The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-08-20


that has given Robert Browning a niche
high up among the immOrtals was con-
tanned in the series called Bellies and
Pomegranates, - wretChed little pam
phlets with two columns to page. But
it is proftless to pursue such a line of
argument. Certainly fine Typography is
inducive to lasting appreciation of liter
airy style, but cannot conceive of that
psychological phenomenon, an author
who, while engaged in composition, brings
up before his mind the printed page or
newspaper column-eSpecially when he
has usually very little idea of the particu-
Lar market his work will find.
Equally proftless would it be for me to
contend that the newspaper, or that dis
tinctive portion containing special arti-
clcs issued as a supplement on Sunday
possesses as fine literary qualities from
beginning to end as magazine. The
conditions of production and the demand
which the Sunday newspaper is made to
supply, prevent that, but do contend
that many of the articles in each issue of
a Sunday newspaper are of true literary
value They are printed because of their
interest, and that vague thing, literary
form, in itself, is insufficient to justify
publication hence the newspaper reader
is saved from that affection of platitudi-
nous pleonasm which frequently leaves
the magazine reader in state of bewil-
derment when he has finished reading
some of the articles that appear almost
every month. , N@st 0 30 /"
Newspapers are accused of printing too
many frivolous articles, just as theatrical
managers are blamed for giving light,
catchy entertainments instea of Shakes
pearean plays. Both meet the popular
demand for amusement in a greater de-
gree than instruction. Newspapers are
also accused of printing articles contain
ing statements which are not Amatters of
fact. Magazines never do that oh, never !
Well, hardly everl Scribner's Magazine
of last November devoted some eighteen
pages to alleged Conversations and Opin-
ions of Victor Hugo which made the
most speCtular of modern cranks so ridi-
culous that the shade of Louis Napoleon
must have been merry for month 1t
was not long before it was discovered that
the diary from which the subject matter
of the article was taken was fraud on a
Partisan dealer in autographns-but mag
azines are so careful
1t is only necessary to point to this long
list of men prominent in every walk of
ife-literatre, craftsmanship, science,
art and affairs of all kinds-in proof of
the resources of a newspaper syndicate
Every issue of a magazine gives evidence
that 1t is seeking popularity by adopting
newspaper methods. The Strand Maya
2. e. of London, which has gained phe-
nominal circulation in short period, Is
virtually newspaper in magazine form.
The Review of Reviews, another very
successful monthly, is journalism pure
and simple. The Century is never done
Boosting of the great impetus given to its
circulation by it's war papers. That
feature was simply journalism, and the
Century merely followed the Philadel-
phia Weekly Press in getting those papers.
The Weekly Press had done it for two
years before the Century" started
in and obtained articles from al
most every prominent general
in the Century list. The
war papers were journalism. Some
other things, of which the Century does
not boast, were literature 1.-THE Life of
Lincoln" was neither. And what has Mr.
Louisiana Lottery as compared with the
tional neWspapers2 Yet that article is
one of the proudest feathers in his cap.
The Sunday newspapers, by means of
the syndicate, are invading the territory
of the magazines, but the multiplication
of readers is good for both and the maya
zine editor makes a mistake in depreca-
ting the Sunday newspaper. The last
line of attack should be that the men who
make Sunday newspapers have not the
literary appreciation which goes to the
making of d magazine, or that writers for
syndicates do not possess literary capac-
ity, because ] know of some eminent mag
azine writers who took up literature be-
cause they failed in journalism.
JAMES 0. @. DUFFY,
Sunday Editor, Philadelphia Press