St. Landry democrat., 1891-02-14
] he Monthly Magazine.

Fifty years ago knew no monthly mag
aZ.nrs but ''Graham's Gentlemen's" and
.'Godeys Lady Book, both Of Phlladei-
phia; but now the country swarms with
members Of this kind of reading, yet in
stesd of Philadelphia being at the head,
New York now takes the lesd IN this
pleasant species Of literature.
1t fills vacancy between the news
paper and tie heavy quarterly, ana has
attained wondrous popularity, its readers
cou0tipg in the millions; and the great
mass of CONN on readers, who, after the
gleanirgs OF he news, desire something a
little more substantial than the papers"
but not 50 heavy as The quarterlies, Hy to
the magazine.
But though several Of our magazines
PRINT ea h mon h 100 O0J copies, they have
70 effect on the weeklIes and dailles OF our
land. They come too seldom, aud news
j. utterly ont Of their domain. We may
be called nation of newspaper readers,
and while this is right, and they are a
old-rfui CiviiiZer, they do not, from
their nature, enter largely into any sub
i-cs and newsl apers and magazines have
eyideut!v caused some laying aside of
books.
The magazine should not enter politics,
though well-llmed articles on religion or
religious subjects are in the line OF all,
AVOIDING controversy or anything which
sagnrs of st ctarian cast.
The magazine has entered so eminently
into the description Of all peoples and
countries, and by copying photographs OF
scenes and objects On the spot, as almost
t, save travel and render it supe1t1uous,
We gain through them so complete
knowledge of people and their countries
that the time end expense of travel are
unnecessary. Descriptive geography is
carried t. perfection, and the customs and
manners of sill people accurately described
History and the arts and sciences are elab-
Grated, aud everything person would de
sire to know is given in their columns.
Tnev are too near book themselves,
| however, II abound in serials. Novels
are too common, and in general too trihing,
| to keep a person whole year to get one
| in detached portions, and believe are the
most Objectionable festure of the maya
zine. Good luorai stories may run through
two or three Numbers, but more than thls
becomes insip1d, and makes the reader
! think it is done to catch i'll future numbt RS.
Tie wonderful desire for pictorial repre-
sentat ons is one Of the secrets of magaz NE
success. IF you don't put pictures II
| your NJ, nthly," said man to one who was
| publishing d magazine, twill tail And
sure enough it did, though it had church
! of millions to sustain 1t,
The magazine though, is not as good as
| thirty years ago, and to have all pictures
is like a dinner with nothing but sweets
there should be good solid reading to sus-
! tain them
Let them as general thing employ the
best writer's and not reject worthy articles
| fir. m any source. There are many worthy
men and women who have at least one in
cident in life worth anybody's knowing
and when the reader sees the marks OF
nature and of truth it is worth Thousand
made up stories, Matched up by those who
make business of writing.
Upon the whole, good magazine
should be in every house. 1t is more last
ing than the paper, and years to come
when their contemporary paper partners
sre forgotten, these will BE- living still
and cast pleasant fragrance of by-gone
days. GEO. L. VlChERs.