The Observer.

Observer, Volume 3, Issue 66, 17 December 1881, Page 210

The Observer.

Satukbay, December 17th, 1881

Poople must not. suppose that our editorial hopes and opinions were either embodied in or identical with the satirical productions put forward by " the .specially engaged pi'ophet" of last Friday's paper. We should, indeed, have been extremely sorry to see some of the men our : inspired friend plumped for returned. Dr. 1 Wullis, par exempt c, had had quite tether enough allowed him politically, and it was about time he should be succeeded by a practical man of Dargaville's .stamp, who, whatever may Le his faults, cannot number " shilly-shallying " and petty deceit amongst thorn. Then, again, we couldn't have stomached JRees as a local M.H.R. There is too much superficial cleverness and flummery about that man for a plain person's taste. We prefer Peacock, lie was a good, honest Mayor, and should make a good, honest member. Sir George Grey, of course, is the right man in the right place, and so, too, are Messrs Moss, Tole, and >Sir tr. M. O'Rorke. A stronger man might, however, have been found to light friend Hurst for Wait "emata ; and it wouldn't have broken our hearts if McDonald had enjoyed a stift'er contest for the East Coast. Vesey Stewart would have made a good member for Tauranga, but has been defeated through holding settlements like the Puke and Ohineinutu too cheap. Of the other newly elected members, we have nothing much to say either for or against:. Let them work together unitedly for the good of the province, and everyone will be pleased. Those exceedingly thin-skinned and needy persons who have hitherto been enabled to fleece newspapers with vexations actions for libel, or to extort money from fear of the expense and trouble of proceedings, will now find their occupation gone. The Newspaper Libel Act of 1881' goes a great way to complete the good work commenced by Mr Fox and carried on by Lord Campbell. It contains three notable provisions. 1 1 protects as privileged the reports of lawfullyconvened public meetings, if such reports arc published without malice and tortile public benefit, and fair comment upon public events under the same conditions. Xo prosecution for libel can be commenced against any proprietor, publisher, editor or other person responsible for the publication of a newspaper, except on the fiat or allowance of the Director of Public Prosecutions. A Court of Summary -Jurisdiction may hold, an inquiry into the alleged truth of the libel, or as to its bcinopublished for the public benefit, and, after hcarin* evidence, the Court may at once acquit the de^ fondant. The characteristic of the present generation is a fast increasing desire to invite public tittenf ion, to attract the interest of others • in short, to advertise. Men of all classes and 'callings seem more and more anxious to invest themselves, their concerns and their dealings with a public or quasi-public character. The sphere of

newspaper criticism thus becomes enlarged, and with the best and most honest intentions the exact boundary line between criticism and defamation is at times very dilUcult to define. If the Press lias any province at all'beyond imparting information," it is to protect the public from deception. It lias no other menus of doing this than by fearlessly unmasking falsehood and fraud. The Press thus becomes the enemy of deceivers, and unless it is jn-otccted its efforts must often fail. A safeguard for the Press is nenlly a safeguard for the public. We are living in an age of "shoddy" and imposition. In diplomacy, politics, commerce, mamifuctures, art, food," drink, medicine, and social conventionalities, imposture and fraud reign supreme, and the only check upon the growth of this evil is a free, outspoken, and unfettered Press. An unroported incident, which marked Mr Monk's first political address in the Paruell I Call is too good to be allowed to pass into oblivion. The candidate, in opening his speech, instituted a comparison between Sir George Grey's deliverances and the performances of the gi'eat Paganini upon his single-stringed violin, and thenceforward he derisively referred to the Knight ol : Ivawaii as " our great Paganini," and his party as " the Paganini party." These allusions seemed to have stimulated the bile and worked up the choler of Mr Ball, of Newmarket, otherwise known as ''the father of sixteen children." and at the close of the candidate's remarks he took occasion to allow his pent-up feelings free vent. He indignantly denounced Mr Monk for his insolence in speaking of Sir George Grey as a " picaninny," and was proceeding with much warmth to vindicate his chief from such an undeserved reflection, when a disgusted Greyite, recovering from the loud laughter, in which everyone had joined, yelled out, " Oh, dry up, you old fool. You don't know what you're talking about." This appeared to Mr Ball to be adding insult to injury, and so after gravely informing the audience of the etymology of the word "piccaninny" he poured out a fresh vial of wrath upon Mr Monk's devoted head, and then moved a. vote of no-confl-dence in him. To the present day lie fails to recognise any difference between Paganini and " piccaninny." Particulars have reached us from one of the chief settlements in the- Hay of Plenty district of an instance of grasping usury which would almost raise a blush on the cheeks of Shylock. Some time ago one of the leading solicitors of the place advertised in the local paper that he-j was prepared to lend money in sums of £10 and ] upwards on good security. A doctor, who saw j the advertisement, went to the lawyer and raised :i loan of £'10, signing a promissory note at three months for £12 10, and handing over jewellery of the value of £15 as security. The interest thus amounted to one hundred per cent per annum. When the bill matured it was dishonoured, and the holder sued for it- in the J Resident Magistrate's Court, anil obtained judg- ; inent, the magistrate, however, giving time for J payment of the money. The solicitor who was guilty of this act of gross extortion is one of the shining lights of the church, and moves in the pink of society. It is to be hoped that he will be i proceeded against under the Pawnbroker's Act ] for carrying on the business of a pawnbroker without being in possession of a licence. In another case to which an Auckland bill-discounter and a local publican are the parties as much as 120 per cent was charged. It is high time a salutary example were made of some of these rogues who prey upon the necessities of the needy and unfortunate. There is a dire commotion among the Parnellites since the election. A grave charge- has been preferred against one of the candidates. He has been guilty of conduct' which is calculated to shatter the Constitution, to corrupt the Civil Service of the colony, and to shake society to its very foundations. The whole affair lias been reported to the Government, and will probably j result in Parliament being called together at an early date, if it dors not necessitate the immediate calling out of the Volunteers and Militia, j and other frightful consequences which one < trembles to contemplate. It appears that Mr Monk and his friends have discovered that Mr | Moss, the successful candidate, employed a youth of 17 to canvass for him during the election. This youth is his own son, a cadet in the. Civil Service. The lad Mas until recently editor and proprietor of the " School Chronicle," a large and influential journal of about the diinent<ions of an ordinary sheet- of foolscap, and lie has very recently given up school and thrown himself with all the ardour of /ierv youth into the vortex of a political struggle. In a formidable indictment that has been sent by Mr Monk and his friends lo the Government, the youth is described as a "civil servant of New Zealand," and since the document has been despatched it has been observed by his friends that he seems to have grow » at least two inches taller. The joke of the thing is that Judge teuton, Mr Talbot, and several other civil servants, holding high and influential positions, openly canvassed for Mr Monk. One of our public institutions, not many miles from the District Hospital, has recently been the scene of an exciting amatory adventure. Some time since a female servant of prepossessing appearance was appointed to a vacancy in the institution, and a Teutonic professor of the .culinary art fell a victim to her charms. For her he reserved the' most luscious morsels of his menu—A species of delicate attention which always renders the, cooTc a formidable rival in affairs of love —and he was profuse with valuable presents of a more substantial character. No wonder that his suit prospered. What female heart is proof against the seductive intlueuces of a tender piece of chjeken, a, well-made omelet, or a slice of crisp jam tart? How often, where a lady's affections have vacillated between two rival swains, lias the scale been turned by a timely and judicious appeal to the fair one's palate at some supper or Amuer party ? But re venous a nos moutons. A

hated rival appeared on the scene, in the person of ;i floriciilturalist. Being unable to secure an introduction, he hit upon a stratagem in order to make the lady's acquaintance. Love will always find out a way. Ho secreted himself in ' a sitting-room to- which she was wont to retire in the afternoon, and there poured out tlio tale of his heart. It is said that the preliminaries of a marriage have been' arranged, and that the happy pair will depart for Canada, and go into farming, the lady having laid up a goodly sum in savings. The disconsolate cook is often seen in the vicinity of the fair one's place of residence, armed with an overgi'own sapling, and having a look of vengeance in his eyes ; but the interloping rival has hitherto kept out of his way. A few issues ago wo (without absolutely naming the house) passed a few remarks about the outrageous Sunday-trading which goes on at the Foresters Awns, in Albert-street, and the extraordinary incapacity of the constables on duty in the neighbourhood to sec anything out of the way there. Well, after this it might have been thought that both the landlord and the police would have been more alert — the former to keep things quieter, and the latter to watch the hotel. Nothing of the kind. On the very next Sunday tilings were, if possible, worse than ever. There was the same stream of hilarious and semi-tipsy topers swaggering in and out from G a.m. tiil mid-day, the visitors in the front rooms at the Star Hotel were again annoyed by sights and sounds of an indescribably objectionable description, and the police remained as conspicuous as usual by their absence. About noon, however, a crisis supervened. A gentleman who bail been imbibing " not wisely, but too well," grew quarrelsome in his cups ; and a constable— or was it a couple — ap- j pearing on the scene, a free fight ensued, in the course of which some damage was done to the j policeman's uniform. On Monday evening we j scanned the IS tar eagerly, fully expecting to find that the landlord of the Foresters Arms had at length beon summoned to account for Sundaytrailing. But no, there was not a word about ] him. The light was certainly mentioned, though vaguely, and as having occurred in Albert -street, | (which might mean anywhere), and the toper (less sinning than sinned against) got. severely fined. On the following Sunday and last, Sunday there seemed to be no diminution whatever as regards the liquor traflie at the Foresters Arms ; in fact, about 1 ft.m. on the latter morning, the whole locality was roused by screams of "Murder!" coining from this peaceful hostelry. From what we could gather, the gas had been suddenly turned out, and the guests, in various stages of intoxication, had taken to tearing each other to pieces. Anyhow, t lie street was roused, windows at the Star thrown up, and Sir George Grey and other notable visitors aroused from their sleep. The peculiar feature about the matter is that fhe>e scenes only occur on Sundays. On week days the house is perfectly quiet and orderly. We beg to return our cordial thanks to the estimable ladies and gentlemen who took advantage of the temporary absence of the proprietor of this journal to flood our letter boxes with libels, scandalous stories, and other objectionable matter. Xo doubt, these worthies thought the opportunity an excellent one to get the paper into trouble, but they reckoned without their host, for the acting editor has been over fifteen years a pressman, and was even less likely to be imposed upon than ourselves. — ~+ An instance of how even the kindest actions may lead to trouble and involve people in an atrocious scandal has just occurred to a gentleman and his wife, who own a. comfortable homestead and block of land in the Tauranga district. Some time ago Captain A. (as we shall call him) was ill, and came to Auckland for medical advice and attendance. He put up at one of the large boarding-houses in the city, and after rather a prolonged slay got better. The landlady has a family of several children, and one of them, a uirl of between 11 and 15, ] attracted the attention of Mrs A. by her wan looks and apparently delientehealth, and, thinking that country air and plain living might do her uood. Mrs A. very kindly asked the girl to pay | liei 1 a visit on their return home. The in- ' vilation was, after some demur, gratefully accepted by both .mother and daughter. Uy-and-bye the time came, the girl went to Mrs A 's, and for a week or two all was as it should be. Presently, however, Captain A. grew uncomfortable and dissatisfied. He noticed the•fifl evinced a decided penchant for flirting with hi? carters and stable boys. Contrary to repeated requests, she stayed out late in the evening, and came in at hours " \\-)\t'n all good little boys and girls should be in bed,"' and in other respects her conduct gave grave cause for anxiety. Finding remonstrance unavailing, and not- liking to take any further responsibility for such doings, Captain and Mrs A. at length sorrowfully determined I to send the young lady home to her mother. The captain rode into town with her, and put her under the care of a suitable person, who duly saw the young lady home. Here, by rights, the story ought to end, but, unfortunately, the most important part has yet to come. Mademoiselle was cross at being sent back thus prematurely, and in order to revenge herself on her entertainers for dismissing her she. invented what can ouly be called a very abominable story. Captain A., 'the girl averred, was himself the culprit, who flirted and took liberties with her, and the veryday he had ridden into T with her he had seized her round the waist, kissed her, and otherwise made himself extremely obnoxious. By-and-bye this edifying yarn reached the ears of Captain and Mrs A., and their feelings can be easier imagined than described. Whatever faults the gallant Captain may have, he is devoted to his wife, who is. in turn,' very fond of him, and the last thing lie would do is insult her by spooning with a plain little girl of 14. This being so, A. was extremely angry, and forthwith visited a lawyer, instructing him to demand an immediate apology and withdrawal from the girl and the girl's mother, on pain of legal proceedings, The withdrtiwitl was, after a time, forwarded, and the matter has dropped, save, of course, in conversa-

tion. It shows, however, how careful people ought to be in giving invitations to their houses. A dishonourable guest may involve a home in endless trouble. Just as Sir George Grey began to thank the electors, from the corner of the raised ground on the level of the Court-house, after tha resxtlt of the poll for City East was known, loud cheers from another point in High-street, where Mr Clark was simultaneously addressing his supporters, drowned .Sir George Grey's voice. Much impatience was manifested by those farthest oil: from where he was standing, and a rush was made by the crowd in the rear to silence the interruption. This may account for the pressure round Mr Clark. If any personal violence was used towards him, it deserves the severest reprobation. Some allowance must be made, however, for the circumstances, and for the peculiar misfortune of both Sir George Grey and Mr Clark attempting to address the electors from different points ; but there is scarcely a man in Auckland who will not be ready to endorse the feeling of astonishment expressed by Mr Clark at the decla- ! ration of the poll for City East that anyone should have so far forgotten what was due to the occasion, no less than to Mi" Clark himself— making the fullest allowance for the momentary excitement — as to offe* 1 personal violence to one who is deserving of respect as a man and a citizen. We do not acquit Air Clark of want of judgment in entering upon the contest, or of the manner in which lie yielded to the bad judgment and rabid zeal of some of his mercenary supporters and interested promoters, but if, us he alleged in his speech at the declaration of the poll, personal violence was offered to him, it is a matter for sincere regret, not only to his friends, but to those who think that he acted unwisely in his candidature. Mr Clark may well exclaim, "Save nic from my friends 1", A lady correspondent writes, " Really some of the Auckland girls don't seem to know their own minds. Why should a girl feel ashamed of the fact that she is engaged to a decent nitiu any more than >he will (let us hope) feel ashamed of him when he becomes her husband. in many instances, as I am fully aware, announcements of engagements have been published in the OusKßA'j:Jt which were perfectly bona J'hlp, but afterwards outside influence have been brought to bear on the joung spoonies, and the engagements have been broken off. In some eases the mother or father has only heard of the matter through the Ou.skkvkk, and lias immediately interfered. This, of course, is what comes of not consulting the old people, though I cannot, see why young men and women should not be allowed to select their future life partners, especially as they are much more interested than the old folks. "Why don't you ask your mother?" asked a friend of a young swell who was about, to marry. "Well," replied the young fellow, in his usual easy way, "she didn't consult me, juu know, ami why the deuce should I consult -her ?" After all, however, it would not be amiss it' the young men and women were to avail themselves of the advice of more experienced heads before they rush heedlessly into matrimony. Remember Punch's "Advice to people about to marrv — Don't."