Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1864-01-08
RdistrLaueuus.
For the Journal.
PERIODICAL LITERATURE.

teresting essays, tales, poems and useful in
formation Of a literary, scientific or artistic
character. The extension Of knowledge and
the multiplication of books rendered it i'm
possible for the scholar TO inform himself OF
the progress Of learning in various countries,
or to purchase and peruse more than small
portion of the works issued from tho pross,
hence the necessity for critical journals. This
literary want was first met in France, by the
publication Of the T" Journal des Savants," in
/ 1865 by Denis dc Sails.
England was the asst country to initiate
France, but until 1909 English Literature,
though abounding in gieat and witty writer's.
had not as yet produced a single Essayist or
Periodical writer. The literature Of the age
bad gradually degsrerated, aud 70 combat the
national taste. aud iniuse moie courteous,
refined and christian tone into the manners "
society, became the aim Of number Of excel
lent writer's. Their aim being so comprohen-
siye, and the public they bad to address so
numerous, they adopted the expedient of pub
fishing paper at short and regular intervals,
at cheap rate. The originator was Sir Rich
ard Steele. man well qualified by the read
inc Of his intellect, and hi. profound ac-
quaintance with all the phases Of life, to be-
come periodical censor, but he was soon
surpassed by other authors, and particularly
by his freud and fellow laborer, Addison
Born in 1872, Addison's career was singular
ly prosperous lie was long considered the
model and standard Of all that is most easy
and elegant in .lish prose, position from
which he has only recently been elected, by
the more weghty and profound style of mod
ern times. The fattler" was the FIRST Pc
riodical published. II commenced it's career
in 17oo and becsme vory ,o,pIsr F,o,liv
Sir R,cha,d Stesla sssoc;.,ed Addison w;,I
himself and in March h17tl IN. =. Snec,a,o,',
6rst made its snrersncs The GREATER charms
of the .. Snsc,ato,r were tho sketchss of the
club of which the author was snpnosed /, he
A member. Sir Royer de CovcrIr j. slwovs
the delight of everv reader :. a beandG1
tbouyht and softly sbsdow.d firth .snd
Addisun. not unooncious or the hesutv oi bis
work. seems to have taken infinite Mains ,f
drawing firth with the ooist ,nncb of bunor
and genius. new points OF attraction. He led
the nation insensiblv 70 a hiobsr love of vi,.
the A nure, taste in morals and l;tetatpre and
broader view of ofconstitpt,onsl freedom Rut
the greatest f,ure il, Englisb literary bisto,v
ado,,t this neriod IVA. S.mneI Johnsor io
l750-52 he commenced The public.tion of
:. The Ramblsr - ,y,rk no, "a non,,Ia, "a the
SuecfatOT. 81 pgI
moral ;mnrovemen, His st,Ie WAS necnlia,
and charac,e,istic and ,s h. .rrived A. emi.
pence NAV be ssid 10 have Drodnced a-,eyo-
luton in Rngli.b w,i,ina II was between
the ,ear, i75a-sn ,hat IoArsou wrote and
published his Dictionary of the English lam
euage. which conpIeted the revolutinn in the
labguage produced by the periedieal writers
sbolyslfiDg many.,oftbo old. Roman terms. and
giving 1t more marked Anglo-Saxon charac-
ter more yioor and force Of exptession. and
more elegant in the use and choice of words
The Edinburg Review" the oldest ofthe
British Quarterlies. was established in 1902.
by a small marty of am bitious yonng men-all
destined to attain high distinction' IL based
its claims to success upon the boldness with
which it discussed all subjects Its founder,
were Broupham. Jeffrey. Sidney Smith and
others As the organ ofthe wings. it appear-
ed more liberal from the tone and temner of
its articles, than from the PRINCIPLES it advo-
Gated, for il favored free discussion. an omen
field and fair pay in argument and wit. IL
became thus. the medium through which the
daring ideas in philosophy and political science.
that had been elaborated in the 18th century.
we're made familiar tc the general public.
Jeffrey, who was the early conductor Of this
Magazine, was unsparinply severe in his crit
icisms upon the manners and customs Of the
people Sidney Smith wrote his last Article
in 1927, while Lord Broupham still continued
to write the political ones, aud more recently, |
NJ acaulay and CARLYLE, combined history and I
literatur Since the resignation of the edl-
torship by Jeffrey, it has passed through nu-
merous hands, and has now assumed a more
sesious and scholarly though probably less
effective charac er than formerly.
formidable rival u this publication sp-
peared in the "Qnarterly Review" establish |
ed in 1909, to counteract the danger of those .
liberal opinions which we're almost menacing
the integrity Of the constitution. 1t was a
journal Of great influence and importance, and
was successively edited by Clifford, Coleridge
and LocEhart, and numbered also among It's
Scott, Croker, Canning and
Southey, all of whom we're distinguished sup
porters Of conservative doctrines Adyocat-
fng the same principles though in less die
iatorial manner, "Black woods Magazine"
must be considered as having played very
prominent part 1t made its first appearance
in 1917, under the auspices of VIM Black.
wood, who was assisted By James Hogg
then ranking among the first poets of Scot
land, } and John Wilson, afterwards author
Of the celebrated 'sNostes Ambrosiane."
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