The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-11-10
ANHE.BRLLUM LITERATURE.
AMERICAN and FOREIGN AUTHORS.
The Periodical Was Prompt to Combat the
Apparent Dominance Of English
Authorizations Was Per-
soma Non Grata.

,,non is nonorable career at ~ time when
American literature was beginning 70 as
set itseif. purposing to embrace az sec,
into close touch with the Norm through
lhe influence of Edgar Allan Poe. II was
a record Of the progress on nterd'u .le, is =
OF American and foreign authors were
the more comprehensive IN that they r'P-
resented the views or more tnan o.te
editor and Of other persons than the edi-
IL was prompt 10 combat the apparent
dominance Of English authors IN Ainerlca :,
If may have been cXtravagdpt IN Spnle OF
It's claims but IL did not mlnce woiis IN
denouncing Intellectual suoservience 10
Great Britain. In review. for instanVs'
OF Amir Kahn" by f.ucrcua NJ. parIu,,
san. a sixtecn-y ear~old girl, II said tnat
III Thomas Moore had written AiilI
Kahn at the age of sixteen thers az
thousands by whom II would be fead anu az
admired who would hardly condescein 70
open Miss Davidson's volume, ana ma ~
too. without being able 70 assign any Vv,
ter reason than that Moore rs /" Were
- the other was an obscure country
girl" oo,, a, nh
stacle in the path OF native wrlteis;,, al,
,ts removal was made the more uilSuis
because OF the practices OF some Ai'iei 10,
publishers, who appropriated anu IvPI,D ~,
ilzhcd al cheap rate DOOhS written ~
foreicners An American book might pe
excellent i'm every respect. but IL cosi
dollar: IL could not stand the competition
of the ,irated English work WhlSn me
ouhiiSher was able TO sell cheapiy be-
cause the item OF pay 10 me autHo , , m"1
not included In the expenses OF plvu.eS,
ton. But William Gilmore Sums, sums Hu,no,
I'm a letter TO Congressman Holmes, Wnsn
IN. subject OF international copyright Wds
being warmly discussed. stdtlstlcs Sho .,",
ing that American publishers VIZ ~;
the only olesat fault. The figures proved
that $50 American books had been re-.
published in England In ten years ended
In 1874. while in fifteen years American
publishers had issued 6S3 American vol
iImes and 492 reprints from abroad.
THE YsELY MAGAZINES.
Soon the puhlshcrs had rivals at their
very doors. Big weeklies began TO repub-
lish the Edinburg Review ana other Tor
eign periodicals at cheap rates, ana the
New World led them. These "heDdomi-
nails had their day. and they exerted an
influence upon magazine literature. nut
by 1851 eclectics appear 70 have drawn
,nsr line II 0 was nen t ,he
tional and Harpers' New Monthly are
exercising a most depressing influence
upon intellectual effort among authors.
That this was a sentiment tinged with
the results OF effort in New York where
sharp competition already existed Is
hardly necessary to state. Rarely dld the
Messenger have anything but encourage
mem 10 offer to new ventures on both
sides OF II. Park Benjamin was one or
it's best friends. When his New World,
made IN UdrtN from the COLUMNS OF iUt
Evening Signal. OF New YORK. obtained
within two years q circulation of 1900
weekly. il was cited as the best literary
Journal In the United States. Regret was
Expressed when the Lowell Offering. the
production of operatives in the Massa-
chusetts town, was about 10 expire Inc
birth and death of the Literary World,
started IN 1851 by II. A. Duyckinck and
edited for a time by Charles Fenno Hon.
man: Of the Metropolis. edited by Ben
jamin G.. G.. Foster, and others. and OF
the Arctrrus. the founding of Sartain 3
Magazine IN Philadelphia, with Mrs. G. vi.
kirkland and Professor John :. Hart as
editors, and the extending circulation OF
the knickerbocker were duly noted. In
the davs OF the ANNALS the Token, with
such contributors as Pierpont. Hawthorne.
Milford. Sedgwick. and Holmes. received
the same welcome as Willis Opal and
Simms' Charleston Book.
Harpers appeared IN 1880, and 5000
copies of the. first number were rapidly
sold No JEALOUSY vas excited IN t IN.
though presently the youngster showed
by tho attachment of Porte Cravon'
and other southerners 10 ii that IL in
tended 20 limit its circulation by no IN
tellectual Mason and DiXon's line on the
contrary, fits prompt appearance after
the disastrous fire OF 1888 brought forth
the Messengers commentator. which
did not. however. prevent an alusion 10
the standing already enjoyed by certain
material published as original in the
Drawer.
The first appearance Of the Atlantic I'm
1857 led to the comment: 1--WE very much
doubt tho practicabili,y Of maintaining a
magazine Of the highest class IN this
country. where pictures and fashion
plates are so much demanded The Bos-
ton house which has undertaken tho last
enterprise is one OF standing. and business
through" Objection was afterward made
TO the position assumed 10y the Atlantic
on the slavery question. but the sway Of
the Autocrat OF the Breakfast Table was
a kindly one and irresistible. and as late
as 1907 the magazine was held TO be the
best In the North.
for the Introduction 20 the public of new
writer's. hut thcy did not check thc pro
duction Of books AS these appeared the
Messenger was ready with it's criticism
whether they were issued in England or
in America. In criticising foreign writers
national prejudice had apparently less
weight than the judgment of what litera-
ture ought TO be-
VIEWS OF FOREIGNERS.
Bulwcr was about the first Enclishnoan
Of prominence to be noticed by the maya
zine I'm an opinion tnat his novels were
written for present effect. and not for
permanent fame. and that they would
therefore. glide into the ocean of oblivion.
THE Last DAYS of Pompeii' raised Bull
wer 90 per centum in the editors cstima-
ton. but he felt Obliged to reprint the
charge Of Fairfield. OF the North Ameri-
can. that the novel was a piracy of his
poem, Last Nights Of Pompeii'" pub
r
that he had sent copy OF The poem to
Bulwer then editor OF the London New
Magazipe: that his letter had never been
answered, and that similarities could bC
traced not only in the title OF the work
but also In the plot and In the descriptive
mater. In great anger he wrote: The
eTsathv. IN not contempt, with which
American poets have been treated has
driven Perciyal into solitude, Bryant and
Prentice into politics. Whittier into aboli-
tion schemes, Pierpont into phrenoloeical
experiments. and all others far away
from the barren realm of parnassus. But
To- the poem, which was printed by hard
won subscriptions and left unWelcomed
but by few cheerful voices. when trans
mitted into n novel by Bulwer becomes
a brilliant gem and ilumines the pa
triOtc hearts and clear understanding OF
the whole western world. We
live. however. thanks TO Providence, 10
claim our own and expose all smugglers. -
Fairfields diatribe did not operate against
the publication of advance parts OF
but during the regime OF Thomas w.
White. tho founder the sentiment OF the
Messenger was generally unfavorahle 10
Bulwer on the ground that he dealt with
subjects that should not be mentioned IN
polite society. The mark OF the beast, .
Tor. instance. was discovered in Night
and Morning." and once there was a
reference 10 the pronigate pen OF that
most -depraved OF modern noyelsts Ed
ward Bulwer Lytton." a different opin-
Ton was afterward held
In The mean time. writings IN another
and other sketches by Boz" proclaimed
the en,rano into the English arena OF a
new contestant for honors To Boz
was given tho credit of being "a far
more .pungent, more witty. and better
disciplined writer Of sly articles than
nina Of .xt..