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Postscript.

THE FIRST VOLUME OF THE DEMOCRATIC REVIEW.

The publication of the present number of the United States Magazine and Democratic Review, which completes that grand climacteric of a young periodical, its first volume, affords an occasion proper for us to address a few words to both friends and foes. This project has been commenced under difficulties, commercial and political, of such extent and magnitude as made its best friends apprehensive, with reason, of its success, and renders it a matter of anxiety with many in all parts of the country to know our experience as to the probable result.

To such we have then, in the first place, to make the satisfactory assurance, that the progress of the work so far, has been steady and encouraging. Notwithstanding the aggravated disadvantages of the times, pecuniary and political, and the distrust with which new undertakings are invariably regarded;—and despite the very imperfect organization, which the publishers have, as yet, been able to give to the business arrangements essential to such a work, the list of subscribers has received an accession,-for the most part entirely voluntary,-of above three thousand names since the first number was issued, and is daily increasing. Several large editions of the early numbers have been reprinted, and there has been, wherever it is known, such a feeling awakened in favor of the work, as leaves not the slightest doubt of its ultimate success, and of its fully subserving the purpose for which it was established.

When the prospectus of the Democratic Review was first announced, the novelty, boldness, and great extent of the project, alarmed many of its sincerest well wishers with fears that in our hopes to accomplish so much we should risk the attainment of that which was reasonably within our reach. The object, however, which we sought for in establishing this work, we felt could not be attained so well by any other course than that which we have taken. The great Democratic cause, which has grown with the growth and strengthened with the strength of our government, and of which the vital principle is movement, perpetually adapting itself, by its free and fearless faith in the knowledge and capacity of the people for self government, to the political wants which the progress of society, and the diffusion of knowledge create in an intelligent people, has never yet been represented in our literature, which the taste of the times and the necessities of readers, has rendered essentially, and almost exclusively, periodical. Our first and main hope has been to supply this want, to furnish a medium among our periodicals able to explain, and fearless to defend, the principles of our creed.

In conjunction with this it has been, and will be, not less our aim, to render the miscellaneous literature necessary to the plan, such asevery man of correct taste may deem worthy of such a work.

In our execution, in part, of this design, we have to acknowledge that by many of our political foes, we have been very fairly and even handsomely treated. On the great principle, that errors of opinion should be combatted by reason alone, and that all discussion tends to the promotion of truth, not a few have been sufficiently liberal as to wish us complete success in establishing such a work, and have had the magnanimity to discriminate between our doctrines and our literature, and to praise the one with the same candour that they opposed the other. Many, on the contrary, and in quarters where better might have been expected, have not hesitated to denounce us in advance; and, sparing the milder epithets of "Loco-Foco" and Jack Cade, have asserted we have promulgated doctrines, already, fit only for execration, and tending directly to the deeds of Marat, Robespierre, and Danton. Such critics can see no merit in the poetry of Bryant, or the prose of Hawthorne; and the principles advocated in this work, fortunately, are so accustomed to misrepresentation and abuse, that our friends are not likely to be frightened, by their agency, from maintaining them.

It is amusing that in this general denunciation, even the mechanical matters, of type, paper, engraving, &c., which it was made an especial object to render unimpeachable, by comparison with our compeers, have more than once been assailed with equal severity, and some who might have deemed it inexpedient to denounce our doctrines, have been unmeasured in their condemnation of the printers, engravers, binders, and paper makers, who aided and abetted them. Fortunately, in one case, as in the other, those disposed to inquire can judge for themselves; and we are not unwilling, by thus placing such accusations in juxtaposition with the accused, to afford all the fairest opportunity of judging. For our own parts, even were this species of opposition to succeed in annihilating the work, in the words of Burke, we will call to mind such accusations, and be comforted.

From friends we have generally received a degree of favor far beyond any deserts which our work, as yet, has been able to exhibit, and though some portions of the Democratie press, while they have praised us, generally, with a kindness far too partial, do not seem fully alive to the great purposes the success of such a work must effect, we perceive, with pleasure, that in every quarter where cooperation was valuable, it has been freely tendered, and zealously afforded.

At a more advanced period of our career we hope to have occasion to speak, with congratulation, of effects produced. It remains only for us, at present, to say, that prospects of good are as wide as the field in which we have to labour, and are only to be marred by the inefficiency or incompetency of the workmen.

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