The Oxford intelligencer., 1861-01-16
Southern Magazines and Newspa-
pers.

THERE is a duty resting upon Southern peo-
pie, in this crisis to suppeft one another and TO
cease patronizirg thbse4 whether in their midst
OF in the land of Lincoln and Hamlin-who are
iiimical to them and their interests, and who
would, if they possessed the power, commit to
the torch Of the ineendiary, and the knife of the
assassin, Southern homes and the loved onee
enshrined within them. With few praise
worthy exceptions, such as the Boston Post and
the New York Day Boot, the papers and mag
azines Of the North have added their breath to
fan the flame Of fanaticism now raging like a
prairie fire, over eighteen States Of the Union,
ahd throwing its lurid glare and blazing sparks
over the fifteen Others, threatening to consume
them in its unchecked and blackening career.
The people Of the South ought, therefore, to in
quire if there are not in their midst newspa-
pers and magazines deserving of encouragement;
and if they find, as they will find, hundreds OF
claimants quietly and dignifedly exhibiting their
superior merits, both in point Of ability and
moral tone, let them open their hearts and their
purses freely, and give, not grudgingly, but with
open hands. The South has hundreds of pa
pers, in its country towns, edited with more
ability and far more nicely of taste and dignity
of tone, than many Of the fash papers of the
North, which find such ready sale at our news
agencies, and fill the malbags throughout the
South. We know of no magazine, North, which
exhibits such skillfhl selection of Subjects such
dignity of tone, such ability and excellent taste
as are exhibited in the pages of the Southern
Literary Messenger, published at Richmond, Va
DeBo1's Recie~ published at Charleston and
New Orleans, is acknowledged, everywhere, to
be the most reliable statistical work of the
country; and we know there is no Northern re-
view or paper which can compare with it in the
power and influence of its political articles. 1t
is without parallel or a compeer. OF literary
papers, the best published in. the Union are in
the Southern States. We will only mention the
two whose names are most familiar to the ears of
ourreadcrs-the Baltimore Family Journal, and
the Field and Firesife, Augusta, Ga We have
any rumber of able and serviceabe agricultural
papers, among the best of them, the Rural
Gentleman, published in our midst it might be
said the Southern homestead, Nashville, is also
a most excellent agricultural Journal The re-
ligious press of the South is equal to any in the
world. The political papers of the South are
as far superior, in every particular, to the ma
jority Of political papers Moth, as the sun is
brighter than the most distant star. Southern
editors make political economy, and all the in
tricate mysteries of craftsmanship, their life.
long study; and, as result, not only the city
papers, but frequently the papers in the most
insignificant country towns, exhibit in their col
umns an array of learning and profound thought,
while the body Of Northern papers display
want Of both qualities and very frequently en-
tire ignorance Of the simplest questions of In
ternational or State laws the science Of economy
they have heard of, but have not the remotest
idea that acquaintance with it is essential in the
editorshp of a political paper.
Many advantages might be enumerated, re-
sultng from the patronage Of Southern papers,
but none which should exert more potent in
fucncc over the people Of the South, than the
simple fact that they are published among the
brethren Of our household and breathe, as we
do, an atmosphere Of love for those who are
true, and of defiance to those who are false.