The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1859-01-26

We give the following as fair ex-
hibiton Of one style of literature, to be
found in the CENTURY, Mr. McElrath's
new paper.
Ledger Literature.
Those enormous advertisements of the
Ledger weekly that have amused and as
tonished the public, during the past year,
though intended only to push the sale of
series of very tame novels, have proved
to be an interesting phenomenon. Through
has expanded to half millions weekly
by far the largest yet attained by anv Pc
riodical The current Ledger novel,
whatever it may be, is the popular ltera-
ture of the day, and has swept out of ex-
istence 4 mass Of equally worthless and
ephemeral publications technically known
as yellow.covered" In company with
these. the pirate and robber literature have
fed into oblivion, with masses Of obscene
AMI immoral stuff, never, we may hope, to
re-appear.
The serial Ledge, novel does not admit
either of criticism, review, or description.
1t is neither good nor wicked, hut bears
tie same relation to real novel, written
by real novelist, that elderberry wine
bears to wine of grape; ferment gener-
ated in the swiftly juices of a rank and sour
weed, the taste well covered with senti-
mental syrup of brown sugar
From dingy Office in the city of New
York issue weekly so square miles of
printed sheets 100000 terations of the
same light folly, to crafty the thin appe-
tite of 100000 of adult babes Let us
give praise where it belongs. The brain
of the NAPOLEON of advertisers must be
itself a model piece of machinery, as econ
omic and expensive in its working, as the
engine Of PAINE; for, with mere hand
ful Of thought, it moves a mountain of
folly. Of all seed sowing machines, this
weekly phenomenon, sowing every seventh
day 60 square miles and more, of light
literary tares, is the most wonderful and
efficient. A joyous g,eennes, springs re-
sponsivs to its sowing, over all the land
Of the total adult population of the
United States, one in eight reads the Led.
ger. The entire press of the nation have
aided in creating this enormousl circula.
ton. The art Of advertising has achieved
its greatest triumph. and the literary
wares of SYLvANUs CoBB and EDWARD
EVERETT almost outsell the boxes of Dr.
BRANDRETH. At the lowest point one
finds the broadest expansion.
Before the invention of the Ledger
machinery, it was supposed that folly had
at least taste, penchant, love of
variety hundreds of sensation novels flew
each season from the press, duly copy
righted by as many different hands now
the multitude have but one essayst and
one novelist, and these are EDWARD Ev-
ERErT and SrLvAEUs CoBB. The gain to
society, in giving back SO many hard.work.
ing brains to useful and honorable toll,
does not interest us as deeply as our new
knowledge of the uniformity, nay, identity
of popular taste when we descend below
a certain level Of intelligence. That the
population of fourth.rate novel readers
should be all alike and undistinguishable,
as we'll satisfied with one essayist and one
novelist as with hundred it is this dis
covery that signalizes the Ledger expert.
ment, and moves thought in every sound
and serious mine. There are. then, mas.
ses." At a certain level the individual
with preferences, idiosyncrasies, tastes and
disgusts, disappears, and men are mass,
| ulcIe atIhtulH, ilhc sWdTms Oi Dees, uu-
distinguishable, and swarming all to the
tinkle 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 controlled three hundred thousand,
EVERETT CONTROLS but two; should EVER
EFT sink finally to the CoBB level, he may
yet rival his associate, and, so perfect is
the machinery worked by the ingenious
and enterprising publisher practical
mamie will be sure to find EvERErr's
level for him, if the public have not yet
found it. And for this he will be entitled
to our thanks.
A number Of the Ledger lies before us.
The two conspicuous features are the es-
say of EVERETT and the novel of CoBB.
There is nothing scurrilous, rabid, or pru-
deut, in either; they are smooth, of an
even texture-on the whole harmless.
u