, 1885-01-08
DEAD MAGAZINES.


The extinction of Tho Continent, tho maya
zine which Judge Albion Tourxee has for
two years porsistently cndeavored to estab-
ish. draws attention to a number OF failures
OF like enterprises that have proceeded it
With the exception OF The North American
Review. which has been removed from tho
place Of its nativity, and IA published in a
modified form in New York, and The Lady's
Book. the Philadelphia fAzhion- plate period
ical, there Is now mo American magazine
Published which was In existence at the timo
Hnrpcrs Magazine first appeared.
Boston, though long the literary center OF
the country, has not boon prolific IN period
icals. There are mon now living who romem-
Der that curious little AFFAIR, Tho Polyanthis.
which Joseph r. Buckingham edited. james
Russell Lowell in early life started The Bos-
ston Miscellany, which was good enough, with
contributions from Emerson, Longfellow,
Hawthorne and it's editor, to merit a much
longer life than. the very brief one 1t at
tainede There was The Dial, too. OF the
Trancsndsntaiists- These are all the maya
zines worthy OF note published In our city
until Tho Atlantic Monthly appeared.
Now York had earlier q croditnbls periodi-
cal which obtained much more of the els-
msnt Of permanency. Il was The Knicker-
booker, established Considerably over a half
contnry ago, and for a long time, with the
exception, perhaps. of Graham's Magazine Of
Philadelphia, the only literary magazine
which published first-class matter In the
country. Graham's Magazina was a fashion
periodical, but Bayard Taylor at one time
edited II, and 1t had contributions from
Longfsllow. Cooper, Poe and other eminent
writers. II died long ago. The Knicker-
booker was edited SUCCESSFULLY by the
brothers Willis and gaylord Clark.
the former a writer Of refined poeti-
cal temperament, the latter with a
taste for humor and possessing good cd
itorial Judgment Irving, Hawthorne, and
nearly all tho mower literati who appeared
were among Its contributors It published
three serial novels which had great popular
lily, from John 7. Irving, a now almost for
gotten brother OF Washington Irving, md
another serial tale from Rev. DR.. Bellows,
then a young man. It's publishers were a
Boston firm at one time, though Il was issued
in New York, and 1t was very handsomely
printed 1t was looked upon as a parma
nency until Harper's, Putnam's and The At
lantic appeared Than 1t gradually fell off
IN circulation until It ceased TO DO profitable.
and was bought by James R Gilmore ed
mund Kfrke'), who united It with The Con-
tinental Magazine IN 1861. This periodical
lived about four years afterward. e.
Harper's Magazine appeared in 1850. II
was followed three years later by Putnam's
magazine. the first volume of which. was is
sued In 1883 This was, perhaps, the most
promising OF all the periodicals that have
been failures financially. II had a remark
ably able list Of contributors. Mr.. Charles
F. Briggs was its real editor, but George
VILLAIN Curtis took great interest in the en-
terprise. and was identified close with it He
wrote his "Prue and II papers for its pages,
and many other articles. Parke Goodwin was
another Of the New York writer's who did
much for II. It enlisted Lowell and Lonefel-
low from Boston, and it may be said to
have had every writer OF note that It de-
sired, for Harper's wns then publishing
chiefly selections from English magazines.
Putnam's sensational article. AHave We a
Bourbon Among Usf" appeared in it's second
number. There are those who date its down
fall from this point. 1t is more probable,
however, that 1t died partly from lack of
capital, partly from a want of business skill
In is publication, and perhaps somewhat,
too, because the country was not ready for a
strictly literary periodical OF so high a tone.
1t ceased publication In December, 1857. In
1858, a little more than ten years later. it
was revived; but 1t then lived only two
years.
Hours at Home was the next periodical Of
importance started. 1t came from the house
OF Charles Scribnsr & Co. in 1895. 1t was a
semf-religious magazine, very careful OF the
moral tone of it's articles. Hours at Home
never had much popularity, but there was
ample capital to continue it had its publish
ers boon SO disposed. It is now chiefly re-
msmbered as the precursor OF Scribner's
Magazine, which Is 30 widely known by its
later name, The Century.
Tho Galaxy followed IN 1896. This peri
odical was almost as high in its literary tone
as was Futnam's Magazine, and it was con-
siderably more popular in the character OF
its matter. We doubt II there has ever been
a moro readable publication than was The
Galaxy. 1t was very skflfully edited, being
mostly original in Its contents, yet intro
ducing some capital EnRlish novels to it's
readers. Mrs Annie Edwards' delightful
novel, "Arohie Lowell first appeared in this
country in the pages OF the Galaxy. Justin
Mccarthy wrote his admirable sketches OF
English public men for it. Il ought to have
lived Indefinitely; It did continue twelve
years, The competition Of tho Illustrations
OF HArper's and 5cribner's waa too much for
IL, and il died in 1878.
Appleton's Joul nal was established as a
weekly literary journal In 1869. It continued
in this form till 1876, when 1t became a
monthly II was an expensive illustrated
periodical Of considerable merit, but it did
not hit the popular taste. Victor Hugoas
1t tried several others and struck out special
ties to attract reader. An was Of no avail,
and the publishers, tired Of their outlay with
out adequate return, abandoned its publica~
ton at the close Of tho year 1880.