TUE DUMD PKESS OF GEIiMANY.

357

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compass of a few moments' attention, and liave put the bene-ficial or injorious tendcncies of the question so lucidly andstrikingly before him, that ho is even saved tlic trouble ofweighing the pros and cons in connexion with it for himself.Again, not a book of note appears but our blacksmith is moreor less in form ed upon its Contents; not a kingdom, nor hardlya capital town, exists throughout the globe, but some talented"special correspondcnt" is located there, so that he and othersmay be conversant with the events occurring all over the world ;and thus our friend is made, by the graphic power of theliterary art, to be mentally present at every bloody strugglein the Orimea or India, without either feeling the rigours ofthe climate or experiencing the dangers of the battle-field.

Moreover, it is not only to the eminent intellect employedon the London press that every journeyman mechanic in ourcountry knows more of the world about him than even yourContinental bigwigs ; but, be it said, it is to the scrupuloushonesty and truth of the writers for such Journals, that thevery country itself is largely indebted for the dignity of itsnational character. We ourselves have been personally ac-quainted with the economy of some few metropolitan news-papers, and we can conscientiously affirm that we neverknew one literary gentleman employed upon them whocould have been prevailed upon by any inducement to pen asingle line against Ins real sentiments. Many ignorant persons,however, are still inclined to believe that press-writing is aspecies of literary advocacy for wbich authors, like counsellors,may be found to upliold or defend any cause, provided they beduly fee-ed; but we can solemnly avow, from our personalknowledge, that so far from this being the practice, we neverknew a writer of any note who would not have indignantlyspurned any such öfter: so that, instead of its being just toclass English journalists in the same category with hireling