The American Railway Journal, of New York, first published in 1830, was the first paper which met the desires of one particular class of merchants. This was the pioneer of the specialty commercial journals, and it was for some time the only one of its kind, for though a few others had atternpted to enter the field, their stay had been of short dura tion, and it was not until 1846 that one which still exists, was founded. This was the Dry Goods Economist, but though it began in the largest trade, it experienced much difficulty in attracting attention among either the buyers or sellers, and as conditions at that time were unfavorable to a journal of this character, it was not for a long time and only after a bitter struggle that it rested on firtn ground.
These journals were soon afterward fol lowed by those in the hardware and leather trades, known as the Shoe and Leather Re porter and The Iron Age, both of which ex perienced the same difficulties in gaining a foot hold in the commercial world.
Meanwhile, the scientific field had been more successful as to the number of papers and periodicals published. The American Journal
of Science was founded in New Haven, Conn., in 1818, by Professor Silliman, and the Jour nal of the Franklin Institute, in Philadelphia, in 1825. About 1820 a law periodical was founded in New York, but legal journals did not become common until nearly 50 years later. Medical journals soon sprang up in New York, Boston and Philadelphia, and are now to be found everywhere; a little later a journal was established treating of the drug trade. The Scientific American was founded in 1845 and since then many scientific or semi-scientific journals and various professional journals, not touching upon scientific subjects, have been started. By 1860 there were about 20 trade papers and 50 other technical papers; by 1872 this number had increased to 124 trade and 132 other technical papers, representing 41 different lines, in which religious, agricultural, educational and sporting journals were not included. See ADVERTISING; AMERICAN PUB