Daily national Democrat., 1858-10-31
I.Iternrr unl,lIcn,inns.

the poem entitled "ro the Deaf and Dumb.
Its likely that our cotemporary had in hi
eye, when he wrote those preceding nun
bers, instead of the November one, taking i
for granted, probably, that the latter was q
the same character us the ones alluded to
We admit, to a considerable degree although
not wholly the justice of his structures as ap
piled to the numbers specified. 1t is tru,
that Hutchings Magazine is met to be com
pared, in general excclency, to the standard
publications of the older States neither does
it pretend to rank along side of them. II:
illustrations are, as general thing, inferior
to those of the Atlantic Magazines, and are
z intended to be SO. In literary trade and
traffic, as well as any other trade and traffic,
the supply must correspond with the demand,
and if the public will not sustain n first
class literary magazine, while they will sus-
tain a second class one, why, the second class
one must take the precedence. Mr. Ever,
(now invested with holy orders, and one of
the most eloquent dvines on the Pacific
coast started the Pioneer Magazine and
made it, while it lived, first class periodical
It was ably edited, and filled with valuable
contributions 1t deserved n wide and liberal
patronage, bat it died-lterally starred ont,
| for the want of appreciation. To have
started another magazine of the same char
acter would have been nonsense, nothing
more than time wasted Accordingly the
projectors of IIutchings' Magazine proceeded
upon safer plan If the public would not
give four bits for first class periodical, they
might be induced to give tco bits for one of
a more popular order. a cheap article was
what the mass of readers desired, and a
cheap article they got 1t could not be ex-
! pected that first class Illustrations could be
afforded, or the expense Of employinga heavy
corps of talented writers, as editors and con
tributors, at the rate of twenty five cents
copy for the magazine. The idea then, was
TO make up as a good n monthly as could be
afforded for the money-give it good circu.
lation-accumuate means-enlarge and i'm.
prove as the public appreciation seemed to
warrant it, and build up finally really ex-
eellent and genuinely literary magazine.
Accordingly. the contents of the publication
have been of mixed character, sometimes
good and sometimes bad. Not being able to
afford the expense of paid contributors, it
has had to depend, for the higher order of
articles, upon the mere caprice of good wri
ters who write when they feel like it or let
it alone We are therefore inclined to look
with much lenicncy on any shortcomings
which may be attributed either to this maya
zine or any other literary journal on the Pa
cifc. We admit that, it is time that encour-
agement were given to a higher degree of
literary exertion, and it may be that the
time has arrived, but the publishers of lltera
ry journals are the best judges as to that.
and, if "the thing wont pay why it is not
justice TO expect them to involve themselves
"head and ears" in debt, in order to give the
public something that they do not want.
Whenever the great public stomach calls for
the proper aliment, and the great public !
pocket is ready to pay for it, and then the
publishers refuse to afford the proper nutri-
meLt, it will be time enough to rebukeI and
condemn them. Another thing should Le
considered, and that is that, after a perodi-
cal has been thoroughly established and is
making money, it can afford to please the
fer even at loss, and venture to make the |
many put up with little more refined diet
than they have been accustomed to, and so
cultivate in them better taste.
Still, notwithstanding all this, ev,n the
coarsest popular taste is not to be pleased
with mere vapid nonsense, and too much of
this, in the way of contributions, is allowed
to 60 into the literary journals
The Golden Era, now, we should saw.
could afford to employ paid contributors, and
perhaps does, as we occasionally see in it
very masterly literary productions There
is no doubt that it is permanently establish
cd, and may safely venture into deep water.
The Hesperan is also pretty ywell established, |
but is Of too high toned and feminine char.
acter, We fear, to meet with that immediate
degree of success to which its merits entitlc |
it, although, having gained such foothold |
as it at present poss sesses, through the extra. |
ordinary exertions of its leading spirit, Mrs.
Day, it may safely calculate on drawing
around itself a steadily increasing support.
The better class of readers both morally and
intellectually, are those only to whom it can
look for any sort of encouragement. The
Home Journal seems to have started out on
pretty good plan, but it remains to be seen
whether its projectors have exactly measured
the literary character of the'people or not.
In the seeming reflections upon the popu-
lar taste, in which we have INDUCED, We
wish to be understood as meaning that the
country is new, the population considerably
fuetuating, and the minds of the masses too
much engaged in exciting every day pursuits
to stop, as a general thing, to read anything
of very high literary order 1t is the case
with all new countries, but it is something
which they invariably get over in time, and
California is making very passable headway
in that respect, already. One thing is GER
tain, however, and that is that supply must
always answer to the demand.
10 The Captain of the Chain Gang, G.
w. Jonas, is left without company, the term
OF the last member having expired. Capt
Jonas says he intends to have another com
pany If there is any such thing as dishones