THE PRESS AND THE DEMACOGUES.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 571, 28 July 1909, Page 4

THE PRESS AND THE DEMACOGUES.

Sir—How is it that in.a democratic and well educated coinmuinity like this, such a large amount of importance and . deference is given to certain well known individuals who are constantly ( !boomed >J aud advertised by all threo newspapers in Wellington, who seem to constantly vio with each other in thoir efforts to do honour to those highly-favoured individuals? A very short time-ago it,was Mr. M'Laren this, and Mr. M'Laren that, and' Mr. M'Laron the other thing. At another time,-it is Mr. P. J. O'Regan who is I the object of all this mispjacod attention. Just now it is Mr. Hislop,' the ox-Mayor, whoso opinions and denunciations occupy column after column of tho local press, and who is putting • Dr. Newman, and everybody else: completely in the, background. A visitor might well think that ho was m an Oriental city, and that these men wero Oriental magnates of the very highest rank and .importance, when ho sees the way the rogoitcrg constant]?, dog thoir footatsna .and

buml/ly (irnvo their celestial opinions on'this, llinf.i drill the other tiling, of wliich prncllflttlly Him If now nothing about at nil, but 11(0 us full of high-flown theories ns an egg in full Of meat, Kvcn the King of England iloi'fl riol/ rv.mi/b tns much homage and dofiiCM/Co to Ills opinions as llicso men receive jioro nt till! hands of tho press. The man in tfio stroot is perfectly familiar, with tho Opinlo/m of l-hoso men on every eonccivahio topic 11/nlor tlio sun, and docs not want to soo tliftlr wurras for ever plastered all over tho pages of his daily newspaper.—l am, etc., SUBSCRIBER. July 22, WQ. |.Wo are Inclined to agfeo with our correspondent In some respects, Ho, however, mils to distinguish between tho individual and tho position ho holds.]

HASTY CONCLUSIONS. Sir,—You recently published an extract from a Jotter written by our well-Known fellow-citizen, Mr. T. Kennedy Macdonald, relating his experiences' while touring tho Continent of Europe, Among" other things, AJr. Macdonald states ho had not seen any ono tho worse for liquor, and ho seems anxious that this fact should bo brought, under tho notice of the New Zealand prohibitionists. Whilo no ono for a. moment would doubt Mr, Macdonald's word, yet testimony of this character may bo absolutely worthless as to whether or not drinking exists to any considerable extent. I daresay'Mr! Macdonald will bo ready to assert that drunkenness is much more prevalent in New Zealand than in the districts referred to in his letter. 1 think wo may infer this much from the tono of his remarks. That being so, it may surprise Mr. Macdonald to learn that somo years ago, Mr, Cooper, of tho "Scotsman" (a leading paper at Homo), expressed bis surprise that Ntw Zealand should be agitating for prohibition, seeing that during his six weeks trip through our colony ho saw little or no drunkenness, cither north or south. This well illustrates tho danger of drawing conclusions solely from the oxperienco of tourists, ■■ however well-intentioned or truthful they may be.--I am, etc.,' OAUTION. July 26 v ,/::'-; 81R ROBERT STOUT'S UTTERANCES, I Sir,-r-i>ome of your' correspondents have taken in hand tho task of defending tho Chief Justice, but, >to an ordinary reader, it would seem that if Sir Robert's statements mean anything, they mean that re-ligious.-teaching assists in making criminals. There is one thing .that has not been made very xlear by Mr. Ostler, when ho speaks of Sir Itobert Stout's great advantage of •knowing the: religious body to "which each prisoner; belonged. : Are we .to understand that he took >"a note of the school each one attended?, I: believe that the' only church schools in the Dominion, apart from Native sohools, are Christ's Cplloge, Wanganui College,: and the .Auckland - Grammar School. Does Mr. Ostler assert that all the criminals credited to, the Church como from these? ;If_.not-, the only alternative is that tbey were educated -in the Government-secular schools. . ; The -reason Sir;Robert:Stout's utterances are not taken seriously is that his conclusions always seem' to chime in with his' own views on religion.—l am,, etc;, '■.r. : 'y /;^.,^;'-v:"' ; ;Vi Y: yERITAS.