New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-04-29
"A DREAM OF PARNASSUS.
The Era OF Cheap Boots and raaf ne Immersas ntas
ABOUT n.

/ slept where the moon. sercneiy bright,
shone full In my face through summer nights
dreamt was In land OF Light,
With Fielding and Moore and shelley and White,
And Shakespeare and Miiton-a goodly sight
With Addison. Dryden. and others quite
Too numerous 10 mention;
And there the worthless. one and ALL
Whom We the classical authors" call,
Beneath the shade OF Parnassus tall,
on Pegasus Place, In Helicon Han,
Were holding big convention.
Virgil was sitting beside votaire,
BOccaccto chatting with Dumas perc,
Aud Pope curlcd up In the corner there,
While old sam johnson was 10 the chair,
Wall.eyed and grim, with carroty hair,
Aud he said, " or course you are all aware,
OF the latest earthly advices;
The publishers seem 10 be going to smash
Beneath the great economy lash.
For tho Book Exchange Is cutting n dash
Exceedingly reckless and awfnly rash
In selling for almost nothing for cash,
And running regular prices
81 hold In my hand letter from four
American publishers who feel sore.
And they speak for a score, or possibly more,
Who live by traihc In printed lore.
read: We pray from this earthly shore-
We authors Of old. attend us.
o, give MS a lit in this hour " need
For the publishing business Is going TO seed,
The Book Exchange In making with speed
A many books as the folks can read,
And selling disgracefully low, indeedi
1t chcapens your fame-iOT you we Plead
Ye talented ghosts, defend u.s.
"What word shall we send 10 this earthly band r.
Thrn scott, with Coon LITERATURE in hand
Arose lanid cries Of Take The standrl
Aud said; This scheme will possess the iandi
No good Is the Harper or ScTfbner brand;
While Alden shows that he can command
The brains OF sage aud scholar
a shilling for POpo-goOh bindihg Oni
The same FOR the poems Of 'rennyson;
Six cents for your Pilgrims Ppprcss, Johni
For the Had, thirty cents and Don
QuixOte for half a dollar"
Then CHANGER said: ram rather old.
But mighty glad this dey 30 De told
How cheap my Canterbury Tales are sold,
And IN. poets and wits Df the Queen Anne fold
steele the bright aud DE Zoe ihe bold,
Berkeley the sober and Swlfi the sc0ld,
From the time Of sii v alter lialeigh;
Shakespcare's works, and Srl0ilctts ana sternes,
Bacon BOl.ngbrOke, Hyr0n and Burns;
And Darlington Lord hScauiay'
Charles Dickens said ""Twould De foolish 10 let
GOOD luck Of morias cause regret;
For the price Of a theatre iicket they get
Dante ADD virgil two shillrig- net
For "A dollar Adam Smith OF Debt,
And NH on the Laws of Nations;
And by this wondTous circular
Sent up by the Book Exchange that for
Thiee cents You get the seven Years War.
70. dime King Henry OF Navarro,
And for thrice the price of good cigar
viii shakespeafe's inspirations
Then Goldsmith rose and expressed It thus:
II II simply case Of de glsilDus,
But ace reason for All this fu-s,
For publishers neverdid mn,h for us.
While needy, summer ahd WINTER
Therefore. coDfreres, hold THIS view;
The high price houses are doubtless blue,
But unto the man our thanks aIr due
Who sends our thoughts each palace through,
And intO the humblest cottage too,
For the Many always more than The Few,
Aud the People are more than the Printer"
A slight sha de rose-'twas Edgar Poe
Who said: I've been talking here with DE foci
W. agrro-and the aDoieDtr have told us go
That who makes two printed leaves TO show
Where only one did formerly grow
l. a. good "a man a. We want {" know
And this letter here, from thc realms below
Reveals it, earthly animus:
I move II be not received About
A thousand voices removed az doubt,
Ben Jouson and lIallrck aud Hood spoke out
Kit North and Irving and Father ftuut,
Mid a storm ~ cheers and a inigl shout,
And the motion pas.ci-uudn.nousl
e unoue production Is frum the pen Of one OF the no
V r,l.brat,d az Ame mean humCr-tS who In this ca