Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-08-22
DEcLIsE CT zreLIsE NoaEHIY I
EEEFuRR

~ Is said by obzerF&nt literary students
ssit.as ssIllere arc sigua in England OF the
rapid breaking up Of, the better class Of
monthly literary publications Of that coun-
try. TIE cause for this Is found in She
progress Of tie daily and the weakly jour.
malls. These latter have educated the peo-
pie beyond, "a one correspondent anus
irgly phrases II, the mild excitement Of
stories : to be continued once a month, .
and they contain such quantity Of bright
fiction. and literary essays, that the
monthly magazine is no longer necessity.
There Is undoubtedly trushin this estimate.
That the American magazines have found
much favor in England is also cause Tor
the decadence Of the home periodicals. II
is one Of the most significant n gns Of this
literary era that American magazines snd
papers have tsken3 sstropg hold uasp tie
EagEish public, aud are rapidly brosaenipg
their influences and extending saeir cireula-
tons in the old country. TAD novelty Of
foreign circulating literature mas much to
do With this, bat what is potent in giving
them foothold is the multiplicity of their
Illustrations son the one hand. and their
excellence on the other. Besides, It il 70
be taken into account that the American
magazine is--to use G common, but ex.
pressiye, term-spioier There is more Of
vivacity, variety and general attractive
ness about cur illuatFated nonthlies, than
the English publisher finds it possible to
attain. The matter of competition is also
factor in the question. The American
magazines have a secured profit in publiea.
ton before they reach London bookstalls
at al, while the London journal is con
fined, except in the case Of the reviews,
almost exclusively to nome patronage.
The advertising pages Of the American
magazines have gained increased value by
the English oigculstioni and alone repay
the publishers for sending the journals
over. Then, too, it is true, that our
serial writing corps is, in the main,
superior, since we secure not only the best
that England has, but add the best of
our own, while the English magazinist
contents himself with the home product
solely. Still another consideration is to be
taken into account, and that is the fact
that the English market is clogged with a
multiplicity Of publications, admittedly
| beyond the demand. As result the
American magazine comes in as q novelty,
and refreshing one with its illustrations
of strange land, and, TO the English, one
Of ever increasing interest and newly de.
veloping ouriosities. The vast quantity. of
cheap literature and L" wishy washy read
ing in the bookssalls has had some effect,
since it has drawn to it readers who else
would have walked ia higher paths, where
better sentiments woulihave been appealed
TO, and higher snd better taste cult
waited. But there remains, as stated IN the
outset. the greatest reason of all for the
decadenoe Of the Enelishsmagazine, and
that is the fact that the Newspapers, in
fiction, in essay writing, in reviewing, in
the discussion OF living topics. in al that
goes to make y thorough journals, are
supplanting the magazines and crowding
them from a re.'m once but no longer their
own. This process is not apparent in
America, however. nor can it be for very
long time. if ~ all TIE conditions here
are very diff. emit but still the time may
como when the newspaper viii here usurp
the place Of mich other periodical
literature. And it Is true that il about
one.half If the newsstand literature Of
the present could be swallowed, and for.
ever buried in the oapaciOus nav of daily
and weekly journalism, We should, "a 3
people, be decidedly benefited, and the on
coming generation would escape large
share Of moral contamination.