MORALITY AND THE "BUS' TIMES."

Tuapeka Times, Volume VI, Issue 274, 1 May 1873, Page 6

MORALITY AND THE "BUS' TIMES."

Thus the " Cromwell Argus" wtj[^H In England, when ballet' girls appe^^f greater than customary scantinegg^H apparel ; when a play is produced uncommon immorality; or when "fag^l publications go beyond decent boti^^H the Lord High Chamberlain, mio^H of the good morals of the British tm^| lie, steps in to object. He acts t]^| part of moral guardian, of the peon^l Whether or not it may have been JM quired, we believe we are correct saying that no such interference been made in the history of New 2^mm and, But out contemporary the "B^H stan Times " fancies he has found casion for it in connection with thep Q^H lication of the JTarrell letters ; and I last issue he assumes the role of moi^| judge of Colonial journalism — no slig^| assumption on the part of one of til most miserable representatives of j^| He describes the publication of thofl letters by his fellows as a " pander^B to the vitiated and morbid tastes of t]^H present generation ; " and sententious™ remarks, in concluding a sentence co]H structed after his own peculiar ideas dH English composition : " but verily oqH wives and daughters are to be excludH from the current literature of the dJfl or to have their feelings outraged mH the publication of such maudling an 9 immoral trash, as published by some qH our contemporaries." Few, we tnajH remark in passing, will hold with tfcfl opinion here given that the iettenß however much they may partake oftjj character of maudling (? maudlin) tras{9 contain anything so immortal as to rew der them unfit for the reading of {9 males, or anything likely to affect the " moral health of the community a large," as our contemporary further as serts. Except in one or two points the letters might have been written b the most correct of tender youthft lovers. Not a single indecent oxpre sion is to be found in them. The fo of the woman being married rende the loves of the two illicit ; but it i open to question whether the public. tion our contemporary so condemns vi not help in the way of warning \ those of like inclinations rather than a iducement to such sinful loving on tl part of others. But to return fro this disgression. The Lord Clnunhe lain, who judges what is fit and propi to be placed before the British public. fitted by his moral character so to j udg" or ought to be ere be is elevated to ft judging position. And4^Emuclyr.o» should a self-eonstituted^ntrc'jTiuch dm the " Times " in the case before us, J possessed of the qualifications ncecessaiß to adapt Mm to the office. His ant« cedents should be of the purest descrip-J tion — without stain or blemish. He] should ever be careful to practise wkii he preaches. Has the "Times" bee:! thus careful ! Only a few weeks ago, there appeared in the columns of this contemporary a review and an advertisement at the same time, it being s sine qua non to the payment of the advertisement that it should not appear without the review, — of certain works by Dr. Beaney, of Melbourne. These! works were of such character that therl vary names can be seen by no woman 1 without a blush. By implication, of course, the review — insertion of which was refused by one journal, at least, which makes no such pretensions to superior modesty as this sensorious critic — was the outcome of the brain cf the " Dunstan Times " editor, although in reality it was the work o! some one in Melbourne concerned in the successful sale of the books alluded to. Were " our wives and daughters" not expected to see this review because it happened to be paid for as an advertisement ? Or is this a case — as so finely expressed in " Beautiful Snow," —of " Selling my soul to whoever would buy : Dealing in shame for a morsel of bread ? " But there's no occasion to go back upon our judge's antecedents for evidence that he is of all others the least worthy of the self-assured wi^ and gown. We need but to glance at the same sheet in which the abovequoted remarks appeal*, and we find the wty'te choker and up-turned eyea which lent their influence to the pen while writing the editorial, entirely dispensed with when the scissors comes to be taken in hand. Our contemporary gives a fine example of his consistency and a noble evidence of his moral purity, when he publishes the following paragraph :—": — " In a case that came before the county Magistrates at Winborne, Dorsetshire, it transpired that a a grown-up son, and two grown-up daughters habitually slept in one bed, and that one of the girls had had three children by her own father." Are " our wives and daughters" expected to reap beneflt from this kind of information? Eighteen hundred years ago, mankind was thus advised : Judge not, that ye be not judged. We won't repeat Mark Twain's witticism, and say this is news to the editor of the " Duns^^gimes ;" but perhaps he would do weuwi kefcp the admonition in mind.

It is related of a Detroit editor, that being lost overboard from a steamer inifee middle of Lake Superior, on a dark and stormy night, and with nothing to cling to, he was in a fair way to be drowned, when hi just straightened up his ears, upon which the wind acted as upon sails, and he scudded before the gale, making good time, and safely landed on Canada acsUjj after feia nervous yoya°;e.,