Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1885-01-23
DEAD MAGAZINES.
Periodicals. of Note Which Proved To
Be Failures Financially.
BSs;on,s yentures-New Hork's Tenn.
porary Successes - Periodicals
Which Brought Inadequate
Returns TO Publishers.


The extinction of The Continent, the maya
zine which Judge Albion Tourgee has for
two yeas lersiSteutly endeavorei to estab-
lish, draws attention 10 a numbsr Of failures
Of like enterprises that have preceded it.
With tine exec, ton Of The North American
Review. which has been removed from the
place Of Its nativity, and is published in a
modified form in New York, and Tie Lady's
Book, ;lie PHILADELPHIA fashion plate PERIOD
zeal, there is row no american magazine
published which was in existence at the time
HaIper's Magazine first appeared
Boston. though lon. The literary center Of
the countrr, has not been prolific in period
iCals. There are Een how living who reme:l-
Der that curious little affair, The PolyauthUs,
which Joseph f. Buckingham edited. James
Russell Lowell il early LIE started The Bos-
ston Miscellany, which was good enough, with
contributions from Emerson, Longfeliow,
Hawthorne and its editor, To merit a much
longer life than the very brief one 1t at
tainei. There was The Dial, too. of the
Trancendental!sts. These are all the maya
zines worthy of note published in our city
until I he Atlantic Monthly appeared.
New York had carrier a cre'iitable periodi-
cal which obtained much more Of the ele-
meat of perraanency. IL was The hncker-
booker, established considerably over a half
cei,tury ago, and for long time, with tine
,xce;,tiJn. perhaps, of Graham's Magazine Of
Philadelphia, the only literary magazine
which published frst-class matter in the
country. Grahan's Magazine was 4 fashion
periodical, but Bayarl Taylor at one time
edited it, and it had contributions from
Longfeiiow, Cooper. Pc and other eminent
writers. 1t died long ago. The Knickar-
lfaHl tai L. -.
brothers Willis anl Gaylord Clark,
the former a writ al refined roeti-
cal temperament, the latter with a
taste for hunor and possessing good ell
itorinl Judgment Irving. Hawthorne. ard
nearly all the newer literati who APPEARED
were among its contributors. 1t published
three serial novels which had graf ropular-
ity, from John T. Irving, now almost for
gotten brother of Washington Irvim,, and
another serial tale from Rev. DR.. y, lows,
then a Young man. 1t publisher were Il
Boston firm az one time, though it was issued
in New York, and il was very Handsomely
printed. II was looked upon Us perlna-
nency until Harpcrs, Putnam's and The At
lantic appeared. Than il gradually fell oil
M circulation until IL ceased 10 be profitable
ana was bought Icy James II. Gilmore cd
mund kirkeTl. who united it with Tic Con-
tinental Magazine in 1861. This periodical
lived about four years afterward.
Harper Magazine appeared in 1850 II
was followed .arec years later by Putnam's
magazine. the first volume of which was is
sued in 1853 This was, perhaps, the most
promising Of all the periodicals that have
been failures financially. II had remark
ably able list of contributors. Mr. Charles
F. Briggs was its real editor but George.
" liam Curtis took great interest in the en-
terprise. and was identified close with it He
wrote his -PrUe and l. papers for its pages,
aud many other articles. Parke Goluin vas
another of the New York writers who did
much for it, II enlisted Lowell and IonafeI
low from Boston, and it NAV be sail 10
have had every writer of note that it de |
sired, for Harper's was then publ. hiny
. hiefiy selections from English magazines.
Putnam's sensational article. Have We a
Bourbon Among Us:7 appeared in its secoud |
number. There are those who date it, down 1
fall from this point IL is more probable. |
however, that IT died partly from lack uf I
capital, partly from want of blsinc,~ skill /
IN It's publication, and perhaps somewhat. |
too hecauSe the country was not ready for a 4
strictly literary periodical of so hiyh a tone I
1t ceased publication in December. 1885,. In |
1865, little more than ten year, later. it 4
was revived; but IT then lived only two |
years.
Hours at Home was the next periodical Of \
Importance started. II came from the house 4
Of CEaTl's Scrihnar s. Go. in lSti5. II WIS .
sem religions m game very careful OF the /
moral t5n' OF its aIt.clc>. Hour at Home ,
never hht much POPULARITY, but there was 4
ample capita, & continue It had It's PUBLISH
a 4 4 r
lnemteTel a. the precursor of Scribner', /
Magazine, which i, - widely known by it, /
later name. The Century
The Galaxy followed in ISGf This ue-i
odical was almost a. high in it, literary tone
as was tUtTaM's Magazine. AMI it W.. con
more popular in The character Of
Il matteT. We doubt il there has ever been
a more readable publication than was The
,ialaNy. 1; was very skillfully edited bcin,
mostly original III its contents, Vet intro
iucn5 some capital English novels 10 its
reader. Mrs Annie Edwards delightful
novel, Archie Lowell" first appeared in this
,ouniry = = pages %. The Galaxy. Justin !
Net arihy wrote his admuable' sketches Of
tcgiiSh public men FOR Il. II ought t. have
iScl indefinitely; il did continue twelve
scars. The competition Of the Illustrations
If Harprr'S and SCribner's was too much FOR
1. and it died in 1873.
Appieton's joIu nal was established a. a
weekly literary Journal in ls69 Ii continued
Il This form till 1876. when it became a
II was ar expensive illustrated
ericdicsl Of considerable merit. but il did
rot hit the popular taste Victor Hugo's
The Man Who Laughs was its first serial
i iriei several Others and struck out special
-cs - attract readers. All was Of no avail.
mi the publishers, tired # their outlay with
nj adequate u-turn. n en1onoi it, Tubllca-