The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-07-29
ECLECTIC LITERATURE.

Dusy people are apt TO complain that they
can only IA ibble 1T the edges Of the avalanche
OF literature projected upon the world. and look
Iolc1ngly forward 10 a time in the indefinite
future when they can delve in it to their
hearts content and discover its choicest NOR
sells. IT IL this complaint, undoubtedly, which
has aroused in philapthropic hearts the desire
to SUI Ply the want in advance OF that looked
for leisure which hard worked morsals hope to
enjoy. Eclectic magazines are common enough
anG are no new thing, but they serve up only
selections from the foreign literary field. The
newer ideE Is 70 gather the choicest gems
from the work Of American writer's and pre-
sent j. IN the hurried readers. The first de-
veIopment OF this plan was the establishment
OF a bureau which, for a consideration. agreed
to furnish 70 any applicant newspaper clip
pings upon any subject he might designate.
Public men. politicians, actors, authors or other
noted or notorious persons might, in that way,
secure the comments OF the press upon them
selves and tneirdoings; and the reported success
of the first and similar bureaus indicate that
the founders did we'll to build upon the vani-
" and curiosity inherent in human nature.
The next step was the publication Of a weekly
paper %purporting to give the gist Of political
opinion, as CLEANED from newspapers Of all
parties. This paper. too, meets q certain
want, being circulated largely among Wash
ington politicians who do not read the papers,
and yet feel a need Of some information con-
corning the state of the public pulse" The
latest venture in this direction is a magazine
containing selections Of prose and verse, bits
Of "humor,' juvenile literature. editorial
gems, correspondents gossip-anything. in
fact. that can. by any stretch Of the magma
ton, be called literary matter. IL you can
not read newsp.p,fs and current periodicals
themselves you can have the best of them, or
what the editors of the new publication re-
gard as the best, served up "a a sort of intel
lectual hash. The first impression concern
ing this conGlomerate dish is not altogether
agreeable. Just as the feminine reader of a
paper with al article clipped from it loses all
interest in any OF the contents save that
clipping. so the natural desire is to know what
originally preceded or followed an excerpt
thought worthy of copying. How did that
editor know that you would not prefer that
first OF last part instead of the portion he set
before you' There is a feeling that it is q
little presumptuous for an editor to assume
that he knows what is best in literature or
what you would most enjoy. To offer his
magazine as a mere reprint and without COM
ment is one thing; to declare that by reading
you have the cream of the newspaper world
and need nothing further, is a very different
matter. and one likely TO assure dissent and
an.agonism. You are apt to conclude that
you 10 not like hash in any form, and to sud
denly realize that the old plan of browsing
about aud getting such bits as come in your
way was on the whole more satisfactory.
You could not cover the whole field and get
the sweetness of the entire pasture. but you
were obliged to take only what was TO your
taste. WHAT is one mans meat is another's
poison, in a mental as we'll as a physical sense,
ard the editor is not yet born vino can make
a compilation from the mass Of current liter
allure which will give universal satisfaction.