New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1860-05-25
Nem Orleans 9ailp Crescent.
FRIDAY MORNING, MAY 25, 1860.
SOUTHERN LITERATURE.

an announcement OF the discontinuance Of Rus
sells Magazine. Russell " was established three
or four years ago, and was purely literary publ
cation, taking part in the political contests OF
the day, but devoted exclusively to pure, healthy
Southern literature. 1t was well-conducted, too
but, notwithstanding all this, it was failure as
pecuniary speculation and involved so much of
loss to its publishers that they concluded to sus
pend its publication altogether.
The secret of its failure is that which explains
the failure of many other attempts to establish
similar publications in the South. 1t was not ade-
quately sustained by the Southern people. North
ern magazines circulate in the South as well as the
North-but rarely does Southern publication find
its way across Mason and Dixon's line. The North
thus has the whole Union for a literary market,
while the South has its own section alone.
But, that our section of the Union is able TO sus
tain literary productions of high character il an
evident proposition. We have not only the neces-
say talent to produce magazines of the best grade,
but we have the money to make them prosperous
and fiourishing. We are simply derelict in our
duty; and we run after Northern productions while
we might have them of Southern production, and
of greater merit if we would only encourage them
as we ought to do.
publisher cannot pay for literary articles of
merit unless he has a heavy list OF subscribers.
And, on the other hand, he cannot get and retain
these subscribers unless the mental food he sets
before his readers is of the best quality. Obvi-
ously, therefore, he must have large capital
which he must be willing to risk, unless the first
advance be made, it ought to be, by the public.
If the publisher be qualified for his business, and
intent upon making it a success, the public ought
to second his efforts by substantial tokens of en-
couragement, so that he may have the pecuniary
ability to secure the services of the very best
writer's for his magazine Occasionally there may
be found a good writer, of Independent fortune,
who will cheerfuly contribute an article now and
then without expecting or receiving remuneration.
But, as general thing, in other countries as well
as in this, and in the Southern States as well as
the Northern literary labor must be paid for just
as any other labor is, and cannot be had unless it
is paid for. If literary man is able to live com
fortably, without employing his pen, that pen is
very apt to lie idle upon his desk. If literature be
his profession or he is driven to it from necessity
he must live by it, as would any one else in any
| other profession he might pursue.
Literature ought not to be sectional; but the
North has made it SO, far that section is con
| cerned, in refusing to sustain Southern publica-
l. ~
support for her own literature 1t remains for the
South not in spirit of retaliation, but in a spirit
of simple justice to herself, to extend more sub
| stantial encouragement to her own authors and
| publishers. Although Russells Magazine has been
| discontinued, there are others in the South emf
nently worthy of support The Southern Literary
Messenger, published at Richmond Virginia, is
now quarter of century old, and still maintains
| the high position it occupied in the beginning
when some of the best writers of the country con.
trbuted to its pages. The Field and Fireside,n
weekly literary paper published at Augusta, Geor
gia is SO far superior to Bonners Ledger that they
ought not to be mentioned in the same day-and
yet the latter has ten subscribers perhaps in this
very city of New Orleans, to one of the former
One thing very certain the reproach Of literary
inferiority will be forever cast upon the South
however unjust it may be, if we permit our OWL
magazines to langush, while we squander oul
patronage upon trashy and worthless issues of the
Northern press. Good magazines cannot be pub
| lished in the South or anywhere else without
money-and until our people understand and ap
preciate this fact they may expect the fate which
has overtaken Russels Magazine to attend many
| others of our literary enterprises.