OUR CNTEMPORARY.

Press, Volume XVIII, Issue 2551, 5 July 1871, Page 3

OUR CNTEMPORARY.

J; YSO^-^'iO--'*_ohte_bpbrary has 1 sb-far teagotten its own precepts _5 repeatedly Jto admit scurrildti- and offensive personalities addressed specially to the .editor... of this Jourhal-- i -p-.so_alit-ies which we are glad to learn have called up a blush among some of its own proprietary. Altogether, it must ba admitted that-though, on principle, it is good to hear both sides of a question, it is a pity to see a journal, which once bid fair to become a.credit to the colony, ignore all its past history, and set at naught its own precepts and example.".. . ' : I Ata S-rry, Mr -Editor, that you should so, Jai. have trahsgressed the etiquette bf jour-' nalisin as to leave yourself opei. tb such a' dignified reprimand-as the above, the more severe knowing.. its origin. Had such a remark , emanated from a journal used -to 'personalities and scurrilous abuse, its censure' would have carried little or r_o weight.' But in this case it -is otherwise, and I do sincerely hope Chat for the future, you will so conduct yourself so as not again tb come under the lash of your censor. I feel confident that tbe Editor of the Lyttelton Times could candidly, and >vitboUt : feari-of -contradiction, repeat the noble sentiments of the valiant Pott of the .•' Eatanswill Gazette," viz.— s r M trust, Sir, I have never' abused the enormous power I wield. I trust, Sir, that 1 have never pointed the noble,inst-hthent which is placed in my the. sacred bosom of private life Or' the tender breast of individual reputation?*"" Mr Pickwick has departed this life, or he might say, " certainly."

ft is true that ; at times, possibly unintentionally, or when carried away in the heat of a political -contest, the-Editor of the, Lyttelton Times' has indulged, in mild personal' abuse, as for_ example >wben" attributing meanness to his Honor.the Superintendent for not fooling a way his salary. That, no doubt, was merely verbiage_intended to'fill up a leader, and certainly not* intended as an insult. Then, again, ,on;;the 19th of May,— 1866, the following very delicately .worded morcean appeared. ", There j was* the yellow-haired man, "a.'staunch sup-1 porter of Mr Lance himself, whose only fail- j ing : Was {06 keen a desire to supplement the efforts-p£~ his chief by the exercise of his own lungs." This .ho doubt was intended as. a flattering picture, and no one could dTeatn of calling it personal; and the following will hot, Tarn sfae,'- after: reading the leader from which the heading to this letter fs';.an extract,.be", considered in auy way-msulting,:Or touching;.in-the slightest degree " the. inviolability of the editorial chair," : Considering that it appeared on the 19th of May, 1866,:—« Plenty, of pluck -in the parlour,'.but none on the platform. Oh! shade of Bbbadil and Bob Acres! Odds triggers and blades! " Slang and shillelaghs ! To think of tMr FitzGerald—that big man, with thb biglwords, and the big voice, and the big stick,vdescendant of a hundred fighting forefathers, and the greatest orator in New Zealand, —being scared from the platform"bi a-'public meeting! Advising a retirement for strategic reasons, sloping, absconding, vamosing, hooking it, skedaddling, H running away! Oh, Wirasthrue, wirasthrue l" Then, again, we have Mr William White and,his snuffbox the Railway Manager; ordered off to Melbourne to receive a finish to his education"; .then we have the

" Sturdy ■'Mendicant," and last; though not least,, we have' the ■•? Loafer's," velveteen jumper, fair hair, blue eyes, and his intellectual .forehead. Of course, in all these nice .little: witticisms there was no intention to be.perSQpal,' and ho wish to hurt the feelings ; bf; the''gentlemen alluded to, nor didHhe' Editor pf .the Lyttelton Times desire "to/insinuate anything. more than the most straightfof wafd'dealing, when he hinted at' a partnership" between Mr Rollestoh and MrWm.-White. T * ?: ' !

From— the foregoing extracts from the columns of" your Conducted contemporary, who you'how studious you should rbe of the etiquette of journalism, fyou and ? your readers "will, no doubt, see with- what 'appropriate 'grace its " censure comes 1" HffA the risk of being considered prosy shall :I venture to indulge your readers; with iandther 'extract from this journalistic |maU;er\ ol the. .ceremonies, this Beau Nash ? Js It hot quite prettily put together, a ' per-Tegt masterpiece of gentle- l--manly writing," auj. quite, iii keeping with the dignified l€K}tiau?e '* of, theiwqrthy gentleman who edits-yq^r^contemporaryL "The Press gives! atiother exhaustion -of Mr Lance's refusal to and so adds to the list of essential for the Superintendence He must have ; hone of his ribs broken. We nfast have a whole man." Be it remembered gentjepublic fiat at this time Mr Lance was buffering irom a very severe bodily? affliction •••—- ■■ ■.-

I hope that theiew extracts I; have been enabled to well-prestved file of the leading journal of New Zfaland will show you, Mr Editor, how carefd. lam that such valuable contributions shouH not lapse into oblivion. -At present, and in future years how much more so, how plfased many of the late : arrivals amongst usitnd others will be to know that at least <w<?!person has devoted a short time of a busy t£e to carefully hoarding up a record of forrier years— a souvenir oi days long gone by. 'When our present limited community shallin a few years, through the "wonderful pollical engineering of the "-wandering" his amiable and accomplished b'acker,ihe Editor of the Lyttelton Times, and otfers, /have " precipitated; ifself into a natin, 1 *: how delightful will ii befor some futu£ Editor, hunting up the recordis of the pipeer days of the colony, to fall upon such atreasure. There may be no doubt in the existence of many of us that Y e -would willingly : expunge. } Some wore Spoken in anger which' had hest have beet left unsaid. Some leading'articles or letteri. written on the'spur of the moment. -whichliiad best have been committed to the flames.f -Nut so, in the eareerOf a"j&urrial like the 'iutieitori Times* • : That journal should be rlgiousry. handed down"-to form one of the household gods f every colonist—and act as a memorial bf te exquisite taste and high gentlemanly; feeing with which-the early settlers of were, indoctrinated. ■ - 4« t -~-::;:- &C., ; ' \ ._ _ ._ COCKLE-'S |ILS.--The Dispensary, July 3, 1871. .'•;.. '; /