PREFACE. OUR Preface, on this occasion, will be prospective chiefly. The present Volume must be permitted to speak for itself, while we announce its successor. It may be known to our readers that, for the past three months, we have been meditating changes in the constitution of our Magazine; and we are ready to confess that, at first, we intended these changes to be of a more considerable character than those which we are about to make. We have also to admit that in this deviation from our first intentions we have been mainly influenced by the advice of our friends and subscribers, who have kindly taken it on themselves to give us their opinions and reasons. The majority of those friends-indeed, we may say, nearly allare decidedly opposed to any change in size, while they strongly recommend an increase in quantity. As a type of those numerous letters which have determined our course of action we beg to submit the following lucid observations : DEAR MR. EDITOR, As one of your oldest subscribers, and as one of a numerous circle who take a deep interest in the FAMILY FRIEND, I venture to address you relative to the changes that you seem to be contemplating. I hope and all my friends agree with me—that you are not going to enlarge the external dimensions, nor alter the period of publication of the Magazine, as this would increase the price of binding the volumes, and would destroy the uniformity of our FAMILY FRIEND bookshelves. At present it is a most convenient, handy size, that slips easily in and out of our work-baskets, or coat-pockets, or reticules, and I am sure we have lumbering tomes enough without your trying to encumber us further. No, nolet well alone; you have this nice, portable size all to yourself, and we hope you will cherish the privilege. Having made so bold, I will now dare to be bolder, and tell you, dear Mr. Editor, what we will have if you will give it to us. 1. We should like better paper, and more of it-we do not say at the same price, for we wish good quality rather than excessive quantity. 2. Preserve the same useful features as at present. 3. The PASTIME, and especially the Council, we should like enlarged. A friend, of some authority in this county, observed, at a soirée the other evening, “The people have plenty of thoughtful reading provided for them in the numerous cheap serials; but I know of no Magazine, except the FAMILY FRIEND, in which they are freely and pleasantly admitted to carve out thoughts for themselves. I think the Council of that little publication a very good and original idea, and one deserving of careful consideration.”—(I give you in confidence the name and address of the speaker.) |