SATUEBAY, JUNE IC, 1917. A LITERARY CENTENARY ; +-—j-

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3112, 16 June 1917, Page 6

SATUEBAY, JUNE IC, 1917. A LITERARY CENTENARY ; +- — j-

It is an interesting fnet in litcr'ary history that great writers hsivo come to light, and great journals have been founded, during a time- of war. It was so one hundred years ago-when Britain was engaged, in a life-and-death struggle with the- despot that then threatened tho liberty of Europe. The voices of great poets like CoLEKiDGB, Wordsworth; and Scott wore heard for the'first time during "the din of battle." To these three the. name- of Southfa' must be added. Ho is now reckon-ed'-among the-; secondary poots of that age; fc'ut tbere is nothing in English poetry more quotable to-day than hin-Odo of Imprecation on a falso peace with the tyrant of his time. During this time of war periodical literature suddenly rose to a great height. Tho Edinburgh Review was planned during war, though ib carao into existence in 1802, who a a temporary peace, that "everybody was glad of and nobody proud of/' obtained. The projectors of this Review, Sydney Smith, Jeffrey, Brougham, and others,' immediately commanded-a largo circle of thoughtful readers, a. number _ of whom, after a time, revolted against the Whig politics, of the Edin-■ burgh, and started an_ opposition journal. It was in this way that il» Quarterly Review came into existence. It was -promoted by Scott , , Lockhart, SorjTHBY, and Canning, and while. Liberal in- literature it stood for Toryism in politics. The Quarterly was born in 1800 when war was raging on .land and sen. These two dreadnoughts in . literature have- stood tho battle vid the breeze fov more than one hundred years—their centenary celebrations are things, of the past—but itis our purpose hero to call attention to tho -centenary of a, slightly younger iournal— their'eqiia-1 in fame and literary merit, and with a. greater popularity and a: wider circulation -the "Maga" of '-'Chnsfaphef North," the deservedly famous Blackioood's Mα go line. The April number of Blackwaad, enlarged for the month to 250 pages, is the centenary number, and it is a rich literary feast. The firm of Blackwood came into existence in Edinburgh during, a limo of war, and tho magazino was probably planned during the war, but it was born when tho war was over. \\ ILliam Blackwood, the young Edinburgh publisher, in 1816 was consumed by a laudable ambition to be tho means of giving tho.writings oT famous new authors to the public He had angled for somo time to hook tho "Great Unknown, the author of Waverlcy, and through James Bai.lantyne a,t last had secured him. It was Buck wood s happy lot to publish tho famous rales of Mi/ Landlord. But Blackwood had a "way of being a literary critic as well as a. publisher, and ho ventured'to ask Ballantyne to suggest to the author a recasting of the closing part of the Black Dwarf. This suggestion aroused tho anger of

Walter Scott, the then "Great Unknown," and ho wrote to his gobetween Balljntynb as follows:

"Dear .fames,—l linve received Rlnckvvooil's impudent letter. <j~- r) — his Mu)! Toll, him and Ms ro;nl,jut<ir liwt. T belong to the Black llurairs of Lilrrattire, who neither givn nor receive, criticism. I'll be. <'iir.se.] l,u| |,|,j A is |he mast; impudent propositi Unit ever ivas uiiidf!.-AV.S."

Tho feeling aroused in Scott by Bi.ackwood s honest and intelligent expression of opinion died down, but he would not have him as the publisher of his subsequent books. The loss of Scott's books was a great blow to the ambition of Blackwood, and his enterprise- went out in another direction. He was led to found a. magazine to foster literature and to push his business, and the fruil, of this scheme is the magazine that for one hundred years has borne his name. It took the literary, worlds of Edinburgh and London by storm, and at once leaped into lame. This was tho work chiefly of two young writers discovered by Blackwood : Wilson— known'as "Christopher North"—

who became' the backbone of the journal for a generation: and Lockhaht, 'who became the son-in-law of Scott, his biographer, and the editor of the- Quarterly. These, men were determined to make the. public read the journal, and they charged the first number with high explosive matter. They adopted a suggestion of Hogg, tho "Ettrich Shepherd," and in a- piece of stinging satire, called "The Chaldee Manuscript" they caricatured in a merciless fashion the leading literary men of tho age, and in another article pungently criticised the "Cockney School" of writers. Blackwood was assailed in .the Law Courts by tho victims of the criticism, but the. magazine, by its sheer grit, ability and vitality,''took- the commanding place in periodical literature that it has never lost. The face of George Buchanan, Scotland's great scholar, ■has adorned its cover all through, and such a- frontispiece speaks of scholarship and criticism. Buchanan declared ho wrote his history to correct "sum Inglis lyis and Scottis vanite"; and the centenary number of Blackwood declares it has always "held aloft the twin banners of sound criticism and Tory politics.". During the present war Blackwood has been in the 'van among the monthlies in fresh, fascinating, informing, brilliant writing. The writings of lan Hay and many others which arc common features in Blackwood would be a, "scoop" to other journals. With regard to political criticism in this war, Blackwood was among the first to denounce the "wait-and-see' order of things that might have lead to the downfall of the British Empire. But now and again in this region it is tho victim of bias. '' The story of Blackwood s Magazine during the last hundred, years is a very important chapter in the history, of English literature Thethree volumes, William Blackwood and flis Sons, Their Magazine ami Friends, written by Mrs. Oliphaxt and by one of tho Blackwoods, Mrs. Porter, give an ■ amazing list of great authors whose writings reached the public .through Blachcood's Maqazine. Coleridge and De Quincey found there a place for tlieir essays. It was Blackwood that introduced to the public George Eliot, and all her books were issued by that house. Some of the novels of Bulwer Lytton, Lever, and Charles Reade ran through the magazine. Strange to say, Thackeray, before he became groat, twico knocked at tho door of Blackwood .in vain—his contributions were refused. This was a blunder, but such blunders 1 were- rare, and we are indebted to Blackwood for pouring forth for one hundred years : a stream of pure, informing, high-class literature. It has played a noblo. part in the making of intelligent men and women, and such citizens are our Empire's best asset to-day.