Nashville daily patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1855-1857, 1856-05-14
+" Characters - I'm New York-The Book
Trade. Arc.
Correspondence Of The Nashville Patriot.
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and form that one fairly tires of as he stems its
torrent, mile after mile, in Broadway 1t would be
curious experience to follow almost any of the oddi.
sof humanity that now and then glide, shadow
like, through the throng to the secret haunts in
which they hide on foul and cold days, aud where
many of them nope and starve, and freeze through
such bitter winters as the one from which we have
Just escaped. There is the doubledup old apple
woman who sits on the steps of Lockwood's Book
store in Broadway-a venerable specimen Of the
antique, whose age is myth and whose ways are
a mystery. For twenty years she has been one of
the features of the street, and bids fair to keep up
her trade and character for as many more. In fair
weather she comes almost as regular as the sun,
and goes with the same punctuality. At the pre-
else point in the afternoon indicated by the Destiny
of long Habit little girl comes like sweet spirit,
and takes up her basket; the old woman mechani-
caiy follows her, and both suddenly disappear past
all tracking.
Then there is the "gutter snipe;" tall, intelli-
gent looking man. erect as a grenadier, but spare
as starved ghost clad in the thnnest and seedest
of garments. He wanders slowly along at the
very edge of the sidewalk, looking intenty into
the gutter, as if momentarily expecting to see a
diamond as large as the Koh--nor. Nothing can
induce him to look up; he never turns aside unless
for some solid obstruction; be never speaks to man
or beast, but abstractedy mutters, rather whisA
pers to himself. All that is known of him to the
mass of the people is that he was once very rich,
being partner in great Geological and Circus
r. L L
reason and the general opinion is that he is look
ing for great roll Of bank notes, which he fancies
he dropped but an hour ago somewhere in the
gutter
We have, of course, many lower and many higher
characters" There is the lean, lank, hungry
looking gentleman, known as Dandy N. He is so
scrupulousy clean, in person and apparel, that il
is really painful to look at him. He seems to owe
in charmed atmosphere for while the dust is
whirling like snow, and covering every body else,
his coat is spotess, his hat glossy, and bis
boots as immaculate as at the moment he emerged
from his princely residence, to astonish the town
by the faultless perfection Of his attire and the
dignity of bis solemn gait
We have, also, our host of literary characters,
varying from the elongated and most gentlemanly
Shakespeare scholar to the hirsute, brawny, rough
and tumble Leaves of Grass. And Leaves of
Grass (Walt. WHITMAN is character. He believes
in the animal, man, in the largest sense of the
word, and stands up noble illustration Of that be-
lief He is about FIVE feet nine, with frame that
would have made the fortune of a Roman Gladiator;
well developed, firm, knit together so compacty as
TO seem one solid bundle OF muscle. He wears a
hickory shirt, with open collar neck and bosom,
with rough sailor jacket; all his clothing being
loose as to appear in momentary danger of slough
ing off and leaving him in a state of nature. To
see him roll by with that deyiLmay care sailor
swing, you would as soon think of poetry in sack
Of potatoes, as in such intensified specimen Of
man, the animal; but his grizzly hair covers brains
of no common mould, and his keen though ndolent
| gray eye looks quite through the deeds Of men,
and nature too One glance at him will justify his
own portrait of himself: "Wslt. Whitman, one of
the roughs."
But you will tire of these sketches from life, and
| l forbear
Had Job lived in New York at the present time
it is more than probable that the special desire of
his heart, that his enemy would perpetrate book
have been gratifed; for, judging by the
Packaer of publications daily announced, those who
write books, are exception to the general
RUE. But the unlucky wight who should under.
take to read all the new books issued from the
teeming and steamng press of New York, would
have his hands and probably his head fell. Indeed.
am inclined to think he would be compelled to
resort to the mode of reading bills in Congress, "by
their titles"
Some person. curious in such matters, has coll
lected statistics in regard to the paper manuacto-
ries in this country, from which appears that We
have $50 paper Mills yielding annually 27O, 100000
pounds Of paper worth about s27 100000 All
this is consumed in the manufacture Of books and
| newspapers; yet there are wiseacres Sho tell Us
that the Americans not a reading people.
Our old and substantial publishing houses are is-
suing about their usual number of new works aud
reprints, and young houses constantly spring-
ing into life The trade is steady and prosperous,
but one does not hear of such immense sales of
particular books as in former times. The business
Of getting up the requisite steam to give book
"a rum" is becoming every day more difficult and
expensive. With very few exceptions, the only
books which DOW meet with extraordinary sales are
standard works, and particularly text books for
schools. The publisher who issues popular text
book, which meets with general acceptance by the
teachers, is on the high road to fortune, and our
shrewdest Publishing houses turning a good
share Of their attention to this branch of the bust
ness. The Appletons, who are largely engaged in
the trade, are about bringing GU. "Corpells High
School Geography" and Companion Atlas" which
complete the authors system OF school geog
raphies. Judging by the pre-eminent success Of
Corne's primary" and intermediate" Geogra.
phes, which preceded this, and which being almost
universally adopted standard text books by the
primary schools Of the country, met with the M
precedented sale of lSO,O0O copies within the first
year Of their publication, it il presumed that the
work viii be warmly welcomed by all engaged In
teaching this important branch OF education. This
manual Of geography is l2mo Of 405 pages,
beautifully and appropriately illustrated. In add
ton to the large portion Of the work devoted to
descriptive geography, and exercises on the maps
of the accompanying atlas, We have two or three
Oiei auu INTERESTING Su"P'eIs On hAtHehiauSaI se-
ography, subject not heretofore introduced into
similar works; condensed and almost Invaluable
outline Of physical geography; directions for the
use Of school globes and numerous problems on
the terrestrial globe.
The Companion Atlas Is the largest aud most
beautiful remember ever TO have seen for school
purposes containing thirty iour pages Of attractive,
clear and distinct maps. the first two OF which, by
an ingenious arrangement, are made 10 answer the