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

These subjects are brought wildly before us by
card which we 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 original other
journal In this city, or any where Oh this Worth Anne
rcan Continent, that it would be well worth his while
to consider that he brings himself by that act in
mediate competition with journals like the Edinburgh
Review, the London Quarterly, Bhckwood'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 prc. which makes
the odds against him little less than triumphant.
This is undeniab!y true. These celebrated and
long established periodicals. sustained by the best tai
ents of England, furnished in market at cheap
er rates than similar American journal' possibly
be published. The effect is, in the language of the
late editors of Arcturus to leave he young literature
of America struggling single handed against the lit
erature of all the world"
The impovershing of our literary mem the frustra-
ton Of their plans, and the breaking up d their pub
ca,ions are consequences which follow,as matter
of course But these are not the most depbrable
sequences they not the evils which PLEAD oudest
for reform The loss Of our national liteature-or
rather the failure of all efforts to establish uch lit
eraure, is what appeals to every American bear with
force that should be irresistible. The people of this
country read than any other people the world
and their opinions, their tastes and feelings, will be
insensiby Influenced by what they read In no 9TH
country is it 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,
&C anarchy of opinion and national establishment"
We do not deny the great abilities of the fregn Pc
riodcals which we have named. We know they are
able, learned, brilliant and profound we cad them
with deep interest; but still they are radically oppos-
ed to our form of government they have faith in
mankind; they cling to the worn out momrchies of
the old world afording the only practicable sys-
TENS of human government; they scout tie idea Of
the durability of republic, and ridicule the popular
principles and the order of things Which the he
roes and sages of the American revolution fought and
toed to establish. Is such literature p,oper to be-
come the exclusive food of the Americanmind'
We would not however wish to depriv. any one of
the many good things be found scattered here and
there among these anti 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-
tablish national literature, moulding the American
mind in conformity with the spirit of our 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
mihgieu WIN VIC opdIhHnB BeHs vi loIegD literature.
The first steI towards achieving object so desi-
rable and may say, Indispensable the passage
of the International Law of Copyright 1t ought to be
sufficient argument in favor of this measure, that
simple justice to eminent authors at home and abroad
demands it.
But the more we 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 our men high in authority will
give their candid attention to it, and take correct
view of it. How nation with a reading people
keep the public mind pure and uncontaminated when
is fed almost exclusively with literature hostile in
principle and spirit, to its institutions And how
hope to establish national literature when
we force our authors into such competition with pi-
rated editions of foreign works as is sure to bring
ruin upon them We ask American statesmen to
think of these questions, and them by prompt
and right action.