Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1857-04-10
RuSAen's Magazine.

We devoted some time LIST evening to an examl'
nation Of this new candidate for the position of the
representative periodical of the South Upon the
whole il is pretty much what we expected that it
would be Its articles bearing upon the discussion
Of constitutional questions exhibit the superior train
ing of the Southern mind, the result of careful and
thorough study of the subject In close reasoning
and analysis, it is superior 10 its Northern
competitors and its literary criticism as shown in
the Editors Table,, displays cultivation and taste,
with indescIibable something indicating the alb
of that pracrised ingenuity which belongs to
the professional Ltteratsur However, in these mat
ters, pertaining essentially to The Review, we feel
that its main strength lies, and that it is really
strOng-most decidedly able 1t is in the department
of what has been called "pure iterature"-tle de-
Qartment of tie Imagination that there is most room
for improvement, and upon this department any peri
odical must lean for popular support. The tales and
sketches in this number hardly strike hitting the
msrK-we will moi say that they not up to it
perhaps they are above it But the mark-the de-
siJera'im this department is interest, entertain
msnI, and not metaphysics. Men, and women too,
read tales or sketches to be amussd-o afford their
minds pleasing and unlaborious excitement-to re-
read Simon Suggs in a magazine who would not get
beyond the first paragraph of Mr.. CaIhoun's most
powerful and far-seeng disquisions and predictions
upon Government.
To exert its proper influence, any production must
be read-sny magazine must circulate. To be read
generally it must be generally readable. 1t must
amuSe snd entertain we'll Is instruct. instruction
must, apparently at least be the incident, not the
main object Therefore WHILE of course, the absence
Of everything Objectionable in morals or taste is the
sine qua non the presence of other qualities is
tial TO success Southern literature literature,
needs encouragement rather than Southern politics
Tn South stands pre-eminent in political knowledge,
and contains more and better trained and better in,
formed political writer's than the North 1t is neces-
'sary to afford popular medium through which the
highest efforts of the political mind Of the South may
reach the public of both sections. The Magazine
presents that medium. but to present it properly it
must be the popular Magazine.
We make these remarks because we feel that the
success and fuence of any Southern Magazine must
primarily depend upon its literary attractions-its
popular reliability, and that misconceptOn upon
this point must be fatal to success, and without sue
cess, there is no for usefulness. We feel that
The purely literary articles in this number of "Rus-
ses," e'lnce the possession, on the part Of their
writer's, of high capabilities bu, The ARTICLES ,bemssve,
are deficient IN popular tone and interest-too much
on the high art " order. Harper don't suit the
Sou,h m people altogether. Then why do thew buy
it? Simply because it has fund of reading matter
sui ell 10 the popular ias,e and, under of this
it in-inuatcs its Objectionable views. To prevent
ths-to give correct views fair chance-they must
come out on an equal footing It ID said of some.
body-JOhn Wesley We belisvs-that when called
30 account fox adopting certain beautiful song music