The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. MONDAY. DECEMBER 30, 1889. UNDESIRABLE CABLE NEWS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2317, 30 December 1889, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. MONDAY. DECEMBER 30, 1889. UNDESIRABLE CABLE NEWS.

la the report of the interview had with Mr Coad a day or two ago by a representative of this journal will have been noticed the following very just remarks : — " It is deplorable that only the worst side of life at Home is telegraphed across the water. Public scandals, prize fights, murders, etc., are the burden of the cablegrams. This ought to be remedied." To that we heartily say, •' Hear, hear 1" for no one would be better pleased to see a reform m this particular than ourselves. Single-handed we are utterly powerless to effeot it, but we do the next best thing by omitting to publish the greater part of this worse than trash which reaches us, and for which, nevertheless, we have, of course, to pay. We do this m the interest of purity and good manners, for we are persuaded that the publication of the details of brutalised exhibitions, and even the bare news of a certain class of offence f, tends to their reproduction and multiplication — so strong is the imitative instinct of weak-minded humanity. Now and then we make an exception to our rule of suppressing all reference to such matters— one of these exceptions being m the publication a few days ago of the cablegram relating to the SlavinSmith prize fight. This we gave almost m eatenso for tbe reason that it so completely showed up the low ruffianism of tbe ring, that the false glamour which its votaries try to throw over such contests by the misapplied term of " the noble art " aaust have been effectually dispelled by seeing the picture painted for once m its true colors. Not even the greatest admirer of what was once regarded as a true British way of settling a dispute, championing the right, or punishing a wrong, can have a word to say m favour of a low, brutal' cowardly display of blackguardism on the part of a set of betting cads, whose only object was to make money by foul if they could not make it by fair means, and had recourse to belaboring the winning man with sticks m the endeavor to gain their end. The indignation evoked by such a scene will, it is to be hoped, effectually wipe out the P.K. which had begun to revive, and ought to lead to stringent legislation with that view. We would make it penal for anyone to go outside the country to evade the law, and, if on the return of the offenders they were liable to prosecution and exemplary punishment, one of two things wonld happen, viz., either pugilists and their backers would abstain from going abroad to fight and witness fights, or having once gone abroad for that purpose they would stay away rather than return to undergo the penalties of the law. Thus, either the law would not be broken, or if broken the country would be rid of so much brutality and rascaldom, Reverting, however, to the subject of the undesirable cablegrams forwarded to the colony, we can scarcely do better than to add here the following sensible and explanatory remarks on the same subject of an Oamaru contemporary—the "North Otago Times." ihat journal m its issue of Friday last says : — " There cannot be much risk m assuming that the news which we publish from time to time m the shape of cable messages concerning priae fights, is distasteful — nay, disgusting to the respectable reader. Bat the New Zealand newspaper has practically very little choice m the matter. The associated journals of this colony have a business compact with the associated big dailies of Australia, and it is under that compact that we get most of our cable news. What is sent from Europe to the Australia papers is therefore transmitted to New Zealand ; and as everything referring to the lower and merely animal recreations of mankind seems to be especially esteemed m Australia— -not a very good sign, surely—long accounts of bestialising prize fights m Europe appear from time to time m the colonial newspapers. It is true there are two ways m which, m so far as New Zealand is concerned, these accounts might be kept ■ out of our own papers : the Press Association cf this colony might insist oa the transmitting agency m Australia withholding all cable messages relating to prize fights, or every paper here could consign these accounts to the waste paper basket as they came to hand. In view of all the facts, however, the latter course would be nonsensical and practically of little avail ; and therefore the only efficient remedy would be the retention of the messages m Australia. But after all, is that course really a desirable one ? The prevalence of prize fights shows that civilisation has still got its foul depths an ugly excrescences, and the fact that the newsofsuch things is interesting to people m these young communities Dhows— so it seems to vs — that these communities, too, have etill within them elements of much brutality. It i& just as well that this should be known — it is just as well that this should be brought to the surface, surely j for then the clergyman, the statesman, and the social reformer •~-in fact every true man and good woman—- must be m a bettor position to deal with tendencies that are evil and amongst ourselves. To know about prize fighting ib to know about the degraded animalism it proceeds from and leads to m the Old World; and the fact that the news of such fights is relished here shows how much we have to guard i against, and to crush out, amongst ourselves ;' and also gives hi^ts as to where the work .has to be done, and as to how it should be done/