The Evening Star SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1873

Evening Star, Issue 3345, 8 November 1873, Page 2

The Evening Star SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1873

On Tuesday, the 4th November, we published a letter, bearing date October 27, under the heading of “Treatment of Immigrants,” which was attested in the usual way, and which, therefore, relying upon the hona friles ot the writer, we gave insertion to. The subject is one importance, for we hold it to be our duty as colonists, if we induce immigrants to come and live amongst us, to prove by our treatment of them that they have come to a land where they will meet with kindness, humanity, and consideration. If, therefore, any should be found to act as described in the letter in question, through publishing the circumstances, society holds an only but wholesome check over them. We are glad to find, however, that our correspondent has b'*en completely misled in the matter, or has abused the privilege of anonymous writing by stating his impressions for facts. Since the letter was published, we have obtained minute information of the details of the case, and are glad to say that so far from the girl having been treated with inhumanity, she had shown to her the utmost kindness and attention. In every case of the sort there is a substratum of truth. It is true that the new arrival by the Peter Denny was engaged as servant by a family in the town, and that while in their service she was taken ill. But it is not true that then she was left without proper attendance for some days, although possibly she may not have been scientifically treated. Neither is it true that she Avas neglected by the family, who provided her with every comtort and with such special sick diet as would have been supplied to a member of the family. Finding she was not likely to recover shortly, she consented to go to the hospital, and left the house under the escort of a male friend, who, instead of proceeding at once to the hospital, lodged her at an inn. Anxious about her health, and supposing, as arranged, she had gone to the hospital, inquiry was made two days afterwards, when it was found she had not gone there, but to an inn with her friend. Nothing more was heard of her until a few days afterwards, when the head of the family was told, casually, the girl was lying dangerously ill in the hospital. On receipt of this intelligence the servant was sent down with changes of linen and some delicacies, always acceptable to the sick, but not, we believe, included in the hospital dietary. The sufferer expressed her thanks for the clothes, but said she did not require them, as she was well supplied; and the servant who took them denies altogether that she ever delivered such a message as that her mistress had sent them for her to be “ dressed in,” or that she was “ ordered to leave at once ” . . . “ followed by the indignant reproaches of all who heard her.’ Her statement is—“ she saw two persons only, and they never uttered a word of reproach.” That the dying girl had confidence in the kind-hearted-ness of the family she had left is shown in the fact that she bid the visiting servant—a fellow-passenger—to ask her mistress for a “ feather pillow j" and one was taken to her personally by the husband ; but toe late for the girl’s comfort she was dead before he arrived. Such, on the most reliable authority, are the facts that have been supplied to us, bearing immediately upon the case, and we have great satisfaction in setting the matter in a proper light before the public. If we acquit the writer of the letter which we published of any other motive than hj umanity, it is plain that it is not always sate to trust to the statements even of the dying. There was enough of truth in the girl’s story to justify the idea that the circumstances in which she was placed had induced, perhaps, very natural feelings of loneliness, easily exaggerated through sickness, into an idea of neglect; but there were events left out of sight that would have corrected the wrong impressions in the mind of our correspondent, who, we trust, will in future be more careful in making statements, on slight grounds, calculated to injure family reputation and blacken Provincial character. While on this subject, we are sorry to have to complain that the privilege of anonymous writing is endeavored to be made use of for very unworthy purposes. In this instance, we are inclined to think our correspondent erred through his feelings; but, in future, in all cases of this sort, as a condition of insertion of a letter, we shall expect not only that the writer gives, as usual, his name and address, but that he consents, in need, to have both published j or, at least, made known to the parties aggrieved, and be ready to substantiate the truth of his statements. It is the only safeguard against a paper being made a vehicle of slander. We trust our contemporaries will support us in this wholesome rule.