New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-04-23

BIZ EDWARD EVERETT HALE.


The monthly magazine, as known t
our Western civilization, dates, of course
from . period this side of the reinventiol
Of printing in Europe-or Of what Bisho]
Whstely wisely calls the introduction q
paper in the West. Our sets of monthlies
bi-monthIes and semi-monthlies only RI,
hack . hundred or two years, therefore
to the Joy of librarians, to whom, be i
confessed, they bring misery untold.
But in the East, where printing has ex
listed 20 long that the memory Of mar
goes not to the contrary, it is almost i'm
possible to say how far back was the in
PRODUCTION Of the monthly literary maya
Kline. This publication was accompanied
with certain advantages and certain dis
advantages, which sprang from the pecu.
kAEities of the Eastern calendar. The
Eastern month being lunar, the magazine,
II accuracy were consulted, had to be is
sued once in twenty-nine days, twelve
hours and forty-four minutes On the
other hand the people Of the East are less
sxncting or precise than We are in their
estimates Of time, and in the long run, if
they had thirteen monthlies in one year
and twelve in each of the next two years,
it generally proved that subscribers were
satisfied.
There is story of two Of these early
ENTHUSIASTICALLY known through
tho East where, indeed, it is told in many
exaggerated and impossible forms-which
not YET familiar with it; for it gives both
instruction and warning in an age in
which every boy in college and every girl
in . s'female seminary" regards magazine
writing ~ the chief end of man and of
woman-an age in which editors are feel
ing round, somewhat blindly, to know
what their rights may be, or whether in
fact they have any rights, which is doubt
full The story simply told, without any
Of the absurd adornments which are put
upon it in the East, teaches all men how
some Of the most difficult editorial ques-
tions were decided there, and what are
the delicate relations between contributors
and the public.
Far back in the period of mythical his
tory in the East two brothers, men of
spirit, tact, shrewdness and literary cul-
ture, conducted at the same time two
monthly magazines. The Offices of pub
location were SO far from each other, and
the constituencies" were SO different,
that the two journals did not in the least
interfere with each other. Those were in
the happy days when there were no mails,
and each magazine had its own staff and
its own contributors, the one set skilled
in the language and literature Of Tartary,
and the other in those of India. Though
the two brothers loved each other, they
seldom exchanged letters, and the chosen
contributors Of one journal never sent
articles to the other.
One of these magazines, called The
Friend Of the City, in their queer Eastern
way, was published at Delhi. The other,
called The King Of the Age, was published
ct Samarcand. Each of them achieved
great popularity, and, by virtue of its
popularity, great power. At Delhi, in
particular, the editor became the real con-
trolling power in the city, and in what we
call the kingdom. Not but what there
was some kind of sachem or mikado, who
In after.ages would have been called q
sultan or an emperor, who did not edit |
the magazine, but was kept for or by his |
SIMS IN certain prison, which he called a
palace, which stood where Shah Jehan |
long after built his magnificent abode.
But this poor dog of q mikado had |
nothing to do with the government |
He had to put his seal to a
good many documents, and he had In |
settle Q horrible mess of quarrels among
mis- servants and harem people every day.
ana someumes he had the bore Of
summing out in the hot sun, with umbrel-
las and elephants and bands of music. and
% on, to receive some foreign embassy.
This he called reigning and very stupid
life it was, and very hard work did f.
bring upon him. But all the fun of com.
mand, all the real disposition of the
Forces Of Delhi and that country, and ali
the comfort of life which comes from sue
cess, and the 10y of eventful living"
these came, not to this poor shah,
mogul sultan, emperor, or sachem. or
whatever you choose to call him, but to
ne editor of The Friend of the C;tv. he
drove his span of horses when he chose.
ne sent the army where he chose, and he
0ctated the terms of the treaties with the
.creign powers. All this he did because
ne had large subscription list and he
edited we'll. '--'>-
With similar success, though with some
snetence IN form, his younger brother
Sdlsed me King Of the Age at distant
9eaao. NOW you ought to know,
.osE Iee9ei, what i am sorry to say you
70 not Know. that Semarcand is far. far
Way nom Delhi. II is more than 1000
niles, were . carrier dove flying 70 his love
q Delhi nom his cage in Samsrcan6, Ana
Khen yuu come to tedious tssyelino ~
lamels md horses and asses-vhv. 49,
- rivers and mountains betweeu. ma