The southern press., 1851-04-09

thai Union under which we prosper, 1t y stFang'
thHt publishers should attempt to preserve the
literary fame of any such political agtators--ol
any man 10 hostile in feeling TO the continued
prosperity of the country, and 30 evidently oen'
on sAppinR that Constitution under the whole
some influence of which we have prospered nnd
risen 10 snch high national importance In tht
scale Of nations. Really. we cannot understand
what publishers propose to do by acts IN favor
Of such authors. Do they intend to send theii
books into the Southern market or into the
families Of men deyotedsto the country, the Con
stitution, the Union, aud the common welfare
of the people? If they do this is very curious
way to effect their object, for it appears to us
that no true lover of his country will be party
in exalting such authors above those whose
talents and love of their native land are not SUBJ
jects of doubt.
The truth, we suspect, is, that the publishers
are not sufficiently careful in engaging compe-
tent editors for their magazines and other literary
works. They indulge in an expensive cheap
economy, by employing small lHterateurs, who
are carried away with the sophistical foles of
our time, to read over and decide upon the merits
Of manuscripts. Recent works have satisfied us
that this is the case; or why is 1t that the old
political land marks are so often treated with
contempt, and that attempts aEe so frequently
made 10 misrepresent the intentions, and pur-
poses, and patriotism Of the fathers OF our inde-
pendence, our Constitution and our prosperity
There are seen. every day, in the newspapers,
particularly in those devoted to the extension OF
abolition doctrines, extravagant notices OF the
first volume OF the second series OF a work pur-
porting to be History of the United States"
written by Richard Ilidreth, an author whose
fame hitherto has rested on the fact that he has
made Qne or two school books on history, in
which errors are much more prominent than
merits. Had Mr.. Hldreth confined his ambition
to these small specimens of historial literature,
perhaps he would not have provoked any par
ticuar notice; but when he gravely appears as
a learned historian, and virtually challenges cri-
ticsm, our first inquiries are--what improvement
has this author made on the works of those who
have preceded him! Has he any new, precise,
and reliable facts? And what is the phosophi-
cal design of his productions? II is not our pur-
pose to answer these questions at present but
on turning over the recently published volume
devoted to the administration Of Washington,
we nre impressed with the necessity ofapplying
more rigid criticism to the books issued from the
press in this country. The tinciure OF abolition
is so strong in many of the new publications,
that it is quiteltime to inquire how far it ia to be
used, and to how many classes of books it is to
be applied, as well MS how far publishers are to
be permitted to mislead the public by putfs in
the journals
When historical works are made vehicles of a
false and prurient philosophy; when socialistic
and abolition theories are made to color the
whole field surveyed by an author, and deduc-
tons are made from facts and premises, merely
to support those vague and yet dangerous theo-
ries, it becomes an Independent journal to ex-
pose the means resorted TO for mere effects
sake. Mr.. HIdreth. for instance is man who
is carried away by the dreamy visions of the low
ers Of political abstraction. Being violent
and rabd abolition newspaper editor, it is not
to be anticipated that he could curb his fancy
even in an historical work-suificiently to do
justice to a subject so important, and so full Of
varied political interest, az the administration of
the first President; and we are not surprised,
therefore, to find that the meanings which are
to be CLEANED from the one-sided views ef Mr..
Hdreth, are such as must forever condemn
him as duly conscientious historian. When a
writer gives to party what should be given to
mankind he departs from the high sphere to
which great or good author always confines
himself He sows seeds of error, which are
sure, eventually, to spring up into mischievous
after-growths. that may spread their dangerous
and even destructive ramfcatons, so as to tan
gle the very truth itself in irremediabe perplex-
ity.
II is not Mr.. Hildreth's vain attempt at history
that has alone sugges' ed to ns the necessity o.
a close wa'chfulness of the conduct Of authors.
and of those publishers who are able, through
the terms on which they advertise in nearly all
the public journals, to make the reputation Of
writer's by limitles puffs of their productions
Scarcely day pass s that some one or more OF
the publishers OF this city do not place before the
country the most outrageous lbels on common
sense and common truth, and force off on the
Southern ma ket, by means of the large trade
auction sales, vast editions Of dangerous and un-
truthful works Some of the Boston houses
seem particularly jealous in this species of abo-
lition literature. II is seen in ths weekly news
p'pers, in the leading magazines and reviews of
that city, and in hundreds of books which are
i sued from its prolific press and its conse-
quence, sooner or later, must be that the South
will deem it prudent to interdict, by individual
example, the sale of works emanating from To-
cality so deeply infected with the disease Of
socialism and anti-slavery, the spread of which
threatens to sap the very basis of the federal
compact
We give the warning to the New York pub
fishers in time, that the publication of such
works as We have alluded TO, will be sure to
prove injurious TO the book selling trade. Men
n