Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1885-05-09
ELECTRA.
From the Electra, May, 1885. ]


ofpure literature lies open before me,
aud in glancing over its pages L am
struck by three things. First, the
name, signifying brightness in the old
Greek language; second, the place Of
publication-Louisville, southern
city; and, third, the sex of the editors
two women.
"Being woman myself, l take
deep interest in all that relates to the
self-sustaining side of woman's
character. Being a southern woman
l take all equally deep interest i'm all
southern enterprises, and especially in
all southern literary enterprises.
"The Indifference of the south to its
home writers has often been remark
ed, and deplored. 1t is the old text re.
peating itself-'a prophet hath no
honor in his own country Aud the
consequence is, southern writers are
forced into two alternatives-either
they must abandon literature as a
means OF support, or they arc induced
to carry their talent elsewhere, and
seek in northern marts that patronage
which they fail to receive at home.
And who can blame them 1t is the
natural, the inevitable sequence of neg
lecting genius at home.
"There are those who sneer at the
mere mention of southern genius, but
so long as George w. Cable, and Paul
H. Hayne, and Margaret j. Preston,
and host of other sterling names
rise up before me, fling back the re-
futation in the teeth of those who made
it. But, unhappily, it remained tor
the north to place these writers on
their present elevation. 1t may be
said the capital, the enterprise, are
theirs. True; but why can not south
ern enterprise turn its capital i'll the
same direction n
The above extract from the pen of
Rose w. Fry, in the Greenbrier (W.
Va Independent, expresses forus what
we desire to say much better than we
could say it ourselves.
The recent change in executive ad-
ministration, inaugurates new era to
southern people. Business in this
section has now an outlook that it has
not had in twenty years. Enterprise
and energy are aroused as they never
were before. just at this juncture,
why may not a first-class literary mag.
azine in the south be one of the great
outcOmes of this renaissance ?
We do not want it sectional or pref
udiced in it's tone, but simply grand
literary success, emanating from q cen
tral point, and furnishing an outlet fol
the genius and literary culture of the
vast regions south and west. A jour-
nal that will gather into it and send
!: out to the world the best thoughts o
the best writers in the world and bt
cordially welcomed, as it already hal
been, in every state and territory il
the United States. In order to &C.
complish this we must have the coop
Grafton of others.
The Electra is now taken at ovel
eleven hundred post-ofiices in the
United States, and has an average o.
twenty thousand readers monthly
! Now if one only, at each post-offict
where it is taken, would interest them
, selves in getting, during the spring ant
t summer, ten new subscribers, or if on
in every two readers would get on,
new subscriber, we would, in tn
! course of the next six months, add tel
, thousand names to our mail list. Thi
| would cost each individual but littl,
, trouble, and would insure to them
: selves and their friends as good jour
: nal as any published. Shall the Elec
ira be this great literary success o
2 not
AS the Electra has heretofore beel
largely woman's enterprise, we pre-
sent that matter to the women of tn,
s south and west, and to our sisters il
} other sections who are specially inter
csted in the success of woman's work
= Let us unitedly and with one accor,
4 90 into this work. Do what you Cal
yourself, and present the cause to som
: friend who can do as much or more
and thus lend lis your aid in securin,
8 the success of all enterprise so rich il
promise Ofhonor and success, of devel
: opment and culture.
f Let us, the women of the south
arise in the strength Of our woman
l hood, and do away with the reproacl
: of the world-that the south and Yves
:. have never yet succeeded in one sucl
e literary enterprise. Why must ou
best books, our best writers, all ou
n literary talents seek an outlet through
northern capital and enterprise
= There is no need, if we will only 60 t,
Y work in earnest and at once. Let eacl
S do what she can. There is no reasol
why we cannot succeed.
c We UiU, if Ue tl'y.