Mr.AldrichoncenoticedthatwheneveranauthordiedinBoston，theNew—
Yorkersthoughttheyhadaliterarycentre;anditisbysomesuchmeansthattheprimacyhaspassedfromBoston，evenifithasnotpassedtoNewYork.ButstillthereisenoughliteratureleftinthebodyatBostontokeepherfirstamongequalsinsomethings，ifnoteasilyfirstinall.
Mr.AldrichhimselflivesinBoston，andheis，withMr.Stedman，theforemostofourpoets.AtCambridgeliveColonelT.W.Higginson，anessayistinacertainsortwithoutrivalamongus;andMr.WilliamJames，themostinterestingandthemostliteraryofpsychologists，whosereputeisEuropeanaswellasAmerican.Mr.CharlesEliotNortonalonesurvivesoftheearlierCambridgegroup——Longfellow，Lowell，RichardHenryDana，LouisAgassiz，FrancisJ.Child，andHenryJames，thefatherofthenovelistandthepsychologist.
ToBostonMr.JamesFordRhodes，thelatestofourablerhistorians，hasgonefromOhio;andthereMr.HenryCabotLodge，theMassachusettsSenator，whoseworkinliteratureismakingitselfmoreandmoreknown，wasbornandbelongs，politically，socially，andintellectually.Mrs.
JuliaWardHowe，apoetofwidefameinaneldergeneration，livesthere;
Mr.T.B.Aldrichlivesthere;andthereaboutsliveMrs.ElizabethStuartPhelpsWardandMrs.HarrietPrescottSpofford，thefirstofafamebeyondthelast，whowasknowntoussolongbeforeher.ThenatBoston，ornearBoston，livethoseartistssupremeinthekindofshortstorywhichwehavecarriedsofar：MissJewett，MissWilkins，MissAliceBrown，Mrs.Chase—Wyman，andMissGertrudeSmith，whocomesfromKansas，andwritesoftheprairiefarm—life，thoughsheleavesMr.E.W.Howe（of\'TheStoryofaCountryTown\'andpresentlyoftheAtchisonDailyGlobe）toconstitute，withthehumorouspoetIronquill，afrontierliterarycentreatTopeka.OfBoston，too，thoughsheisofwesternPennsylvaniaorigin，isMrs.MargaretDeland，oneofourmostsuccessfulnovelists.MissWilkinshasmarriedoutofMassachusettsintoNewJersey，andistheneighborofMr.H.M.AldenatMetuchen.
AllthesearemoreorlessembodiedandrepresentedintheAtlanticMonthly，stillthemostliterary，andinmanythingsstillthefirstofourmagazines.Finally，afterthechiefpublishinghouseinNewYork，thegreatestAmericanpublishinghouseisinBoston，withbyfarthelargestlistofthebestAmericanbooks.RecentlyseveralfirmsofyoungervigorandvalorhaverecruitedthewastedranksoftheBostonpublishers，andareespeciallytobenotedforthenumberofrathernicenewpoetstheygivetothelight.
V.
Dealingwiththequestiongeographically，intherightAmericanway，wedescendtoHartfordobliquelybywayofSpringfield，Massachusetts，where，inalittlecityoffiftythousand，anewspaperofmetropolitaninfluenceandofdistinctlyliterarytoneispublished.AtHartfordwhileCharlesDudleyWarnerlived，therewasanindisputableliterarycentre;MarkTwainlivestherenolonger，andnowwecanscarcelycountHartfordamongourliterarycentres，thoughitisapublishingcentreofmuchactivityinsubscriptionbooks.
AtNewHaven，YaleUniversityhaslatterlyattractedMr.WilliamH.
Bishop，whosenovelsIalwayslikedforthebestreasons，andhaslongheldProfessorJ.T.Lounsbury，whois，sinceProfessorChild\'sdeathatCambridge，ourbestChaucerscholar.Mr.DonaldG.Mitchell，onceendearedtothewholefickleAmericanpublicbyhisReveriesofaBachelorandhisDreamLife，dwellsonthebordersofthepleasanttown，whichisalsothehomeofMr.J.W.DeForest，theearliestrealAmericannovelist，andforcertaingiftsinseeingandtellingourlifealsooneofthegreatest.
AstoNewYork（wheretheimaginationmayarrivedailyfromNewHaven，eitherbyaSoundboatorbyeightortenoftheswiftestexpresstrainsintheworld），IconfessIammoreandmorepuzzled.Hereabidethepoets，Mr.R.H.Stoddard，Mr.E.C.Stedman，Mr.R.W.Gilder，andmanywhomanenviousetceteramusthidefromview;thefictionists，Mr.R.H.
Davis，Mrs.KateDouglasWiggin，Mr.BranderMatthews，Mr.FrankHopkinsonSmith，Mr.AbrahamCahan，Mr.FrankNorris，andMr.JamesLaneAllen，whohasleftKentuckytojointhelargeSoutherncontingent，whichincludesMrs.BurtonHarrisonandMrs.McEneryStuart;thehistorians，ProfessorWilliamM.SloaneandDr.Eggleston（reformedfromanovelist）;
theliteraryandreligiousandeconomicessayists，Mr.HamiltonW.
Mabie，Mr.H.M.Alden，Mr.J.J.Chapman，andMr.E.L.Godkin，withcritics，dramatists，satirists，magazinists，andjournalistsofliterarystampinnumbertoconvincethewaveringreasonagainstitselfthatherebeyondallquestionisthegreatliterarycentreoftheseStates.ThereisanAuthors\'Club，whichaloneincludesahundredandfiftyauthors，and，ifyoucometoeditors，thereissimplynoend.Magazinesarepublishedhereandcirculatedhencethroughoutthelandbymillions;andbooksbythetonarethedailyoutputofourpublishers，whoarethelargestinthecountry.
Ifthesethingsdonotmeanagreatliterarycentre，itwouldbehardtosaywhatdoes;andIamnotgoingtotryforareasonagainstsuchfacts.
Itisnotqualitythatiswanting，butperhapsitisthequantityofthequality;thereisleaven，butnotforsolargealump.ItmaybethatNewYorkisgoingtobeourliterarycentre，asLondonistheliterarycentreofEngland，bygatheringintoitselfallourwritingtalent，butithasbynomeansdonethisyet.WhatwecansayisthatmoreauthorscomeherefromtheWestandSouththangoelsewhere;buttheyoftenstayathome，andIfancyverywisely.Mr.JoelChandlerHarrisstaysatAtlanta，inGeorgia;Mr.JamesWhitcombRileystaysatIndianapolis;Mr.