The weekly Mississippian. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1859-1864, 1860-03-14
For the Mississjppion.
MATTERS AND THINGS---No. 8.


The whole civilized world is its field. Books
Of all nations which are worth translating are
translated and read in all languages. Some Of
our citizens say they will not read Northern
book. They might as well say they would
not be cooled in summer by the North-wind.
1t is true there are books issued at the North
which are hostile TO us and Of mischievous
tendency. Such works ought to be repudia-
ted by every true Southerner; and it would
be a good thing for us if we could have some
of the Northern school books that are now in
use in our schools examined and weeded of
obnoxious parts; and dieter still if we could
print our oicn sehooI locks ; This is being at
tempted in Alabama with some success. In
our. own State step ought to be taken in the
same direction. The Legislature should offer
premium for the best Southern Geography,
Arithmetic, Grammar, &c, &c, which should
pass the committee Of Decision. premium
of 5000 or $4,000 for the best school book
would soon place in our Southern schools its
oscH books8 The best talent of the South
would be enlisted to write them As it is, it
is uphill work to compete with the North
No man Of talent will write school-book on
an uncertainty; while no class of books is so
profitable, if adopted by Teachers. \ good
school book to a Yankee author is fortune
equal to new patent medicine; and am sor-
~ to say the South helps them, at least hith-
erto to get rich.
School literature is properly local, and we
should monopolize it. But general literature
belongs to all people. Go into any of our
planters or educated Southern mems libraries.
If they are worth anything they contain works
of English, Scotch, Irish, French, German,
Spanish, Italian, Greek and Latin writers
| books published in Boston and New York, as
well as in the South! To say, then. we will
have none but Southern literature is absurd.
Tho most ultra Southern member in Congress
would not consent to circumscribe his reading
within this limit That the works Of our
Southern writers would make a valuable IL
brary will not be denied. Even Northern pa
pers acknowledge that our forte is literature.
Read for instance the following paragraph
from an article in the New York Journal of
Commerce, which pats US OH the back and
says patronizingly: "Be good boys down
South, you can make your books as well as
cotton! We admit your ability so don't be
too severe on u.s.
SOUTHERN LITERATCRE.-IL is (savs the y
| \. Journal of Commerce. but Justice to the
| brotherhood Of letters in the United States to
say that our literature is not sectional. and
| that the South has actually furnished a larger
share of interesting and important books than
the north. We know that this may seem
strange to the croakers who are ever harping
| upon the literary barrenneSs at the South, yet
1t Is nevertheless true that some not only Of
the most able, but of the most remunerative
books published in the United States have
been and are by Southern authors The Jour
mai finds, on inquiry, that only two New York
| publishers have issued within few months;
| the one, fifteen different publications., and the
! other seventeen; ali written by southern au-
thor', representing Louisiana, Alabama Geor-
! gia, South Carolina, Virginia and Kentucky
| Now comes the practical consideration for
| Literary women and men Of the South-why
cannot this publishing be done at home?
Now with this testimony before us we
ought TO be satisfied with our high literary po-
sition. By their own admission at the North
we supply them with some oe their most in
teresting and popular works; and present as
bright galaxy OF names as a people can de-
sire. The North reads and likes our books.
They are written i'll the South, published in
the North, and read everywhere We can
not compete with the North as publishers of
general literature. when men write books
they wish to publish tlem :. She least cost
and where there will be d. profit. If
it costs $500 in New OrleaA ,r Mobile fer
the authoress Of "Beulal' to get her book out,
and but five hundred in New York she will
not trouble herself about Mason & Dixon's
line, but send her book where she can make
the most by it. She is not expected to lose
$500 for mere patric tism. Now, it is clear as
things now are, the North can successfully
compete with US in the book-publishing way
They have had the channel of trade too long
easily to be driven fromit. We are commu-
nifty chiefly Of agriculturists, while the North
IS chiefly community of mechanics. Where
we have one who will go into printing office
we have fifty who 60 to planting! Where
they have one who goes to profession they
have fifty who become mechanics. This large
overplus Of mechan cs makes work in all its
branches low, and of course in the publishing
business also. 1 asked popular Southern
author why he always published in New York.
He replied, because get Better paid for my
books F.! The New York publisher is ready
to pay down money. Ny last book / could
get no tffer for in any Southern city They
said they would print it if would secure them
against loss. | wrote and sent it to New York
and the publisher paid me twelve hundred
dollars for the copyright. Yet my Southern
friends blame US for pub ishing in the North"
The fact is as we grow our cotton in the
South and sell it in the North without grumb-
ling, let US write our books in the South, and
sell them there also if we can do better by
them! The North pays our planters let It
pay our authors Let US be the producers of
bales and books and the North be buyers and
consumers
That the South would take precedence of
the North in literature there is no doubt, pro-
vided our educated and wealthy people of ell
egant leisure would write books ! But as our
most intelligent and educated people are rich
there is no inducement for them to engage Sc
riously in literature. They don't care for the
mere money book would bring them, our
aristocratic Southern gentry and books are
seldom written except for the purpose of
making profit by them. As people we
are too well off to be authors But when we
do write we hit the mark If circumstances
should compel but one in ten of our cultivated
Southern men and ladies' to turn authors, with
their enriched minds and their habits of litera-
airy study, they would dazzle the North with
their brilliant works. Men Of genius and op-
ulent leisure who live on Independent incomes
are scattered sill through the Southern States,
who could write well and successfully upon
any subject it compelled by adverse circum-
stances to take up the pen. As foro South
ern women half of them are poets, and they |
can write the most readable books in the
world. Let US be content at present, then, to
be authors and let the North be the printers Of
our books, for the last is at least the inferior
position. But when we can get our printing
done South with advantage and neatness, then
it is the duty of every Southerner to stand by
his oacn printers and publishers.
What our printers want is capital to remu-
nerate authors. Let some of the rich plant
,rs who rate their wealth with six cy-
,hers unite Gf they are such advocates for
homework as they profess to be,-and create
fund Of half million in order to establish
n the South great Publishing House,
Then we sho6id hear no more of going to the
North. Private enterprise alone cannot I'M
lertake the tasf.
MEMORIAL OF Mr.. CONSUL HEUDEBERT.-
n 1849, James Heudebert, Of jackson, Miss,
4 Al. = r