The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-09-10
LstsEaYy Rexlex4 q.

We must apologize for usseyipg trnism, when
we say that people will never buy What they can
borrow or steal with impunity. IL we suppose
case, and add that IN general the quality Of the
merchandise offered for sale is interior TO that
which any body may appropriate, u will appear o
matter Of wonder that any purchasers a. all eau be
found This is, IN one word, the condition OF Ame-
roan literature at thu present day. Anenterprising
publisher, who employs Tendon agent, can reprint
the works of the FIRST English authors almost
soon {and, in two instances actually
sooner tbap) they appear 10 the booksellers shops
in the Strand few dollars secure the proofshsets,
and tho successful literary pirate distances his
rivals For every mon that reads IN Britain, there
are at least two who read on this continent, and
buy the pirated edition. I" Bleak House," for in
stance. which, it is expected, viii give Dickens q
net prodt Of some $4,000, will probably produce
100000 for the publishers in this country; and
4be expenses Of the latter are simply the cost Of
paper and printing. SO long as they keep their
printers occupied with works obtained as this cheap
rate, and stock their shelves with similar rasSias,
how it be expected that publishers will pay for
manuscripts, We conceive that some credit is
due to them for bringing cut any original matter
at all.
moral view of the question, between the English
author and the American publisher We have no
intention OF entering the lists the cha mpon Of the
injured and we must reprsss the natural indgna-
tioD which every nau f5els n. the sight Of glaring
Yapine and plnnler We have 70 do with the mat
Ter only az il affects American literature, AMI are
much mistaken if this be not tho view in which tn,
ipiGnties CT tho copyright law seen in the
strongest light.
The American author soes into the market with
his manuscript, he fruit OF many an hour Of thought
and many a night Of toll ; he finds Macaulay. Ali
son, Carlyle, Tennyson. Thackeroy, Jerrold, Dickens
Smith, and thousand Others. all men equal, if not
superior to himself before him, and Offering grata
hously works when are at least promising the
one for which he asSs the price Of years labor
Messrs Harpers, Mr.. Putnam, or Messrs Appleton
remind him Of toe fact, and Go their credit be it
said as they are anxious to encourage their own
authors, offer him d which barely pays the
scrivener for copying the manuscript More they
cannot afford books are 50 cheap, when the me-
ohanica portion Of the labor is all that costs moneys
and the publisher next door is bringing out work
on the same subject, from the pen Of we'll kno vn
English author. The American must bow assent or
remain in obscurity. He accepts, and abjures
authorship or starves.
We need not recur to examples to prove this facts
it is too well known, and has been too often set
prominently before the public to need further Illus
tIation.
Nor does the obvious corollary from the PROPOSE
tion-that the standard Of native American lltera-
ture must be far below what might be expected from
anatoR occupying 10 high position in the world
as the United States-admit OF controversy When
Sydney Smith prophecied that America would be-
engTossed with steamers, and railroads, and bridges,
and cotton. and agriculture, for fifty years to come,
and would be content with receiviog bales of Eng
hsh poetry and science and by every steam
or, he drew from false premises an inference which
every honest American must admit to be true
America has no literature 70 compare with that Of
to hers among nations Criticism is unborn in the
States. Stale, haeknied puffs, smacking strangely
OF private friendships, or less pure motives, the
wretcbed but invariable substitute Her authors
they weak as boarding school girls, and so in
correct as to transgrcss, constantly, the simplest
rules Of grammar. The stimulus to exertion being
taken away by the fatal rivalry Of the British writ
consciousness that reviews and newspapers will unite
in ono uniform hymn Of praise, careless. sloveny
style of writing. and loose, illogical mode Of
thinking, are the inevitable results.
We have been wondering. for instance, what
ssuld have induced Miss lor Mrs, we really do not
know which) Elizabeth Wetherell to publish the
works, the titles of which have prefxed to this
article. We have been still astonished that Mr.
Putnam should have put his name and advanced his
capital on such trash. We have been amazed, above
ali, that the rapid sale Of the books should have
almost gained a notoriety for their authoress.
To read four thick volumes, closely printed and
pressed, crammed full Of utterly commonplace stuff
the most tresowe conversation-the most trivial
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. single striking scene, or we'll
drawn character, interesting situation to redeem
the monotony of the whole-s assuredly punish
eDt too tor bitterest foe. Will it BIO be-
heved that couple of chapters are devoted to an
account of o mornings shopping by lady-that
the clerk is infinitely described-that the merinos
are deliberately painted, and the quantity desired
deliberately measured off in aur presence! On farm
ing have several chapters; item several cook
ing and the economy of the kitchen; item one or
two flowers several little sermons put in the
popular form OF question and answer, and larded
with Scripture quotations, and Newton's hymns
given entire. Others are miniatures, d Ia Carlo
Dolci, of an impossible hero--a very Crichton-to
only equalled by his talents and his graces-just
such picture as young ladies of romantic turn of
mind love to sketch, mentally resolving they will
roam the world in quest of the original The plot is
chapters anywhere, and their absence. would
hardly be noticed. 1t is based on the usual condi-
ments of lady's novel-a family in distress, pro-
Dizzy of a daughter, with the graces Of Venus and
the wisdom OF Minerva; helpless aunt, an imbe-
ellie uncle, and scapegrace of a cousin; dreadful
sufferpgs from poverty; detested suitors who "cor
ner'' the young lady, by exhibiting between their
finger arc thumb note forged by her uncle; an
English Crchton rich as Crnsus, and excellence per-
soniied as we sad who buys up the forged note, of
course, and gets the ladys heart at the three hum
dredth page Of the second volume, leaving barely
hundred pages for billing and cooling, and preparing
the wedding clothes; ana nothing more that we
collect. We have spoken of "Queechy," and "The
Wide, Wide World,' as though they were the same
work. They are not, in name, at least; but we
have vainly sought for any distinguishing mark in
tho plos or characters. Like Byron and Scott Miss
Netherell repeats herself. May we hope she won't
do so again!
Both works contain an s'nfant phenomenon"
course girl. Before Nicholas Nicklcby appeared
infant phenomena were thick as mushrooms in novels
and on the stage. Children in short petticoats,
discoursng moral philosophy, and striking tenorin
to doctors of divinity, were thought 10 be sure
card. Mothers raved about them, and pictures Of
.'that extraordinary child, Wilhelmina," or ''the
wonderful Miss Eveiina'' were hung in every nurse
ry Alas! Miss Crummles was the destroyer Of her
race The phenomena vanished in n twinkling, and
nh m Ia Obi