The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-04-29
THE MIMIC PRESS.
An Undiscovered World of ANA
teur Journalism.
AMATEURS AND AMATEURDOM.
A Curious Revelation Of the Tendencies
of Our Civilization.


everything aud almost without the notice OF profes
sionals' amateurs in a number Of callings have
attained such immense proportions that they are
ready to claim very important rank. That this ten
dency should be manifested by ''cbildren OF larger
growth" especially In sporting and theatrical matters,
Is perhaps not surprising, but closer scrutiny into
the subject will show that amateurdom is confined in
. great measure TO persons In their 'teens," and
that amateur Journalism Is tho chosen field OF
these aspiring youths IL Will be news, per-
haps, to the readers OF The HERALD. but It Is
nevertheless true that many 200 amateur jour
nails have bcen started in the United and Canada
within very few years. and some OF these clam a
larger circulation than accorded many prosperous
papora Those amateur sheets vary In size irora
OF postage stamp TO the Dimensions OF an ordinary
newspaper, and most OF them dull OF the
HERALDs contemporaries. They possess, however,
such supreme confidence in their own
greatness and Importance that mono OF the
'professonal'' journals surpass them in self
esteem or in Wanting their high qualities Brook
Ign lad for instance. has just started paper
which he calls the Standard, In the ''salutatory" Of
which be says:"Tho columns Of tho Standard will be
devoted to entertaining ana instructive literature,
each department being under the supervision and
agement or different edltorsn Then follows list Of
these editors of well known repute" and the array
Serb ers or tho Atlantic at will be readily per-
ceived continues tho confident editor chief that
with tho class OF authors engaged for the Standard
the quality OF the reading matter will be OF the choicest
selections and will contain nothing immoral or dcgrad-
Ing in its influence on tho youth Of our country. We
have placed the subscription rate ut tho nominal sum
OF fifty cents and although the Standards present size
exceeds that OF any other publication in amaleurdom
Its next number will contain eight pages"
PUBLICATIONS IN AMArEuRDoM
The attention OF the HERALD having been directed TO
this singular development journalism reporter
was lntrustcd with the investigation OF the subject
Tho result shows mimic world OF newspaperdom
within the real world Of the press, and no nation OF
pygmIes was over active entorprsing than Is
the now OF LilIputian journalists Every town
One, called tho aurora, which had reached -she
second number OF tho second volume has just expired
ut St Louisville Ohio village OF only 2u0 inhabitants
1t Is Imaginable to think In view OF this fact that the
publication OF tho aurora is stopped because its editor
Is In "expectation OF leaving ST. Louisville In a short
time" The editor, however does not lose sight OF
No. and in his last issue he eravey that
40 would 'like to conduct department devoted to
notions, notes, news, criticisms, &C., in good
paper" II is worthy of remark, perhaps that while
the aurora was In existence 1t was nearly rs largo
u
the Boys Banner, and is published at Beefontanc IL
has reached It's third number, and the editor says
snow Is tho time to subscribe for tho Banner. New
attractions will constantly be presented, aud IL will
always BIO our aim TO secure the best articles that
money can procure" Tho Aniatcur Argus. published
at Evansville lnd s in its second volume, and has
Tor It's motto, CONGRATULATIONS object; lucrc
bust" After this the readers OF the HERALD VIII not
be surprised at the following extract from the Argus:
The editor Of this paper his hair St. George
barber shop. Sec al. on 4th page.
The amateur Era, which is really handsome little
quartz seems TO DO published smultaneousiyat Phia,
Ross in "A PLAIN Talk" with their readers gravcly
say:-
In publishing little sheet actuasd by desire
10 give ourselves pea employment for idle hours
rom serious duties Of life to improve ourselves
aud readers It necessarily is u tax on our pocket
@ sen Our papers s0as sound
basis. Before we entered Oh the career OF amateur
inew exactly the could afford therefore
ss state thai sound and no, likely 70 Tor some
10 know successful in our endeavors TO inpart
!ase great pleasure doi.g So like that our
efforts 70 please are Sppreeia.ed and We desire Of our
enlargement in the way OF subscriptions. &c.
All the amateur journals named, and indeed all
those which have been able to get beyond their first
number, are published monthly. nominay at least
although most OF them make their appearance only
sem-o ccasionally. There is. however, be nma-
weekly to DO called The Boys Orn Weekly, which
will make its appearance IN this city on the 10th Of
May. II Is TO be Published at No 223 Rvngtou street
by Fisher Mausbach Co., this formidable firm being
composed entirely OF boys Master Charles L. Fisher
who is TO DO tho editor is now tho editor OF
the amateur column OF ''proiessionaln paper, The
Boys Of NeD York ana It is from HIM that most Of tho
Information contained in this article was derived.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THY AMATEUR PRESS.
In looking over tho lot OF amateur papers with
which Master Fisher supplied the HERALD 1t soon be-
came apparent that The journalistic instinct s entirely
Lac king these youthful attempts The element OF
hunor finds no place apparently III arnatcurdom, and
the perusa OF dozen amateur papers Jailed 10 reveal
bright happy or original thought. The sketches
Il ns
poems sombrc In the first number Of tho Stand
ard the poem Is entitled sweep Not for Death, and
Is hard to realize that boy who assumes the nom
IL plume oil ''Muggins' should sing
Ills but lever s,ilied.
a solemn hope fulfilled.
The moonshnc o tho sumbcring deep
Is scarcely cuimer; wherefore wrepY
Equally somorc IS ~ Snow Storm In Aprii,n bv
"La Petite published in tho 1rst number o Pen and
Scissors, which comes from East Boston. Tho follow
ting - the opening stanza:-
The sky Is duh and leaden,
The winds wall mourin drge.
aud the trees. as they hear tue snow kings tread.
AS We bindy recol from the graves cold verge
An examination OF the stories failed reveal moro
than one quotable paragraph, and that curiously
enough, is an unconscious reflection 81 tho corrupted
sentiment oil the time. Ia 'lom Racketrs School
Days.n published in The Boys banner, we have the
following regard TO Old Ccrebus, tho college por-
ier:-"Ic sat at the college gatcs, old shoned
watch box HIS orders were not TO allow any OF the
collcgans out without a pass IRON the proctor.
and, worst OF all, he was mean enough
not to take bribc." Proctor Is
unknown, VIC believe IN our American colleges,
but porter "moan enough not TO takc Dribe'' Is
beng whose offences could only under the cogni-
Of Young America. The corolary OF all this
youthful energy there Is that anateurdom gives no
journalistic promise Tor the future, and the money
and time and opportunity wasted In these III directed
eloriswi be rendered st more dcplorablc by the
neglect OF real education and actual discipno which
must result from this prccocous journalism.
AMATEUR ''AUTnoEs' 'sllXIyG LIGnTs''
But while the pubic, and especially fathers and
mothers ana guardians, whose duty II Is 10 check
these amateur tendencies have been In comparative
ignorancc OF tue developments limited at IN THIS article,
the children have been busy with their schemes
that nil over the land they already iirmiy KNIT
together III asecret brotherhood The abilities
OF the writer's tor the amateur press generally
recognized IN the chdrcn's world the merits
VI Longielow and Lowell and Whittier and Holmes.
They have their authors and their .sblnDg lights,
and their secret societies ana places OF meeting They
Indulge IN 'iterary exercscs and tobacco and beer
In hundred why's they rendered worldly and cor
rupt whio they ought st TO tied to their mothers,
apron strings. In order TO show how earnestly tho