mind
should be righted well matter, and though
we believe cOunirymen d looTaby reasonable ID,
OF men ia the end yet have no faith Of all in the
success Of this new plan Of paper cannonade by lp
liteTau OF England. We can't be abused int adop-
ing the International copy right Calling u, all tie
thieves ald robbers" learned Engllshman may
be able to do IN the diversified superabundance OF
well-handed pen, We have not the least idea thai
| any progress in the law will be made frum nos a.
doomsday, If repeated and echoed no matter how of.
ten even hence to docmsday. This sphere Of litera-
ry thieves and robbers IS SO large, comprising as il
does the prolific press of Paris Brussels and Amster-
dam, where repubshed so many English works.
that the very amplitude of the CT Gle makes it resper
table-while there nust be naturally indifference
to hear sound argument, when commenced with the
introduction OF thief and robber."
The Writers in Great Britain, therefore who wish
us TO hear them this subject, must address our
heads this subject, not passions-for after the
way Mr. Dickens is pioneering, the way 10 their de-
sirable end will be as complicated as labyrinth aud
as long time
There is nothing to be lost, however By discussing
this subject, or by reflections upon it, That our
printers and publishers our paper-makers and ma
chinists, largely benefited by the absence Of
copy right on Foreign works, is beyond doubt and
that society may be benefited largely too by the re-
production OF European intellect here, and at the
cheapest rate is also true. But there other sides
to look at first, the absolute right Of author his
own property, and next, the danger of a general re-
publication OF European trash for the American mar
ket We do not purpose to discuss these subjects
but to throw out some considerations upon the latter
point.
The United States is now inundated with the light
If nt,r
on kindred matters nearly, if not quite submerg-
ed. Washington Irving has certainly been driven off
that track and Cooper is quite thrown into the
back ground. The weekly newspapers of this city
circulate whole volumes through the Post Offices for
country consumption at the owe-t prices and o.
Interesting" thrilling fctions of prurent incl
dents, and doubtful morals, most in demand such
works only reprinted for general Post Office cir.
cuaton, while it is almost impossible to get reprint
OF an agricultural scientific, we may add, nstruc-
tive work, because the public taste has already be-
come so Initiated by "the food" il has fed on that
such works unsaleable, and will not pay the cost
of cheap republication. Hence, generally
fed on the lowest garbage of European mind Their
Periodical Literature except: and what we get
peclally in the interior for the masses if not all trash,
is trashy or far FROM at least that solid substantial
nutrimen Republican People should should live Oh.
1t is no credit TO country that it consumes NIL
lions Of copies of the works of Dickens Maryatt
or wer,-while hardly the name of scientific Eu-
suredly, not the works.
That this appetite for novel reading is natural to
useful People, do not believe for on the contrary
we think, the natural TASTE our natural education
Graves instructive reading but the effect of cheap
Light publications circulating through the Post Offices
and thus ourunnng all other pub icaons is to pre-
occupy the market, and, to speak pre-educate the
natural taste. copy of Dickens works now reach
the Missouri, nearly as soon as the foreign ne,s
which comes by the steamer that brought the copy
whereas, were scientific work to be re-publl,hcd
there must, in addition to the risk of the sale be the
loss OF time to prepare its illustrations and then the
danger that if success attended the experiment
other publisher would moi strike in, and take adyau.
tage of anothers enterprise
1t becomes the ai,r then the legislator as we,
the father of family TO see, If il this very ceu-
uuusness of re-pubshlng what is our own but
what another claims his and hat is his in his own
land there Is not another species of dcnoralizata H.
tai 70 all sound reading, and generally cofTuplre
thought and taste, II rot So whether this pIt-or
patton OF mind by light literature the exc.uslaa II
what Is sound is not fatal boon As we stated
with saying, however, did not intend & discuss e
law OF copy right, but to throw out some +, fleet MS
upon incident in it,