The Evening Star THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 1873.

Evening Star, Issue 3098, 23 January 1873, Page 2

The Evening Star THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 1873.

Those oafs should be restrained during their lives From pen and ink, as madmen are from knives. •

These two lines forced themselves upon our mind, after glancing at the leader published by our morning contemporary yesterday. Although the ideas contained in it arc not worth.a thought, so far as their intrinsic value is concerned, it is well to ask ourselves whence the writers spring whoso sole aim is evidently tho gratification of personal spite, at the cost of fairness, consistency, and truth ? From what class of life do they emerge? Are those backward and forward opinions, one day ridiculing a Baknes, the next day praising him; one hour- hand-and-glove with a Mayor, and a few mouths afterwards striving to blacken his character before the world, the emanations of one mind, by nature false, Dissembling, cruel, and inconstant, or arc they (he motley gatherings from different wits? From what classes do they spring? Arc they the inntterings of monomania or the spuiteringsof spleen jaundiced by disappointment, or of selfesteem wounded by society not placing the same value upon the mental qualifications of the writer, that he himself estimates them at ? Are the sentences in praise of Baknes written by a hand that wield* a crowbar, or by one whose only desire is to use tho editorial chair as a tool for dragging men down, who by (heir personal efforts and talent have risen to push, tions of honor? Truly, to road all that lias appeared .concerning public men, in our contemporary's columns, the world might imagine Ne\v Zealand to be fflleqi with knaves and fools, No one escapes: tho Governor, the Superintendent, tire Colonial Treasurer, the late Colonial Secretary, the Mayor, the Corporation, wjieft it suits Ibe Trliiw of tbo hour, or

' when the names serve to gnilify pcisonal pique, are by turns held forth to the world as men — Fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils. Quo day it is Baknks ainl democracy, and then .Thames in plush presents Ins leader with Ids compliments, and from the servants’ hall in Belgravia proceeds an article longing tor an _ aristocracy. The oppressions and misrule of generations; the long struggles for emancipation from feudal tyranny aie forgotten; Jeames only rememhers that while the hard-working men paid twothirds of the taxes of Great Britain, and oftentimes were reduced to the very 'eige of starvation through aristocratic rule, he grew sleek and well-favored at the servants’ table, fed with the rich viands and wines that fall to the lot of Belfrravia’s dependents. Our eonleiupoiaiy seems to have forgotten the series ol: articles that appeared applauding the action of Sir Charles Dilkeuiliw stump attack upon Her Majesty; he has surely forgotten his ill-timed and ungtacious remarks upon the Prince of M ales at a time when every right-minded man felt concerned that his life was in daugei; he has forgotten certain articles concerning the House of Lords, and many other similar tirades against aristocratic institutions as they exist; and one _ would imagine, from this evidence of short memory or recklessness of consistency, that the idea in the editorial room of the Daily Times is that newspapers arc only useful in proportion to their absence of principle. Truly it may be said concerning its writers that they —

.—— extol Things vulgar, and well weigh’d, scarce worth

the praise. They praise and they admire they know not what, , , ~ And know not whom, but as one leads the

other; And what delight to be by such extoll d, To live upon their tongues and be their talk, Of whom to be disprais’d were no small praise .

At one time, the slandering of the leading mm of the Colony, and ot its institutions, was dangerous to its credit, because of the position our contemporary held as one of the leading organs of Neu Zealand. The prostitution of its columns to unworthy purposes has gone far to destroy its prcslhje, at least where the mischief contemplated can be counteracted by publication of the truth. But, like all timehonored names, outside the Colony fUo JJaihf 'Times is looked upon us authoritative,'although the results of measures adopted by its public men arc constantly proving the incorrectness of its opinions. People outside the Cojoriy arc not in a position to judge of the truth pf conduct attributed to a Fox or a Vo<jkl or a Fisir. and accept slanders ns true that, fairly stated, would bear a very different construction from that put upon them. Wlu-u there is fair room for- condemnation, we never have been backward, noriuwei shall hesitate to condemn and giie our reasons for it. But to set up statesmen and men in olliee as butts for^ shooting at with arrows poisoned by different malevolent motives, is not only to bring disgrace agd discredit on the men themselves,"but it, jj?suit the judgment, and malign the principles of those who chose them, and to degrade the Colony in the eyes of the civilised world. We may truly say of our contemporary : No other use of payer thou should’st make Than loads and roams upon thy ba :k : Carry vast burdens; till thy shoulders sluink, Bat curst be he who give* thee pen and ink ! Such dangerous weapons siwAd !iC kept from fools, As muses from their children keep edge tools,