A SCARCITY OF SIN.

NZ Truth, Issue 179, 21 November 1908, Page 4

A SCARCITY OF SIN.

His Honor Mr Justice Cooper, m; his . charge t6 the Grand Jury, at the Weil ing- ; ton Sessions on Thursday, said inter i alia :— . .., ■, ■ .■ ■■. ■ ; ; : . ■ ■'■(■•/ :■'■.'■.■' ••.' . •■( "There is one thing on which a may fairly congratulate you. For the first time m the period of eight years •' during which I have presided at these sit-" tings, there are no cases of offences; & J \ gai-nst women . or girls. 1 hope we may take that as evidence that a .different feeling is,, coming over a certain section of the community, and that m this district, at auyrat'e, there will be a cessa j tion of those charges which have been' so frequent m. the past, and are so frequent m other (parts of the Dominion." / , : "Truth," m recording Mr Justice Cooper's remarks, takes JirKie, in-i drawing ' attention to the difference between the charge to the jury^ m the case of : Wellington, and thatVofMr Justice Denniston at Christchurch, where the; latter lswii great stress on the increase m sexual offences against - women and girls, and. also to the. charges delivered regularty by Mr Justice Edwards at Auckland. m the latter case. Mr Jjustice Edwards describ- j ed the number of sexual offences with which the calendar was loaded as a disgrace to civilisation, and "Truth" con- j curs m his remarks. Much has been writ- j tenj by the daily press; and conspicuous m j this direction is the '.'New Zealand Times," m regard to this fearless journal publishing evidence m cases .of assaults on women and children, but "Trjuth" being a paper published, not m the interests of the suppression of the evidence of evil pracI tices, but for the purpose of letting j m the light of day on the evil-doers, can afford to laugjh at the smug respectability of the "New Zealand Times," whose columns are directly influenced by the size of the-advertiser's purse^or the influence —mainly cash influence^ f persons who" are m high places, as instance the suppression of the mean, despicable offences of Secil Wallingford Brown. There are subjects which all respectable citizens regard with abhorrence, even as they would regard the plague, but like the physician m the case of the dread Asiatic disease, who gets :his henchman: to work with the scrubbing and scouring utensils for- the purpose of cleansing the plague spot, so does "Truth" act similarly m cases where the virtue of our young girls— the future, mothers of the community— and women is attacked by unprincipled sexual scoundrels. The fear of publicity of their evil deeds m the people's popular paper has acted as a far greater deterrent than fear of the law has, even as a well-lighted "street at night is a far greater safeguard for the protection of the people than fifty policemen would be. To let the light of day shine on the evil deeds of offenders of all classes, high or low, rich or poor, is the mission of "Truth" and to this mission, which has been faithfully carried out without any" attempt; to break the law— "Truth" is the most law-abiding journal m . the Dominion— can be credited much of the good that has been worked m Wellington and which has made it possible for a Judge of the Supreme Court to express his satisfaction at the absence of sexual crimes against women for the first time m eight years. We are proud of the stand we take, and prouder indeed to know that our attitude has borne fruit and that "Truth" stands lor Justice at all times.