The Hastings Standard Published Every Evening. THURSDAY, JAN. 17, 1901. THE GOSSIP'S DIARY.

Hastings Standard, Volume V, Issue 1426, 17 January 1901, Page 2

The Hastings Standard Published Every Evening. THURSDAY, JAN. 17, 1901. THE GOSSIP'S DIARY.

The penalty inflicted on the young man Wells at the Magistrate's Court this morning •will, we hope, have a wholesome effect in preventing the recurrence of annoying disturbances at public performances. The case was one calling for rigorous measures, and we are pleased to see that the Justices fully realised the responsibility which had devolved upon them of endeavoring to check the spirit of indiscriminate rowdyism which bad apparently had unrestricted license. Far be it from us to discourage fun, or eveß a little boisterous behavior, but there is a time and a place for all things, and that time is certainly not during the progress of a performance, nor is the place the theatre which the public have visited for the purpose of listening to the performance. We can truly affirm that the liberty of the subject is not unduly interfered with in any part of the colony; on the contrary, so much license is allowed that certain unthinking people consider that no restrictions will be placed on their actions whatever they may desire to do.

In these circumstances it is necessary that the laws should be rigidly enforced. Magistrates have hitherto displayed a distinct tendency towards leniency, but their " cautions " have only had the effect of demonstrating to others that they may commit an initial offence with impunity. There should be no necessity for explaining to those guilty of such misdemeanours that such conduct is neither legal nor gentlemanly. They are possessed of at least elementary powers of discrimination, and must realise that theiif actions are not in accordance with the accepted ideas of decency and good taste. The \r evailing conception of humor amongst a certain section—fortunately 3 comparatively small one—is to minimise the enjoyment of other people. This is the outcome of an extraordinary and illogical colt which with their takes currency as one of nature's ideals, and in such a manner is wrong twisted to represent right that much difficulty is experienced in the unravelling. We are pleased that the presiding Justices this morning escaped what would appear to ba the one effectual solution of the problem, and we have little doubt that should their example be followed when similar cases crop up m future the marvellous healing powers of thsir corrective will convincingly be established.

If \fr Seddon be not candid, the defcnition of the adjective as given by Webster and other dictionary compilers is seriously at fault. In replyfag to the toast of his faedth on board the Sierra last week he showed his best autocratic form. He gave M-.ssrs Spreeklea to understand that they would being their steamers to Sew

Zealand merely on sufferance, and that they may not expect any help from himself or the Government he administered in establishing another service which was to injure that company which had been identified so with the colony. He gave the American shipowners to understand that their chances of success in their enterprise were by no means good, and that they had better have confined themselves to their former fields of operation. As a climax he averred that Messrs Spreckles were treading on very dangerous ground, and the moment they did anything that was unfriendly to the colony and to the nation it would be resented in a way they would not forget. This is scarcely the language that one expects from the guest of the evening, but in his pompous, domineering style the Premier explained his feelings regarding the new steam service. He may not possess the power of carrying out his threats, but it is just as well to make people believe one has an effective shot in the locker whether that shot be charged with powder or be merely so much old iron. There can be no doubt that Messrs Spreckles if they visit this colony will do so in the anticipation of monopolising a fair proportion of the trade now falling to the lot of the Union Company, and without reading between the lines of Mr Seddon's remarks we may safely conclude that if they succeed in their enterprise no gratitude will be due from them to the Premier of this colony.