Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-01-25
SOUTHERN MAGAZINE
IS NEEDED, AND CAN IT BE MADE TO
pkYi
What should re Its Distinctive Fcatare,
and How Can We Sc
cure It2
al nr r1,or 81 n,s n,snnioA !,


cor Of newspaper once said 20 me that ho
had never met O man who did not claim 20
know "how 20 poke the Ere and how 10
edit a newspaper" II seems that recent
communications to the Richmond press 90
~ corroborate my friends dictum, aud
chat am in the same category. as you
sbaU see. In the first place the corre-
.aopdence brings forward characteristic
n our paople-ceneral discussIons-w
,.iuce public spirit rather than turn for
che practical. Now, whilst | have never
I'm so unfortunate as 10 be an editor /
iove been thrown great deal with that
IIoss and have heard MANY talks in their
tgnctums and in publishing-houses. i
lave concluded from my experience that
a GOOD one is q rare product, and
dot IN community no larger than
,prs one Of his principal qualifications
,vat be the ability 10 say no, No TO the
trt.nd, who bring communications-the
c.g ~ from other friends-on all sorts Of
.gb,e-.s. which they offer for nothing and
-. mostly worth IL. No to the stories
,.t,rl are generally unintentlonal echoes
,sthe Duchess or Ouida with all the de
fc's and none Of the dash. No TO the
T..,ry- spring, doleful elegiac, or goody-
l,dr No zone Of tho hardest of alb TO
a. mifile-agcd friend whom you really
,.roct. but who wants TO set oil the world
,.-.t md to destroy yOur circulation in the
a. II he is neWsphper-man (this edI-
-. De has 20 incur the imputation of an
,-yasion of family privacy in the social
,.yy-. when ne has scented note on the tn
Ie with on the names and all the costumes
l-.0. ole of the invaded family may be, and
l. .rwel0dy is gwen VdIncienRes when she
81 p.saif tle RriUeles he will have another
...n,sl communication with request
.,ra erection For the Nirginian editor
an. +. another trial: the valuable his
,-.-gl paper which Is apt TO contain q
,f.-.frst.on Of the writer's ancestry and
,,tlirr Of general interest. Sometimes
ssri~, no 10 one of these almost reduces
frcIlruy 10 the ranks IN some circles.
tia.a rs1a'tre qualities are absolutely cs-
s...sl FOR q successful odttorShip. The
positive dualities--tOr q magazine editor
S.r.l.rIv-a discriminating literary taste,
sl,veIy ,tvle perfect familiarity with
,..--,ut events OF Importance, imperturba-
lI.r0ol humor he must be assumed to
noses. Many of the everyday Christian
]r-s.s would also be of advantage-glven
.-a.itOr-and believe that he could be
f.rd--lt takes an "A No. copper-bOund
1.i .pper-fastened"--a they say at the
business man to look after the
ir.-. Minus him all else is vain.
IL seems to me that all OF the writer's Of
communications in re magazine are much
mistaken when they insist that we want a
yrIr.2,ue as q mOuthpiece for southern
o.lr.on: the opportunity TO put in type
an bazon 10 the world our political vIndi-
cotton. o. picture our attractive social Gus
ems. the uudouiable-nay the universally
~ tsi-charm of our women and the no.
be sacrifices and struggles OF our men.
They forget that tons Of essays and tracts
have been written on the political feature /;
addresses of the most ultra-southern COM
iH,yIHn have been made at the North,
G,d numbers of northernpu publications have
given place to every sort of chance for our
indication. They have been discussed az
,-.ns9 bv some Of the leading men OF the
south in biographies and autobiographies.
The southern people are agreed about II
and do not want conviction. The north
EN- people mostly do not read them. How
many Of our young people and how many
ladies' have I not heard express their
wegriness at the interesting and generally
fair series Of Century war papers! Let the
children in our schools and IN our families
o. rightly taught and that will suffice for
politics and history. Why could not the
RrrlllT-n Historical Magazine live? AS for
cur social life and peculiaritles; romance
Of the wartime with opportunity to en-
Nbas1Ze all the noble self-saCritlce and for
itude of our women, and tho courage and
enterprise of our men, If put in proper
literary form either as fiction or fact, II
there Is really any striking merit IN them,
they are so much cash IN the hands
al the writers. Real southern talent has
ample outlet now and hardly needs spe--
cal magazine for egreSs. MedloCrlty VIII
Tuin any publication. No, MIR. Editor, you
nav depend that we do not want maya
-,ue for specialties. but precisely one OF
Che character of some OF the successful
northern publlcations-good and varied
reading in good literary form. The south.
ern ueople do not want 10 be reading of
themselves all the time, nor TO ylndlcate
themselves 20 themselves.
It's notorious that all the publications
OF the South which have appealed TO the
patnotic impulse have failed, simply be-
cause il was run too hard.
IL would take great business tact and
editorial sagacity, and good deal of mo-
Rev 20 launch and keep ahoat southern
magazine until il could reach haven OF
prosperity.
The northern publications have the field
Tow with their attractive illustrations, and
H., weekhes aud SUNDAY editions have be-
come veritable magazines besides. Many
Of them are discreditable jumbles OF rell-
Cl1us columns, priZe-ighting news, and
risky items from the green-roomi others
Or real magazines of worthy literature,
iut 0utrage0usly trying 70 the eyes and
tie patience oil. however, crowding the
geld and not leaving many corners for
our muCh-discussed magazine.
] repeat that, the foregoing conditions
fulfilled, IL ls my opinion that a magazine
il the South would succeed without neces-
f.rly being a southern magazine.
Latitude should not bound the republic
Of letters. And now having demonstrated
ms ability TO say how TO edit magazine,
cor1lary to the proposition in my open
H.. paragraph is that l can poke the
fire also no mean accomplishment. -
fouthsrn Literary Messenger RedivivuS
:. Do Eigor Of De Dispatch:
In one Of your late Sunday issues some
body commended the revival of the
SaHTT LierGYY Messenger. lie quoted
from ITS cuterprisinR founder, MIR. White,
from friendly Washington Irving and j. h.
Jau.iug as to the value and need OF such
distinctive southern magazine. lie also
quoted the hopeful utterance of one OF us
Ci'or. IN 1913. the beginning OF Mr.. b. Is:
Minors four years Of prOprietorsh1p ana
editorial management. He then gave list
o. some twenty-five liable contributors
and "liehtsn Of which lone is constantly
reminded IN porting over the thousands OF
pages Of the Messenger. These nights ana
contributors are all mingled together
tla writer intended them for 'contribu-
t0ys ~ not. Among them are mentioned
d.hn Randolph, Conway Robinson, and
William Wit. These were very highly
distinguished Virginians, and most de-
s.Y,Ily SO. but was that distinction IN
CIV special manner associated with the
Gy,g.u? Mr.. Writ may have been intro
tleet by some contributors. and so may
Ar. Randolph and Mr.. Robinson, but
ict-cr ~ them had anything TO do with
success OF influence Of the Messenger.
Ar Robinson was the only one living du.
l'g The career OF the Messenger, and
though hs was the warm friend of the
Gator % 1913 and they cordially walked
together IN some of their pursuits, he did
ttAt 10 nothing by his prolific pen IN and
!lr the Messenger
A,y one even moderately acquainted
vi. the history Of the Messenger could
easily add 70 your correspondents list
may names far more worthy Of mention
laau 81 those he mentioned; but IN
t.ang those who gave luStre and strength
- The hessagey, the least fairness and JUS
t'g requires that two names should re
GEiYF sEeeig1 aud baporakla NOTICE those