Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

useful, than the death or removal of a minister proves that his labors, through a long succession of years, were of no value to his people, or to the church at large." Editors went from the failure of one enterprise to the beginning of the next with confidence undiminished.

The geographical distribution of these periodicals will be considered later. The distribution by years is shown in the following table:

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

At first glance this table seems to signify little. A closer examination reveals the existence of a period of activity from about 1816 to 1818; a period of depression following this, until about 1826; and a considerable activity from this date till 1833 (and afterward). The six journals beginning in 1822 and the ten in 1824 were not of such a nature as to be very signifi1 Spirit of the Pilgrims, i., 4.

cant.1 The enthusiasm following the war led to the immediate establishment of a large number of periodicals; the failure of these produced a temporary reaction; and a decade later the movement was resumed. A considerable number of the magazines begun in the later years of the period were religious. Of this time also are most of the attempts to enlighten the masses and a considerable number of the lighter and ladies' magazines.3

THE ANNUALS.

As if the magazines were not numerous enough to give every aspiring author a chance to publish his work, further opportunity was given by the annuals. These were gift-books with fanciful titles and elaborate bindings, containing light miscellany in prose and verse, and usually a number of engravings. They made their appearance just before the holiday season, and were the fashionable remembrances of the day. The idea was borrowed from England, and is traced by some back through the French to Germany; but it found an excellent opportunity for development in a country where every one was anxiously looking for the coming of a national literature. The number of these books increased year by year, until the fad died as all fads do. Probably the only survival today is to be found in the elaborate volumes issued by the students of some

1 Among them were, in 1822, the Museum of Foreign Literature, Philadelphia; the Theological Review and General Repository of Religious and Moral Information, Baltimore; the Pilgrim, or Monthly Visitor, New Haven; the Utica Christian Repository; the Ohio Miscellaneous Museum, Lebanon; and the Minerva, or Literary, Entertaining, and Scientific Journal, New York; in 1824, the Telescope, New York; the Christian Telescope, Providence; the Evangelist, Hartford; the Rural Repository, Hudson, N. Y.; the Columbian Historian, New Richmond, Ohio; the Canadian Review, Montreal. The Cabinet of Instruction, Literature and Amusement, 1828; the Family Lyceum, 1832; the Select Circulating Library, Greenbank's Periodical Library, the People's Magazine, the Family Magazine, 1833.

The Philadelphia Album and Ladies' Literary Portfolio, the Souvenir, the Casket or Flowers of Literature, Wit and Sentiment, 1827; the Ladies' Magazine and Literary Gazette, the Worcester Talisman, 1828; the Rochester Gem, 1829; Godey's Lady's Book, 1830; the Boston Pearl, the Cincinnati Mirror and Western Gazette of Literature and Science, 1831; the Magnolia, or Literary Tablet, 1833.

Among those for 1829 were the Token, the Pearl, the Talisman, the Atlantic Souvenir, the Remember Me, the Casket, the Literary Souvenir, the Western Souvenir. • Readers of George Eliot will recall a reference to them in Middlemarch.

colleges; though the "magazinelets" of the last few years express the same spirit.

Some of these year-books depended mainly on the arts of the printer and the binder for their attractiveness, while others had more merit. Almost all our better authors contributed to them, as did Tennyson and many others in England; but one or two well-known names were used then as now to float a good deal of trashy material. Among the best for literary merit, though not remarkable for mechanical excellence, is The Talisman, written by Bryant, Verplanck, and Sands, and illustrated by Inman, S. F. B. Morse, and others. This was issued for three years, 1828, 1829, and 1830.

EFFECTS OF THE SELF-CONSCIOUS TENDENCY.

Introspection regarding literary matters had its advantages. It was no doubt well that the nation should be stimulated to an interest in letters, and better that it should be stimulated by foolish ideas than not at all. But there were also disadvantages. Extreme self-consciousness in literary matters is not conducive to the best employment of individual talent, and during the time under consideration no great literary masterpiece was produced. It is noticeable that no writers of that day are now read more than Irving and Bryant, who were among those least carried away by extravagant notions.

HASTE.

The reason why so many of these early productions have not survived may be found not so much in lack of genius as in haste and carelessness in composition. A tendency to rush into print cannot be counted unnatural in a new country, where all is activity, where few men have the means for lives of leisure, and where in many cases time for careful revision cannot be found.

In this connection it is noteworthy that many authors of this time were engaged in commercial pursuits. Halleck was a clerk in a counting-house; Drake was "in merchandise," and,

after he studied medicine, conducted a drug store in connection with his practice; Charles Sprague was for many years a bank cashier in Boston; Payne began life as a clerk, and Pierpont was at one time a merchant. Charles P. Clinch, once well known as critic, dramatist, and poet, was in early life secretary to a shipbuilder, and for nearly half a century was deputy collector of the port of New York.

On the other hand, the proportion of authors from the professions of law and divinity was smaller than might have been expected. The theologians were engaged in their controversies, and had little time for general literature. Perhaps the brightest lawyers found their most congenial activity in politics. Professors in the colleges contributed their fair share of reviews and special articles to the magazines, but published little else. It must be remembered that whatever the life of the average college professor may be today, it was not one of leisure then, as may be seen by a glance at the number of subjects taught by one man.2

The remuneration that authors received for their works was not enough to make literature possible as a means of support, except for a few favorites, like Irving and Cooper. In many cases nothing was paid for magazine articles, and the compensation was probably never great. As is so often the case, the amounts received for literary productions were determined by almost anything except the merits of the writings themselves. Bryant set the price of $2 upon each of his shorter poems in

1 Wilson, Bryant and his Friends, 394.

In 1830 Harvard had but 16 members on the instructional force, and Yale 14. The faculties of the smaller colleges averaged hardly half as many.

'The Announcement of the Christian Advocate for 1823 says: Account or apologize for it as we may, it is still a fact deeply to be regretted, that in our country literary labour has hitherto received no adequate remuneration. This is the real cause that so few books of solid value, of whatever description, have been written and published in the United States; and it is the acknowledged cause that periodical publications have so often been deficient in merit and short in duration. As a matter of justice, then, and believing that in this, as in every other concern, equity and true policy are inseparable, it has been determined that for every composition inserted in the Christian Advocate, the author, unless he voluntarily declines it, shall receive a pecuniary compensation to the full extent as liberal as the avails of the work will permit." Italics are those of the original.

1822;1 and his earlier volumes brought in nothing worth considering. On the other hand, George P. Morris, who, with his writings, is now forgotten, could sell a song unread for $50 at any time; and in 1825 wrote Briar Cliff, a drama, for the copyright of which he received $3,500.2 John Howard Payne also received handsome sums for his dramas. Trumbull got $1,000 for the copyright of a single edition of his poems, though his publisher lost money by it. These men caught the popular ear, and were paid for popularity; but there were not many such. Much of the best work was done without thought or possibility of remuneration.

Of writers who could fairly be called literary men, a large number were actively connected with the periodical press, either holding positions on the staffs of daily papers, or editing some of the numerous magazines and reviews.* In nearly all cases the editor had a financial interest in the periodical, and in some instances undertook the entire business management. Such a life must have been even less conducive to repose than that of a broker's clerk or a bank cashier.

These positions were not sinecures. In 1822 Sedgwick writes regarding the editor of the Atlantic Magazine: "Bliss and White, his publishers, are liberal gentlemen; they pay him $500 a year, and authorize an expenditure of $500 more." This latter figure gives a basis for some interesting computations as to the pay of contributors.

The tendency toward haste was increased by other causes, one of which was the desire to get into print before any one else, and so secure a place with the fathers of American literature. Still more important was the influence of English writers. As has been seen, the most popular were Scott, Byron, and Wordsworth. The example of all these, if not in

1 Godwin, Life of Bryant, i., 192.

2 Wilson, Bryant and his Friends, p. 403.

See note, p. 29.

Dana, Bryant, Poe, Sands, Wm. L. Stone, N. P. Willis, and Samuel Woodworth were a few of the best known men who were engaged in editorial work. It is evident that if every magazine started during this time had a "man of letters" as editor, the supply must have been pretty well exhausted.

« AnteriorContinuar »