LITERATURE OF THE DAILY PRESS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21300, 2 April 1931, Page 22

LITERATURE OF THE DAILY PRESS

A JUDGE'S PRAISE. (From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, February 17. At a ladies’ night dinner of the London Press Club, Mr Justice M'Cardie responded to the toast of “ The Guests,” and took the opportunity to pay a handsome tribute to the press. “ The press of England,” he exclaimed, “what a wonderful thing it is! It is, I sincerely believe, the greatest influence in the life of our English people.” “ In this country the press absorbs the duties of priest, prophet, preacher, and Parliament. The groat preachers of today are the editors of the daily newspapers. Parliament might mould opinion to a certain extent, but, the supreme moulding of opinion is achieved by the press. People talk of literature as though it were distinct from the press. But the newspapers of this country are literature. “ You may take a dozen books and read'them, and then turn to the columns of the daily press, and in stylo, in outlook, in matter, in vision, in precision, and in touch, the columns of the daily press are equal to the finest literature that is produced. The press of this country, if it will join with the press of other countries, may be—aye, it is, in large measure—a magnificent instrument of international unity. From the depths of my heart I believe that the future peace of the world is dependent upon the press of the world. “ I doubt, from a book I recently looked at, whether 1 am qualified to be a judge,” he went on, “ because I saw this—that no man ought to sit as a judge unless he had served a sentence of at least six rnonths in prison. Tin’s most interesting book is called ‘The Crime of Punishment.’ And it was written by a lady, whose name was Mary, and, even more tlfian that, who was still a spinster.”