COUNTRY EDITION.

Marlborough Express, Volume VII, Issue 446, 9 November 1872, Page 11 (Supplement)

COUNTRY EDITION.

The following was published in our Town Edition uriWednesday last : DECEPTIVE APPEARANCES. “ They condemn what they do rot understand,”— Cicero, That “ Things are not always what they seem,” is an axiom the truth of which cannot be disputed, and yet the numerous popular fallacies of the age would almost lead one to suppose that no one believed it. The tears that are shed over the mimic agonies of the stage are but the waste waters of deception, although to the unsophisticated the passions and the pathos appear “so real.” Deception is not, however, the special property of the stage; from the Senate to the shop, from the Court to the counter, from the Pulpit to the Press, “ things are not always what they seem.” Every Senator is not a Solon, every Politician is not a patriot, neither are rival Editors always enemies. The frequently think they are, and o«Sfsionally some weak-minded individual does get thrust into the editorial chair of a public journal, where, being unskilled in a knowledge of the world, he speedily identifies his own person with the principles—if it has any—of his paper, or of the party he represents, until his mind becomes so warped in one direction that he forgets his true position, and distorts every trivial circumstances into an excuse for waging a bitter war against those persons whose opinions may differ from his own. Nay, we have known some such persons boast that they were “ the Editor ” of the Little Pedlington Thunderer, if we may be allowed to substitute a name in illustration. One would naturally suppose that a person who thought himself capable of holding such a responsible office as the conductor of a public journal would be too wise not to know that an Editor is really but an abstract idea, and that it would be equally as consistent to whip one of the boys who distributes the paper, as to load his columns with personal abuse of a rival in the same high profession. Such men, however, forget that “ things are not always what they seem.” Our Wellington contemporary the Post is a notable example of this state of things; and in pursuing what wo conceived to be our duty, or acting on behalf, or in defence , - '"of our own locality, we have had occasion once or twice to administer some sharp rebukes to the journal in question, but seeing that we have never set eyes upon anyone connected with or belonging to the Post, the idea of personal enmity is simply preposterous, yet to its Editor, as we are credibly informed, the Marlborough Express has become a bete noire; and we are almost inclined to believe the

story, since he some time ago stopped exchanging with us, although of course we were not so foolish as to follow his example, but continue punctually to jwst the Express. It has been said indeed that when our familiar wrapper meets his eye among the pile of exchanges upon his table when the mails come in, he rushes to the'r:tongs, and carefully lifting us from the ranks of our confreres, he consigns us to the fire ! There is another of our contemporaries not quite so far north as the last-named, who appears to labor under a chronic in Hamm a* tion of some kind ) whether it is the editorial epidermis, and not having, like us, a Tost against which to rub, or an itching palm, and so rubs it on the Express, we cannot tell. Well, never mind, let us say seriously that we have too

much personal regard for the gentleman who is reputed to conduct the paper in question, to enter upon a Avar of words

with him, and we fear, too, that his employer would find it very inconvenient in the way of Telegraphic news if he became so extremely horrified at the sight of the Express as only to touch it with a pair of tongs. For ourselves, we can vouch that we bear no ill-feeling towards any living being, nor do we ever “set down aught in malice;” and while we claim that the Press should be free to express public opinion upon all public subjects, yet with personal considerations we aver that it has nothing to do. Of course some of our readers will sneer at this, which we cannot help, nor are we vain enough to expect to please everybody. But we are happy to add that ther-e are also those who are not afraid to lighten our labors occasionally by an encouraging word. We find that we are getting discursive however, therefore we will conclude with an extract from a quaint old book : •‘ln every work regard the author’s end. Since none can compass mere than they intend ; But if the cause be just, the conduct true. Forbearance, spite of trivial faults, is due/*