The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-02-12

in Minnesota, and the SitDer Mountain Chron-
tcle in California.
Some natural tears must be dropped, Of
course, over the intimely death of even an
infant magazine by the author OF its being,
and some astonishment may also be permitted
to YAfnpic with ones sorrow, But the pro
jeetors of most magazines indulge tneir
wonder and their grief in silence. That Cap
tain Mayne Reid refuses TO 'eat his heart
alone, but, contrariwise, wears it upon his
sleeve for editorial DAVIS to peck at, argues an
unusual degree of ingenuousness in him; and
our notion of that characteristic is enhanced
when we see him gravely quoting the puts OF
the provincial press as evidences OF merit. 1t
does not, we assure him, afford the least
basis of hope for a magazine that the Scheoe-
mas Monitor should pronounce 1t to be lust
the work for the gentleman, the lady, and
the scholar" that the WdpGkonetG Union
should assert it TO be zone Of the finest illus
trated magazines of the land" that the
Oquaaoka Spectator should commend it for
being "a beautiful magazine and the contents
excellent" that the D0pogiGo Republican
should consider it superior to any magazine
we rceive;" OF even that the WGupGcG Critic
qIon should test it and find ''the literary mat
ter of the first order-its tone high"
Captain Mayne Reid's mistake seems to
have been in supposing that because he could
write popular stories he could conduct popu-
lar magazine. The two require entirely diff
ferent and, to some extent, incompatible
qualifications. One of the three things
which, in the view of Sydney Smith, every
Englishman believed himself competent to
do was to "edit newspaper" Though the
complication and extension OF journalism
since his time have dispelled this dream,
every educated Englishman, and every edu-
Gated American as well, still olings to the
fond faith that he could edit magazine,
which is a simpler business to look at, and
that he could evolve from his inner con-
seriousness an ideal magazine far better than
the best actual one. Every little while such
being endeavors to carry his notions into
practice. But the amateur magazine editor
and his money are soon parted. The maga-
zine fails-not necessarily from its intrinsic
demerits, but from its failure to hit the taste
of the time-and its conductor is smitten
| with wonder like the wonder of Captain
Mayne Reid. The history of magazines is
strewn with such wrecks.
We are inclined to think that there are not
more than three profitable magazines in this
| country. Hd7perS is the most successful;
| and it is SO not because it is written for by
the ablest men, but merely because it is the
best edited. 1t understands its audience
better than any other. Like the aquaria of
the lamented Barnum, 'it amuse and in
struct." And its amusement and instruction
are both conveyed in so lively and lucid q way
as to be quite intelligible to the average
American mind The atlantic aims higher,
and contains more articles by men of name.
The names sell the magazine; but it is nota-
BILE that not one of them has been won
through the magazine, though 1t has been
established for more than ten years, and that,
except what is contributed by these few
habitual writer's to it, its contents are selected
with wretched taste. The GaSaTy has the
advantage over either of the others of not
being really or ostensibly so mere tender to
publishing house. 1t has published many
striking articles; and its most conspicuous
defect its inequality in merit, may be ex-
pected to disappear as its age increases.
Putndm'S, under the new and capable
management of Parke Goodwin, may reason
ably be looked for to show some CLEANS of its
ancient fire, and to attract to it the contribu-
tions of those brilliant writer's who made its
first series the most entertaining magazine
ever published in this country.
| Real and rigid editing is what mainly
makes the difference in this department be
| tween success and failure. The editor of
magazine ought not to content himself witt
merely looking over what contributions il
may please Providence to send him, correct
ing copy, and picking the rubbish out of the
| hotsam and jetsam thrown upon his shores
! He ought TO exercise such control as shall
insure every prominent topic of full treat
ment, and make his magazine symmetrical
whole, and not ''a fortuitous concourse o
atoms" This demands special aptitude ant
special training. And it was in the absenc,
in themselves of that aptitude and that train
ing that Captain Mayne Reid and many other
in his predicament may find the explanation
of their fate.