The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1859-01-29

4 :
per, has well written article upon "Ledger
Literature" from which We extract sam
pie:
Those enormous advertisements OF the
Ledger weekly that have amused and aston
ished the public, during the past year, though
intended only to push the sale Of a series Of
very tame novels, have proved to be IN In
teresting phenomenon. Through their means
the circulation of the Ledger has expanded
to half million weekly; by far the largest
yet attained by any periodical. The current
Ledger novel, whatever it may be, is the
popular literature Of the day, and has swept
out of existence mass of equally worthless
and emphemeral publications technically
known ~ syelow covered In company with
these, the pirate and robber literature have
fled into oblivion, with masses Of obscene and
immoral stuff, never We may hope to reap
pear.
Tho serial Ledger novel does not admit
either Of criticism, review, or description
II is neither good nor wicked, but bears the
same relation to real novel, written by
real novelist, that elderberry wine bears to
wine Of grape; ferment generated IN the
swillv Juices Of q rank and sour weed, the
brown sugar. From q dingy Office in the
vity Of New York issue weekly 81 square
miles of printed sheets; 500, 900 itrations OF
the same light folly, to crafty the thin ap-
petite of 100000 Of adult babes. Let us
give praise where it belongs. The BRAN OF
the Napoleon of advertisers must be itself n
model piece Of machinery, as economic and
expansive in its working, us the engine OF
Paine for, with mere handful OF thought,
it moves a mountain of folly. OF all seed
sowing machines, this weekly phenomenon,
sowing every seventh day sixty square miles
or more, Of light literary tares, is the most
wonderful and efficient. Ajoyous greenness
springs responsive to its sowing, over all the
land.
OF the total adult population Of the United
States, one in eight reads the Ledger. The
entire press ofthe nation have aided IN crea-
ting the enormous circulation. The art of
advertising has achieved its greatest triumph,
and the literary wares of Sylvanus COBB and
and Edward Everett alomSt outsell the boxes
Of DR.. Brandreth. At the lowe point one
finds the broadest expansion.
Before the invention of the Ledger ma
chinery, it was sopposed that folly had Mt
least n taste, penchant, love OF variety
hundreds of sensation novels flew each sea-
son from the press, duly copyrighted by as
many different hands; now the multitude
have but one cssayist and one novelist, and
these are Edward Everett and Sylvanus
Cobb. The gain to society, in giving back
SO many hard working brains to useful and
honorable toll, does not interest US rs deeply
rs our new knowledge of the uniformity, nay,
identity, of popular taste when we desc nd
below a certain level Of intelligence. That
the population of four,h-rate novel readers
should be all alike undisting uishable, as well
satisfied with one essayist and one novelist
rs with a hundred it is this discovery that
signalizes the Ledger experiment, and moves
thought in every sound and serious mind
There are, then, masses At certain lev
81 the individual with preferences, idiosyn-
crncies, tastes and disgusts, disappears,
and men are mass, mere stratum, like
swarms of bees, undistinsuishable, and
swarmins all to the tlnkle Of the same tin
pan.
The addition of the name of Everett, the
essayist, to that Of Cobb, the novelist, gave
sudden expansion Of two hundred thousand
Buyers to the Ledger population. Cobb con-
.rollei three hunlrel thousand. Everett
CONTROLS but two; should Everett sink finally
to the Cobb level, he may yet rival his asso-
ciate, and, so perfect is the machinery worked
by tho insenius and enterprising publisher
q practical mamie will be sure to find Ev-
erett's level for him, if the public have not
yet found it. And for this he will be enti-
tied to our thanks.
A number of the Ledger lies before U.s.
The conspicuous features are the essay Of
Everett and the novel of Cobb. There is
nothing scurrlous, rabid, or prurient, in
either; they are smooth, of an even texture
ON the whole harmless. They touch the
smplicities much more than the fer ocltics Of
the Ledger population. We are pleased to
find that in seeking the lowest stratum Of
intelligence, in order to obtain tho widest
expansion, the Ledger manager has found at
thnt level milky goodness and softn"'s,
that speaks well for the multitude. This
experiment is important in showing that
ha,encss and plain dcpravity are not the most
expansive traits, and that ;naui,y is at least
more popular than !mpnr!ty.
or Louis Napoleon'' alleged design to
place Murat on the throne Of the Two Slci
lies is again published by the London papers.
"IIe is very unfortunate man,"
snid DR.. Spooncr, speaking of Il gentleman
whose iIl-luck is proycrblal, sand really
believe, if he should fall on his back, that
he would break his nose
CT \ Priest said to a peasant woman
whom he had thought rude: "iou are bet
ter fed than TAUGHT "Shou!d think
vas" replied the c!odhoppcr, "as feeds
myself and You teaches me-"
y The most remarkable ease on record
is that of the Yankee soapman, who, in
violent storm at sea, saved himself from
death by taking a cake Of his own soap, and
washing himself ashore.
CO What is that which, surprising its
greatest breadth to be four inches, length
nine inches, and depth three inches, contains
solid foot. \ shoe.
,T- 1, is said that the eagle "has con-
tempt for all other birls.' The owl, how
ever, is moro contempous stll-ho boots
at everything.
ey The young man who cast his eye on
ayouns lady coming out Of church, has
had it replaced, and now sees as well as
ever.
9 An incurablc puns;er declares that
the new kind Of paper made out Of straw,
will doubtless lay the foundation Of a new
literature.