Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 11.djvu/410

 394 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

zine of the North American Review type, the most ambitious of the kind ever attempted in Chicago, and quite pretentious for so early a date as October, 1858. Mr. Blanchard, in a conservative announcement on the last page, said :

On the issue of the pioneer number of this magazine the publisher would beg leave to state that he is as well aware that no high pretensions can sustain a feeble attempt, as that a worthy effort would be successful without them. The Northwestern Quarterly is now before the tribunal of public opinion to stand or fall as its merits shall determine.

In the course of telling what would be the aims of the magazine, he said " the broad fields of literature " were to be traversed, and " the progress of fine arts to be traced."

The contributions which had been selected by his editor were printed without authors' signatures attached, but were of high character both as to critical insight and literary style. Typical articles in the number bore the following titles: "The North- west," "Padilla," "A Trick of Fortune," "The Home of Robert Burns," "The Broken Pitcher," "About Painters and Their Works," " Puns and Punsters," and " The Atlantic Telegraph." The " Literary Notices " contained a review of Tit comb's Letters to Young People. Three local book stores, including " the largest book-house in the Northwest," were represented by full-page advertisements of a character in keeping with the literary merit of the periodical, for which the booksellers thus signified their approval. General Wilson cherishes many recollections of the Northwestern Quarterly. Being president of the Biographical Society in New York, and the author of various works on memorabilia, historical recollections are his great delight. Among reminiscences concerning the Northwestern Quarterly Magazine, the most pleasing, told in his own words, is as follows :

Both Washington Irving and James K. Paulding, and also William Cullen Bryant, in letters to the editor, commended it, Paulding saying it was " the best first number of any magazine ever published in this country."

But although Mr. Wilson had the material for a second number in proof, it never was published. And this was not because either the " high pretensions " mentioned by the publisher or contribu- tions of genuine merit were lacking. Mr. Blanchard was over-