The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-01-11

MAGAZINE LITERATURE IN THE SERE AND YET.
Low LEAF.-Of all the changes in our mercurial
country none are more curious than those in tho
public appetite for literary pabulum. Education
is 80 far distributed among the masses ths@
everybody has tasted of the Pierian spring
while but few have drank deep enough to have
any settled taste for, or inclination towards|
the solid branches of learning. Our people lead
a busy life, wherein they study men more tha1
books, and cram knowledge rather than digest
it. They read chiefly for amusement and a know
ledge of the current facts Of the day. They seel
for those rather in the pages Of the diurnal %
hebdomadal newspaper than in the monthly maya
zine or quarterly review. Strictly speaking, W
have no magazine in this country of the higi
literary order of Blackwoods, the Dublin Uiaiverss
ty, London Quarterly, Edin6ury Rerieac or Re0ue de
acu1 Mondes. We commenced with light, friv0}
lOus affairs, devoted to silly love stories and Ia
dies fashions at second hand. Some of thes(
publications attained great circulation; bd
their prosperity was only temporary. Severa
more Ambitious attempts have been made, gfc
as Pmnam's; but they have all failed, generally
through some blunder in their management
Putnam's took to negroes, and went early to tn
dogs. About a year since, some philosophers VIII
have long had a sort of Mutual Admiration Sc
ciety in Boston established a rather weak maya
zine, which they appropriately call the Atlantic
1t is dreary, expansive, and watery in the OK
treme, devoted chiefly to the glorifcation of th
rock of Plymouth, Beacon Hill, Bostonian boolSI
sellers and New England writers, mem
bers of the particular clique that spread
their common places over it's SLEEPY
pages Withal it is absurdly pretentious
claiming that its design is to elevate the taste
Of the reading public, and putting Boston on
pinnacle of literary fame far above every othc
city in the United States or elsewhere. Every
one of us poor, ignorant misguided people, is ex
pected to fall down and worship these wise men
Of the East, or to pay three dollars per annolr
for the privilege of falling asleep over thei
monthly. Each number is filled with astonishing
puts Of the tremendous abilities of jones' written
by Smith; of the remarkable attainments 81
Smith, written by Jones; of the magnificent &c
MUS of Robinson, written by Brown; of the great
critical acumen of Brown, written by Robinson
aud grand chorus, after the operate fashion
in which all the great lights join in a resourd-
ing pecan of selfglorifcation. This magazine is
therefore, simply local affair, as exclusively
Bostonian as the smallest of the lively journaia
Of that exhilarating city.
In New York the only popularity circulated
vsvr Sc tsct, .o1,~
sions to imitation of the solid articles in the
British reviews, in which attempt the Atlanhd
fails SO utterly, but aims rather to suit the taste
of the day, with pleasant tales agreeable arti.
clcs and jests, which, if not always after the
manner of news, are still welcome, as old friends
always should be- Beyond M,pers' and the
sectarian magazines, we have little or nothing
in The monthly way.
But this apparent lack of first class mage
zine is easily accounted for on the principle set
forth by the practical philosopher, that this me-
tropolis contained every thing that the country
demanded, and IL any particular article could
not be found here, IL WAS because there was nc
popular demand for 1t. The fact il that the mn
gazine reader proper, Disguised with such trash
as the atlantic Monthly, seeks for his literary
forage in foreign pastures, while the improve
ments in journalism no marked within few
years, have entrenched upon the magazine forti-
fcations, and nearly demolished them alto
gether. The tone Of our light literature is con-
stantly improving, and some of the weekly jour
nails contain very creditable literary efforts.
They belong to the flying artillery of the lite
rary army and they carry the public along with
them, while the heavy guns, with their useless
baggage and lazy hangers on, are far In the
rear.