Untitled

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 14, Issue 1146, 22 April 1870, Page 3

Police Coubt Repokts. — The Independent very properly says : — Most people have an objection to seeing their names figuring in the public records of a Police Court, whether as plaintiffs or defendents, in criminal or in civil cases. The consequence is that those who have business in the Court are very fond of requesting the representatives of the press to omit all mention of their little case. This request it is often an unpleasant task for the reporter to decline compliance with ; but if it is for the interest 'of the public at large that reports of the Court proceedings should be published at all, and we think it will bo generally admitted that it is so, then common justice demands that those reports should be fair and impartial ; that if one case is reported all should be reported. It is a most unfair and invidious thing to mutilate the record, and while informing the public that John Smith has sued James Jones for £"5, omit mentioning that on the same day William Hobinson sued Tom Browne for £4 IDs. 6d. It is even worse that Bill Smith should be held up to the public gaze as a man who was fined 10s. for being drunk and incapable, when no mention is made in the report of William Smy the, who was at the same time lined 10s. for being drunk and disorderly. If people do not want their names published in Police Court reports they must avoid resort to Mr. Crawford's morning levee, for in futnro we intend to publish complete Police Court reports, and on no consideration will we falsify those reports by the omission of cases brought before the Court. Mb. Charles Matiiews. — For myself, I have not seen this prince of light coinediaus these 19 years, but those who have seen him recently say he is as buoyant as ever, alboifc he is now nearly -67 years of ago. He illustrates very conclusively the old saw about a man being just as old as he feels. Charles Mathews feels five-and-twenty, and is, therefore, five-and-twenty. He is perennial. Some men never are old ; some have never been young ; lie is one of the first of this classification. When somebody writes his history some day, it will bo a wonderful history. His experience has been more varied than that of probably any actor living. He is not one of a class ; ho is himself, without peer, a wonderful exception. Nobody seems likely to succeed to him when he shall need a successor. But that does not matter much, seeing that he is only now, as ho describes himself, " iv the flower of his youth," and may be expected to take first old men's parts not before he has reached the age of Methuselah — and oven then ho will be vigorous. Everybody knows him ; everybody likes him. He has committed errors in his life — as who has not? — but even his errors are amusing. Nobody hates him for his errors. I think, indeed, most people like him the more for them; they communicate so much piquancy to his character. It would be an impertinence to say ho is a wonderful actor ; everybody knows he is a wonderful actor. Everybody knows everything about him.' He can hardly be said to have any secrets. He has stood upon so high a pedestal these many years, that the world has continually taken note of him. Ho comes amongst hosts of friends. He will find, nothing but friends hero. He will wonder it has taken so long a voyage to reach a city where everybody knows and like him.— Peripatetic \ Philosopher in the " 'Aiistralasiah:"