The periodical was, of course, essentially an organ of the society; but gradually it took on a more general character, so that its circulation might extend over a larger portion of Brooklyn.

With this extension came a further broadening of its contents, which now began to take on a literary character, and it was not long before its two projectors realized that the periodical had outgrown its name.

It was decided--late in 1884--to change the name to _The Brooklyn Magazine_.
There was a periodical called _The Plymouth Pulpit_, which presented verbatim reports of the sermons of Mr.Beecher, and Edward got the idea of absorbing the _Pulpit_ in the _Magazine_.

But that required more capital than he and his partner could command.

They consulted Mr.
Beecher, who, attracted by the enterprise of the two boys, sent them with letters of introduction to a few of his most influential parishioners, with the result that the pair soon had a sufficient financial backing by some of the leading men of Brooklyn, like H.B.
Claflin, Seth Low, Rossiter W.Raymond, Horatio C.King, and others.
The young publishers could now go on.