Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-10-02
BETWEEN OURSELVES.

BETWEEN OURSELVES.
Last Sunday we were recalling that
memorable scene where Dr. johnson is
reading the Vicar of Wakefield, while
Goldsmith is anxiously waiting for his
verdict that he may derive from it the
wherewithal to pay some irksome debts.
Twas limited, too, that the worlds i'm
mortal literature was Graded and fostered
by poverty andsstruggle, and that affiu-
ent ease seldom, if ever, stimulates the
grandest manifestation of genius.
Now, by sort of ziz-zag association
of ideas, we turn from this starved, and
pinched, and denied, yet most exquis-
itelY successful world of letters and like
wise the realm where artist, actor, dra-
matist and musician mould stately forms
of art in direst deprivation-and we. see
most convincing signs of new
sort of success, which would make our
immortals stare.
1t is the success of the late Frank Les
lie, and Childs and Bonner. Leslie
drew $75 200 year out of his business
with scarcely an idea how his books
stood, and there is no more significant
fact in the bankruptcy of the time than
was his bolstering up and continuing in a
business whose embarrassment and failure
were considered a healthful social indi-
cation by every right-minded person.
While his publications could not be
banned as positively immoral, they were
calculated to weaken the influence OF
common sense, and to demoralize all the
homespun standards of conduct.
The facilitating sentimentalism and
overweight adventure are injurious to
thousands of readers whose imaginations
are excited to vague discomfort with their
lot, if not to pernicious mischief.
Mental vancancy would be pref
cradle to such reading s this. For
reading is only meritorlous as it yields pro-
fitable and precious returns. When per-
sons who are generally regarded as
worthy dubbed together to keep Mr..
Frank Leslie up is his numerous publica-
tions they must have been convinced that
there is no bonanza in the country which
reaps such prodigious profits as the get
ting up end out of this trashy literature.
1t enables one man to keep the stud of
an emperor-and to have the feetest
horses in the Worthwhile all his expen-
ditures are equally regal in lavishneas.
The New York exemplars run to horse
flesh in the costly exhibition OF their
wealth. The Philadelphia with the
gains from mortuary notices of a rhym-
ing, lachrymose character, gives enter
tainment to illustrious folk, and gets
celebrities to be his guests-which serve
him as an excellent advertisement of his
inances-and his social achievement.
Frank Leslie lived like another Monte
Christie at Saratoga, and had fourteen or
more celebrated horses, together with
the most princely surroundings, and a
commensurate income, out of weak
minded public whose toilsome earnings
bought the fortune-making rubbish.
Nothing has been discovered in modern
times which builds up fabulous incomes
like the "mora'' newspaper of Bonner,
the obituary Ledger of Childs, and the
many fosterlings of the late Frank Leslie.
Not all the teaching in the world
could induce the many to turn away
| from evidences of such intoxicating sue
cess, achieved from resources so Access
sible and recurring.
Cervantes, forsooth, with the too scanty
dole of his patron, the Count of Lemos,
and the hungry poverty which usher
ed in the first part of Don Quix-
otte, with all his strivings
to get bread, as public amanuensis, bust
ness agent and tax-gatherer, talking OF
his success, with such illustrations of it
as make the stomach feel empty.
And Banim, who worked and pined and
all but starved for years in London gar
rets, wrote his Damon and Pythias to en-
rich any lucky actor who has the noble
apprehension and the intellectual inter-
probation for the grand play. Twas well
said that genius is the talent of dead
man-and-money that of live man,
now a-days, says Mrs. Harris.
We have occasional Mysteries about
other things, but we get back to our idols.
Did not 1 tell you, last week, that we
were precious lot of hypocrites, and
wasn't 1 correct? The tears are. moi
dry for Garfield, the slain Hercules
of that overgrown hydra, the spoils
system, before the Hennepin coun-
| ty delegation turns over eighteen
votes for small potato judge-and the
beautiful candor of the whole proceeding
as Camp and Jennison put the case in
the swap of governor for judge-and the
fraternal talk about "pledge," sounds
like the tawdry point of honor among
thie-rogues.
1t seems to me 1 have read of inter
--:xL tuooJs-~ offor