Wairarapa Standard Published Tri-weekly, Price 1d. MONDAY, JUNE 15, 1885. A Merited Castigation.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XVIII, Issue 1694, 15 June 1885, Page 2

Wairarapa Standard Published Tri-weekly, Price Id. MONDAY, JUNE 15, 1885. A Merited Castigation.

The idiosyucracies of a few country newspapers in this colony are rather amusing in their developments. It often happens that when two of those journals arc published in the same i township or district, the editors make it the chief business of their lives to continually keep slang-whanging each other and to maintain a continual paper war ” about all sorts of things, carrying it out on the principle of neither giving nor talcing quarter. These terrible literary duels are very harmless in their results, because hard words break no bones. Besides there is a certain sort of fun about such “ barneys ” —-to use a slang but expressive phrase—which causes much laughter amongst the onlookers. The comic element in the business is that each of those little papers feels bound to blow its own trumpet on all possible occasions, and to declare that it is great, good, noble, and highminded ; and that in truth there is uo country paper equal unto it—no, not one. Fortunately, journalism in this colony is growing out of this silly, cheeky, and ridiculously conceited phase of development, and most of the country papers of the present day arc fairly good in tone, and intelligent and moderate in comment. Nor are they often found fighting with each other on petty personal or “ shop ” questions. Jn the Wairarapa district, journalism is, in the uain, respectable, moderate, and conducted with fair ability. We have tried in the Standard to fulfil those conditions, with what success our readers are the best judges, and our Masterton contemporaries appear to keep similar aims and objects steadily in view. We bavo an occasional tilt with each other when differences arise on public questions, but such discussions are usually carried on with fairness and moderation. So far then, the Press in the Wairarapa occupies an honorable position, and fairly represents the wants, feelings, and interests of the settlers.

But unhappily there is one c.vcop tion to this satisfactory state of things. An obscure print—it cannot bo called a newspaper—has for two or three years past,dragged, out a sickly, precarious and wretched existence in Carterton. We have scarcely over thought it worth while to notice this queer little sheet of dummy advertisements, and fearfully and wonderfully constructed paragraphs, Still, when a stray copy of it comes in our way, we used to have a look at it as possessing the interest which attaches to a literary curiosity. In very truth, this miserable rag, calling itself a newspaper, must often have reminded its reader of the leg of mutton which the great Doctor Johnston once dined on at an Oxford inn, mid which, with his characteristic energy, ho pronounced to bo “ill fed, ill killed, ill kept, and ill cooked;” just ns this Carterton Observer is ill compiled, ill arranged, ill written, and ill printed. It has always been thought a good joke amongst pressmen and printers to say 1 11 at anything dreadfully wrong and stupid in the way of either writing or printing “ was bad enough for the Carterton rag.” It has always been filled with queer, ungrammatical, and ill spelt paragraphs, while what it was pleased to term “ leading articles,”! have been simply bosh, bunkum, and I blatherskite, expressed in such execrable orthography and composition! as would cause a fourth standard schoolboy to bo soundly caned, This caricature of a newspaper never got into any appreciable circulation, It is taken in by a few Carterton people from a feeling of charitable pity towards what may be termed “ a local production, ” but scarcely anybody else iu the Wairarapa ever sees the print, which is ignored by all sensible folks. Of late, however, the proprietor

and the editor of the Observer have vainly tried to achieve a little temporary notice by adopting the expedient of “ blowing thoir own trumpet ” and printing lies about the Standard. On May 30th the Observer had an article headed “ Ourselves,” in which it hysterically declared that its circulation was enormously increasing, and that generally it was going to do great and wonderful things. On that par - ticular Saturday the Observer alleged “ that during the week it had added one sixth to its circulation.” The present circulation of the Observer being probably about 150 copies, the addition of one sixth would add 25 more to those printed. But the 25 extra copies were purely mythical. The assertion about them was just a bit of bounce. They had no more real existence than 11 Sairey Gamp’s ” apocryphal friend, Mrs Harris. The Observer just wanted “to make a splash ” and try to get some credulous folks to believe that there was still some spark of life left in its moribund carcase. This dodge is a very stale one, and quite worthy of the notorious E. H. Grigg, the erstwhile machine cleaner of the old Independent Office, who, after wandering all over the colony, has at length found a haven of refuge in Carterton, and has for the nonce been made an editor. If Grigg had been content with merely “ blowing ” we would have left him alone. But forsooth, this jumped-up creature of the cotton rags and the oilfeeder, must needs write of “ the leprous literature ” which he asserts is contained in the supplements of the Standard. “ The oil feeder and rag man ” knows nothing whatever about literature —let alone spelling and English grammar. He has merely picked up the expression “ leprous literature ” as applied by an English journal to some filthy books and brochures which are still published in secret there and sent by post to people of unwholesome minds, who forward stamps in order to obtain such garbage. Grigg has repeated the phrase in parrot fashion, and applied it to the highly interesting and perfectly pure novelettes and other articles which appear in our supplements. We have the emphatic testimony of hundreds of our subscribers that the literary matter in our supplements, published week by week, is of a kind and quality which is specially adapted to be read by women of pure minds, and that the wives, daughters, and sisters take the greatest delight in these stories and sketches. Then the alter ego of the pretended purist, Grigg, must needs write a letter to the Observer under the highly appropriate signature of “ Ugly Buck ” and repeat the same abominally false statements in other forms. Of course this letter, which is falsely dated from Greytown, was written by Grigg himself in the Observer Office, and this is what that purist and moralist—that Salvation Army Saint—with a twist in his eye—says :—•

"I have often wondered how it was that the publisher of that journal, being the father of a family, circulated such rubbish. These supplements contain no real humor or wit, but exciting and lying stories, of the "Boys’ Own Paper ” style, which degrade instead of elevate the mind. They sow the seed of that larrikinism, which has made our town here (meaning Greytown) so notorious.”

The writer of the foregoing is a “ shameless liar.” Our readers all know perfectly well that the Stand Aim supplements contain the most carefully selected literary matter issued by any newspaper in the colony. There are interesting and graphically told stories and novelettes, all of the purest tone, articles on local questions, pickings from the best and newest books ; special articles of value and interest to farmers and station holders ; and wit, humor and varieties for the casual reader. Does literary matter of that pure and elevated kind tend to debase the minds of readers and encourage larrikiuism ? Are such productions “ leprous literature ?” We trow not. But the pure - minded “ (Trigg, ” or “ Ugly Buck ” —they are of course both the same, having published the atrocious falsehood that the Standard Supplement literary matter is “ leprous,” or impure and unwholesome, next asks “ how the proprietor of this journal, can, as the father of a family, publish such things” This of course is piling falsehood upon falsehood. First the lie is put forth that the literary matter of the Supplement is “ leprous,” aud then the publisher is falsely denounced for publishing “leprous” literary matter, a ihiug which he would never even dream of doing. Verily, this is false witness and perjury with a vengeance. But who and what is“ (Trigg ” who talks iu such a high tone about the moral obligations of “a father of a family,” in preserving the minds of his and other people’s children, from all that is impure. Well, we believe that “ (Trigg ” now ligures in the character of “ a brand plucked from the burning.” He has joined the Salvation Army aud ranks as a “ Corporal ” in its fighting contingent. He may bo sincere iu bis now found character. But those who “ seek salvation ’’should at all events give up lying and bearing false witness in the articles which they write for newspapers. We very much fear that “ (Trigg ” has not yet been able to purge himself altogether of those vices. Indeed, it is not at all surprising that some of tho sins and weaknesses of the old Adam should cling to this poor creature still. Any way, he should not just yot preach to a decent living raau about his duty as the father of a family. There is a copy of tho Eveuiug Post before us just now, dated not very long back, iu which we find that “ Salvation Army Corpora! (Trigg,” has not always been very considerate of his duties and responsibilities as “ tho father of a family.” Wo find in this damning record that an information was heard against (Trigg in the .Resident -Magistrate’s Court, at Wellington, charging him with having deserted his wife and family and gone to “ distant parts beyond,” leaving them entirely

without, the means of getting food and raiment and boots and other common necessaries. We also find that five gentlemen of position got into the witness box, one after another, and gave Grigg a character of so peculiar and decided a kind, that there could be no mistake whatever about it. The Magistrate made an order for certain payments against Grigg, (who was stated to be earning £5 a week, on the West Coast of the Middle Island) disobedience to which was to involve imprisonment. This closed the vista then afforded into Grigg’s perform ance of his duties as “ the father of a family.” We should strongly counse “ Grigg ” not to try the pious and moral dodge any longer to the extent of teaching “ the father of a family !/ how to do his duty. Nor indeed had Grigg or the Observer, or its proprietor talk any more about “leprous literature.” The Observer in its very latest issue has published as an advertisement a specimen of the vilest and filthiest literature we have ever seen in print. This advertisement offers for sale packets of obscene pamphlets, of the most filthy, corrupting, and demoralising kind. The publications referred to are sent by post to boys and young men who have forwarded 10s in stamps for them. We do not give the name and address of the publisher, because we do not desire to aid his efforts in corrupting the minds of the young. Such pamphlets, if sold in England, would subject the seller to prosecution and a long sentence of imprisonment under Lord Campbell’s Act for the suppression of obscene books and pictures. Yet this wretched paper at Carterton, which prates about morality and leprous literature has been advertising those abominable pamphlets for months past, and, for the sake of a alight gain, helping in sowing broad cast the seeds of demoralisation, disease, misery and death amongst the rising generation of this district. Out upon such shameless hypocrisy. This subject is a distasteful one and need not be pursued further. We do not like things which are unwholesome, unsavory, and of evil odor. Wo shall therefore drop the Carterton print, the purist Grigg, and all belonging to the concern, leaving them to that base obscurity from which it would be cruel to again drag them forth into the light of day.