The daily press. (Cincinnati [Ohio) 1859-1859, 1859-04-08
A Journal of Civilization.

The Messrs. HARPER are very pious
people; in excellent standing we do not
doubt in some orthodox religious society
and congregation. Indeed, we often hear
of one or another of them figuring in
religious movements, which may now and
then afford them an opportunity to make
their godliness profitable, by turning an
honest penny in the way of trade 1t is
not the worst way in the world to help
along an extensive business to be widely
known to the brethren; and few hun
dred or thousand dollars in judicious
iberality to the church or its institutions
will sometimes-after not many days
return in the form of shower of gold to
the Golfers of the disinterested donor.
With the Messrs HARPER as men, we
have nothing to do. But the Messrs
HARPER are extensive publishers of books;
and not only of books, but of periodicals
of various kinds. Very few men do more
to prescribe and determine what shall be
read by the masses of the people of the
United States; and, with very great
number, the imprint of the HARPER
BROTHERS is taken as conclusive evidence
that the thing to which it is attached is
perfectly safe in its doctrines and in its
morals. They are, therefore, in some
sense, public characters, and, as such,
their doings-so far as their tendency is
general-are subject to examination and
animadversion. Not only so, but they are,
able to, and do, in their own publications.
speak of themselves, and present their
publications as things worthy the support
of an enlightened public
The Messrs. HARPER are the publishers
of a weekly sheet, one of whose titles is
journal of Civilization. The name is
certainly pretentious enough to justify a
pretty high performance. A considerable
amount is expended upon it weekly in the
purchase of old, or the production of new
pictorial illustrations. 1t is well printed,
upon handsome sheet, with, in general,
clear typography In one corner of one
of the pages, the proprietors venture the
statement that the circulation of the
Journal of Civilization exceeds some
seventy thousand coy iss-it being, there
fore, a most excellent medium for adver-
tising
Probably it is; and it is employed for
that purpose, most unscrupulously. In
general, the public journals of the coun-
try are content to put their advertising in
one place and their literature in another;
leaving, for the sake of discrimination,
some difference in form, between the one
and the other. This difference, in the
Journal of Civilization, the Messrs HAIR
PERs have, as far as possible, obliterated.
Text, pictures and all-tales, biographies,
poetry and description, are dedicated to
the most fragrant species of palpably-paid
puffery. Doyou observe fnely-executed
portrait, accompanied by various illustra-
tions and couple Of pages of biography
Read a few lines, and if you understand
the tricks of trade, you will discover chat
the remarkable individual whose history
you are perusing, is some quack doctor,
who has new patent process to humbug
the silly among mankind, and that this is
his advertisement-written by some Grub
street author, and paid for These pic
lures represent the syringes, scalpels and
bougies, with which he operates and al,
together the thing is fair specimen OF
the literature of the Journal of Civiliza-
tion. This is not a thing of extraordin-
ary but Of common occurrence Venal-
ity from beginning to end, is the charac.
ter of the affair." and for the impudence
with which it is obtruded, the New Yorl
Herald in its palmiest days was not it
superior. .....
But this is not the worst The Messrs
HARPER, being very pious people, woulC
not publish a book, nor paper--eyei
though it might be every word true-il