New-York tribune., 1875-09-18

TicY stand in degrees ~ relationship. reel 10
OF them as toward old friends. KNOW when ana
wHcre first made their acquaintance; lhtVe hriduu
ass"ciatlon with some of them II was nor aIwi's de
nary, az IL s now. when books are bought ana turned
out again by iie dozen with yes or 10. lfonoHecd
with equal Indifference. They we've once weighed
against soli against thousand temptations which god
represented. and bought only whcn SOLD worth turned
trahil"d c same streets 10 ge' glimpse ~ tif re
treasure turned and returned. and at s with desperate
~tl@at i!tiIe gpTalor ~ Ynn ranu"t rdndrr that
look Oh some OF these Old fellows as old friends
Charles Lamb might have written that; he has
not written anything much better, IN its way. II is
worthy 10 90 with Nh Rnfua Choate's remark that
the creates: pleasure in life is buying a book you
cannot alor!. Equally good is the comment on tie
outbur-t: Never talk % NE against BRISTOL Ii has
human heart in il -" this, with Mr Dixie, means
several old book shops.'
Mr.. D:lkc's connection with The AhenTum began
in IS2s with the purchase OF part interest; in 1880
he obtained complete control; in 1916 he retired
from the cditorship Of it, retaining, however, his
proprieorship When he first took mold, The affairs
of the paper were in coniusion and was iar from
Il paying property When he gave up rs active
management It's success had long been assured and
It's profits large enough, soon became 50, to
more than repay all the money ever sunk in it. Mr.
Dixie of the first to penetrate the secrets OF
modern journalism. so long ago as 1881, mmedi-
ately on getting his own way, he cnt down the
price OF JHc itifHdhW from lO tthiNl 10
four pence * cents. Friends thought him mad, and
predicted bankruptcy. The success Of the expert
ment was immediate. The sale of the paper
trcblcd the first day and the next il Went up TO six
times tie old number. Fifteen years after ard. in
1916. lie applied The same idea 10 The Daily NetCs
then hut three months old, which he undertook the
management of temporarily. lie lowered the price
from five pence 30 cents to 2la pence - cents,
with the result Of raising the circulation at once
from declining circulation of 1000 and under to
m increasing circulation of 22,0Oo and over Suc-
in this latter not, il is tine permanent
but ihc fault does not appear to have been Mr.
Dlkes. 1hc real work of h.s life was The Aii6ndara
and it may I've hoped that his grandson or somebody
else Will some day think it possible to give TO the
world the complete history OF his arrangement Of
that paper. What he does give winch is new is
always valuable. sometimes most honorable 20 NJ.
Dixie, whose IDEAS one or two points might be
thought ncedies-y auStere in these days, bnt none
the less sprung frOa the purest conception OF
Journalists duty While Mr. Dixie was editor of
The 4tbeadHm hc made ita e not to go into society;
rule adopted in order, his bioGraphcr tells III. to
avoid making literary acluaintanccs which might
either De annoying to him. or might te supposed TO
comVromise the independence of his paper. lie
went further than this Mr John Hamilton Rcy-
nolis formerly proprietor. wrote proposing to re-
view "A certain book. ilr Diihe DsTeEed by asking
him whether he nor acquainted with either
author OF Publisher. MI Reynolds sent back the
book " that you may consign it 10 some lndepend-
cnt hand, according 20 your religious custom. /.
alas. know author and boo.seller.7
Ovcrstraincd no doubt. | at least am bound 10
think so since with reference 10 this very book an
in Mr Rcynol;is4 case and yet send You notice OF
IT, But those were days different from these. We
lind Mr Dixie little lateg returning to Robert
Mont gOmery a copy of lis works which the poet had
sent to his private house, and writing:
sensible ot yon: kindness. bnI i has ever Deen
rEle with since ny rst conicctloh WIN ne s"h. .M
70 decline of books rom authors or publishers
Even duplicates have been invariably returned
He speaks ont still more explicitly in answer To an
application from the cditOr-in-chcf of the official
journal Of France who in 1910, wrote to Mr.. Dixie
that his name had been placed on the free list and
begged Mr. Dixie TO Isl. the English publishers for,
and to send him. six English books which he wanted
Mr. Dixie answers:
Daring the ten years that have been editor OF The
4f6c4ap have nc.er asked for 4 single copy OF any
work since the iourna has attained II. present rank
and non 'H$ ar % ij' - ''i: @ ~ ~ fr me- to c;iT
with raur request had other reasons Tor not
doing 80.
More emphatically still Mr. Dixie addresses the
Paris corr spondcnt of his own paper in 1912:
cannot let single pot pass without replying TO your
win the prnc Al publishers in Paris Having accepted
advance snects y0u ere unable 20 condemn her WOrhs
What then is tie value OF your crcismi During tue
many years that havc mad Ihe AUssGam nave never
asSs favor Of pnblsner p.of ana
for you TO send me reviews az present
TO q publisher who spoke 10 him OF promise
that book should be reviewed at length, Mr.. Dixie
replies:
gave you other assurance than he assurance given
t. al publishers that good book VIII ne spoken or as
u good book The 4Lienaum iet VINO VII! pe publisher
And other instances are quoted III tie Memoir.
journalism was not then what 1t Is now-not thar
mean to say il is absolutely in all cases beyond re-
proach now bur il held singular position both TO
the public and 10 the publishers Mr. Dixie, says his
biouaphcr Justly, pushed his principles to the eX-
treme only because of the bad system when had
grown up in other quarters. What sort of relation
between authors and editors can there have been
which made it possible for Bulwer to Offer and for
Jer,lan editor of The Literary Gazette, 10 accept,
silver inkstand! The Literary Ga-ete was then the
leading literary paper. The BOokser speaks OF 1t a.
having the support of the large publishing houses,
but adds
Report says that it owned partly by house in the
Row, and partly by another ~ Ne" buf.,ht'"a ~ ~
tain il is that no book proceeding from either quarter re-
ceiyed anything but praise censure being mos I'M
Journalists in these days can do their duty to the
public-the duty OF perfectly Independent criticism
and preserve their sef-respect under less rlgld
rules no doubt than those Mr. Dixie laid down for
himself But who shall say that to him and such as
him for he was not alOncl We do not owe much
They made journalism respectable and respected
IL is for those who come after him 70 Keep 1t so,
simply by keeping 10 the spirit of the rule though TO
some extent we depart from the letter. Nor do the
best journals depart widely even from the letter OF
the maxim which prescribes absolute independence
of pubshers and toIcrates neither fear favor
their judgments OH books.
The Papers here repubshed are, as the seven-line
Preface 70 them states much in demand, and are re-