Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-08-21
MANHATTANISMS.
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY MoNTHLIEs
PUBLISHED IN NEW YORK


A Catalan Pertodical@special, Cheap and
Miscellaneous Monthlies-The Mys-
terry Of their Existence.
NEW YoRR, August u, 1880.
The number of monthlies published here
at present is about $50, many of them en-
tirely unknown to the general reader. 1t
might not be thought that so many period
icals could possibly sustain themselves,
especially during so dull and stringent a
time as we had for six years. But they
did sustain themselves somehow lby what
means confess am unable to understand,
although comparatively few enjoy any de-
gree OF prosperity. The source of life of
many publications is always one OF the pro-
foundest of enigmas, and most profound to
the persons who ought to have the best
means OF knowing it. Publications are
like men one half of them have no idea
how the other half live, and could not form
an idea if they should try. Frequently
when l have mentioned to publishers the
number of periodicals issued in this city,
they have felt confident that l must be
and they would not be con-
WINGED of the correctness of my statement
until had substantiated it by indisputa-
BILE facts. They have declared with en-
phasis that such number could not live !;
but the fact that they do live ought to be
as an argument for theic exist
ence. The oldest of all the foreign publ
cations is
LA LLUMANERA,
Printed in Catalan, the language of the
ancient troubadours, still spoken in eastern
Spain and parts of southern France, and
edited by Artur Cuyas. The success OF
this strange enterprise would seem impos-
sible. Yet the monthly has been in exist
ence six years, and is reported to be doing
sufficiently well to encourage the publisher.
1t is said there are 1900 residents of the
city who speak Catalan showing the cos
character of our population.
The general impression, doubtless, is that
the Catalan is dead language, and the
fact of the publication here of a monthly
in the troubadour tongue ought to be in
teresting to linguists and students of me-
dieval history.
OF the publications which can with any
propriety be called magazines there are the
Aldine, Demorest's Monthly, Eclectic,
Frank Leslie's Lady's Magazine, Popular
Monthly and Sunday Magazine, Halls
Journal of Health, chronological Journal,
Popular Science Monthly, Appleton's Jour.
nal, Van Nostrands Engineering Maya
zine, Herald of Health, Record of the
Year, Harper's New Monthly, st. Nicho-
las, Scribner's Monthly, Catholic World,
Art Journal, Bankers Magazine, Bren-
tano's Monthly, and Magazine of Ameri-
can History.
THE ALDINE
an illustrated advertising medium, and
claims to be model of Typography and
press.work. It's circulation at present is
probably about 5,00O-it claims 10000, 1
its age is twelve years. At first
it had unexpected success, and it's publishers
it very shrewdly. They gave
annual dinners at which Horace Greeley,
William Cullen Bry ant, Henry Ward
Beecher or some other person prominent in
professional or political life would preside,
assisted by noted itterateurs and journal
lists. The toasts and speeches with the
whole proceedings would be reported in
the daily newspapers, widely copied, and
serve as an advertisement that could hardly
be had for money The dull, hard times
Of 1879 naturally affected the AtIine
and lately it seems to have
had struggle for existence.
PRANK LEsLIE's MoSTHLrEs,
Mainly designed to sell, are got up without
expense or literary congcientiousness.
Neither the illustrations nor the letter.
press are good; but they are doubt
ess as good as Leslie alive would have
,ared to have them. Leslie did not aim to
the public taste, but to appeal to
he average intelligence, necessarily not
'ery high. The chief motive of number
# his enterprises seemed to be to use a
-ast quantity of old cuts which he had pur-
hased abroad at low rates, and these APP
,ear and reappear in his weeklies and
nonthlies in conjunction with letter-press
# corresponding merit. With such an
bject in view, it would be strange if his
were of very high character
lie rarely employed writers of talent
here was no reason why he should as the
most mediocre mediocrity served his turn,
of talent would have been
Ieedless outlay. Leslie underatood him
elf and the class he catered for. He was
IN the plane of dollars and cents, and
would not have assembled to loftier plane,
he could. He was not man to be
ortured with ideals.
THE PSYCHOLOGICAL JOURNAL
5 an exposition and glorifcation of phre-
lology, and is poor enough, though have
leard that it has made money. 1t claims
o be sixty-five years old QSl5l, which
must be a mistake, as phrenology was not
nnounced as system in Germany by Gall
ntil 1896, and did not begin to attract
ttention in England until 1915. It's first
istinct introduction into the United States
ras by Dr. Charles Caldwell of Kentucky.
Vho had been student under Gall, and
ioo AOi eSh VI SiCNSh Gale NiO-l OIL WIOtc
nd lectured extensively on the subject
purzheim's lectures in Boston 1892 first
opularized the new science, as it was
ermed, and for long while it ragged in
ne cities and larger towns. OF late years
has been neglected, because the public
o longer believes in it. Before the war
early everybody used to have his head
examined and chart of character
lade out. 0ne of the peculiarities OF the |
was that the charts repre-
ented all the examined in a very creditable
ght. Each man was told something he
lit proud to believe; but if the truth had
cen uttered or could have been reached
y the phrenologist, most men would have
cen ashamed of the exhibitions of
heir weaknesses. In order to keep up his
usiness the phrenologist must aatter
is patrons. Very few persons would pay
, be informed that they were kuaves or
'ols, or particularly when it hap
ened to be true. They could get the |
gratis, and in any event they
'ould not want it advertised S. r. Wells |
Co. publish the Journal, and claim
regulation VERY much less, no doubt, of |
1000. Most of it must be in the rural |
sgions, for city folks have, to great ex-
INT, lost their interest in bumps and their
gniticance To read the Journal you
'ould think phrenology an absolute and |
Ineligible science and all intelligent |
eople know that it is nothing of the sort. |