''The Juvenile Miscellany'' was a 19th-century American bimonthly children's magazine published in

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

between 1826 and 1836. It was founded by Lydia Maria Child. Publishers varied over the years, but the original publisher was John Putnam. Sarah Josepha Hale edited the magazine as a monthly between September 1834 and April 1836.

History

The magazine was founded in 1826 by Lydia Maria Child. She supervised its bimonthly publication between September 1826 and August 1834. Child's interest in

abolitionism Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was France in 1315, but it was later used in its colonies. ...

and the publication in 1833 of her antislavery book, ''An Appeal in Favor of that Class of Americans Called Africans'', led to Child being socially shunned.

Subscription The subscription business model is a business model in which a customer must pay a recurring price at regular intervals for access to a product or service. The model was pioneered by publishers of books and periodicals in the 17th century. It ...

s to the magazine dropped off. Child left her

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, a ...

ial position. Child wrote in the magazine to child readers when leaving the magazine in 1834: "After conducting the ''Miscellany'' for eight years, I am now compelled to bid a reluctant and most affectionate farewell to my little readers. May God bless you, my young friends, and impress deeply upon your hearts the conviction that all true excellence and happiness consists in living for others, not for yourselves. ... I intend hereafter to write other books for your amusement and instruction; and I part from you with less pain, because I hope that God will enable me to be a medium of use to you, in some other form than the ''Miscellany''."American children's periodicals, 1821-1840: The Juvenile Miscellany
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Content

The magazine's content emphasized

middle class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. C ...

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

values. It featured

poem Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

s, stories, puzzles, and informative articles. The magazine was

didactic Didacticism is a philosophy that emphasises instructional and informative qualities in literature, art, and design. In art, design, architecture, and landscape, didacticism is a conceptual approach that is driven by the urgent need to explain. ...

. It provided amusement and imparted

moral A moral (from Latin ''morālis'') is a message that is conveyed or a lesson to be learned from a story or event. The moral may be left to the hearer, reader, or viewer to determine for themselves, or may be explicitly encapsulated in a maxim. ...

lessons while avoiding the

piety Piety is a virtue which may include religious devotion or spirituality. A common element in most conceptions of piety is a duty of respect. In a religious context, piety may be expressed through pious activities or devotions, which may vary amon ...

so common in children's literature of the period. The magazine was ground-breaking. The ''Oxford Encyclopedia of Children's Literature'' writes, "The calm security of the lives of the children in the stories, the affection they receive, and their childishness were something new in American writing." The writers who contributed to its pages included Eliza Leslie, Catharine Maria Sedgwick, Lydia Huntley Sigourney, Hannah Flagg Gould, Sarah Josepha Hale, Caroline Howard Gilman, and Anna Maria Wells. Child herself contributed as "Aunt Maria".

Response

The magazine was hugely popular. Within four months of its debut, the magazine had 850 subscribers. While stories stressed the Protestant ethic, they were never boring. Caroline Healy Dall wrote in the ''Unitarian Review'' in 1883:

"No child who read the ''Juvenile Miscellany'' ... will ever forget the excitement that the appearance of each number caused. ... The children sat on the stone steps of their house doors all the way up and down Chestnut Street in Boston, waiting for the carrier. He used to cross the street, going from door to door in a zigzag fashion; and the fortunate possessor of the first copy found a crowd of little ones hanging over her shoulder from the steps above. ... How forlorn we were if the carrier was late!"Karcher, p. 58

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Juvenile Miscellany 1826 establishments in Massachusetts 1836 disestablishments in Massachusetts Bimonthly magazines published in the United States Children's magazines published in the United States Monthly magazines published in the United States Defunct literary magazines published in the United States Magazines established in 1826 Magazines disestablished in 1836 Magazines published in Boston