MOSGIEL.

Otago Witness, Issue 1901, 10 July 1890, Page 19

MOSGIEL.

July 7.— Owing to the bad weather the meeting of the Literary aad Debating Boolety was not so well attended aa was expected ; however, everything passed off enjoyably enough, aod that I suppose is the main object of the meeting. The essayist for the evening was Mr G. Hicks, bis subject being " The Power of the Press." After dealing with the discovery of printing and on its primitive progress, be traced its gradual growth up to the Reformation, showing how the arc of printing was ,one of the prinoipal, if not the principal, agents of this change. He also showed how it had been the prinoipal means of educating the people up to that stage in which they realiied the tyranny from which they were suffering, both religious and political, and in which they grew bold enough to assert and obtain their rights. He referred also to the recent labour movements and the power that they wielded through the press. He spoke of tbe severe newspaper criticisms of evlldoern, both rich and poor, and compared briefly, bub effectively, the liberty of the British press with that of Russia and other countries. On the whole the essay reflected credit on the writer, and he received the hearty vote of thanks due to him by the society. A very good dls-, cussion took place . at the finish of the reading., in whioh some of the members extolled the weakennesses of tbe press with considerable sucoess. A reading by Mr Warden and a song by Miss Day preceded the eßsay.