The Cambridge History of English and American Literature in 18 Volumes (1907–21).
VOLUME XVI. Early National Literature, Part II; Later National Literature, Part I.
§ 4. The Farmers’ Museum
The newspapers continued to compete with the magazine by supplying moral, descriptive, and sentimental essays, poetry, anecdotes, reflections, and articles on trade, education, and conduct. Imitators of the English writers of periodical essays, the beginning of whose activities almost coincided with that of American newspapers, multiplied in numbers, until towards the close of the century it was a poor paper that did not maintain at least one series. The “Lay Preacher” essays of Joseph Dennie gave The Farmers’ Museum of Walpole, New Hampshire, as wide a reputation as that of any paper in its day.