THE GLOBE. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1881. MR. HOLMES TRAILS HIS COAT.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2363, 29 October 1881, Page 3

THE GLOBE. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1881. MR. HOLMES TRAILS HIS COAT.

There is a legend extant regarding a native of the “ first gim of the say,” the Emerald Isle, that being at a fair and finding no member of a rival faction desirous of a fight, ho begged a friend by all the eloquence he could muster, to “ shtand up” for a few rounds, as, said ho, “ I’m fairly blue moulded for want of a bating.” Our friend, Mr. Holmes—if ho will allow us to call him so—is in tho same predicament. He has of late metaphorically trailed tho tail of his long blue coat all over the fair, and begged every one to tread upon it. He has flourished his bit of black thorn, and shrieked the typical Hurrah! but, alas, all to no purpose. Then, following the example of his fellow-countryman, he has been obliged, to keep his hand in, to fall back npon hia friends, and above all to abuse tho Globe ! This is indeed base ingratitude with a vengeance. Had it not been for our friendly aid Mr. Holmes could not have had a second meeting, for he would have had nothing to talk about. Tho Globe furnished Mr. Holmes last night with a good deal of pabulum for what our American friends call “ tall talk,” and he certainly

✓ took full advantage of it. We are sorry, N however, to see that Mr. Holmes descends »yto vulgarity and abuse in place of argument. We can of course forgive a great deal considering the nationality of Mr. Holmes, and remembering the natural irascibility of the Celtic race. Still more can we sympathise with Mr. Holmes in the fact that he has for so long remained “ blue moulded for want of a bating.” But oven this cannot excuse the coarseness of the remarks as to the writer of the former article in the Globe which has so aroused the combative propensities of our Hibernian friend. No doubt in the part of the world which has the honour to claim our friend for a native, whisky poteen galore flows freely, and it may bo also that the gentlemen with whom our friend has come in contact there required the stimulating force of that seductive but potent fluid. But our friend must remember that be is not

now on the “ ould sod,” and that therefore customs and manners which may be, and doubtless are, quite en regie there, do not apply here. Wo are afraid that Mr Holmes’ knowledge of newspaper affairs is as limited in its range and experience as it is wide and extended on the subject of whisky toddy. In common with many other

worthy persons, Mr. Holmes seems

to think that literary men are a species of social Pariahs, always in a maudlin state, and “ burrowing”—to nse bis own words—“in dark recesses.” Wo should in our innocence have thought that this would bo just the way to eliminate whatever fun or intellect they possessed. But of course Mr. Holmes, in the plenitude of his wisdom, knows hotter. Wo feel certain that pressmen generally will feel highly flattered at the opinion held by Mr. Holmes, that their lives are passed in caves wo presume, and that their sole end and aim is to consume whisky hot, and write funny articles on him. We leave Mr. Holmes to reconcile the glowing panegyric pronounced by him with all the fervid eloquence of this nation npon

these selfsame pressmen only a short while »go. It was at a dinner commemorating the exhibition of the Industrial Association, and there Mr. Holmes not only professed the most profound respect for press writers, but spoke iu the most complimentary terms of them. It is true that some excuse may be offered, in that it is probable, acting npon his own idea of tho way to manufacture a funny article, the requisite number of whisky hots might have been exceeded by him. Still there appears to he a lack of consistency about this which does not look well. Mr. Holmes, as well as any other public man, is fairly open to criticism when he seeks the suffrages of his fellow citizens, and it is the duty of every journal according to its lights to do so. But Mr. Holmes appears to think that he should bo exempt. Indeed, he seems to resent, as an impertinence, almost beyond hearing any remarks npon him as a public man. Ho is just commencing his political career here, and if he carries this idea into practice he will require not one Scotch thistle, hut acres of them, to he provided for tho special accommodation of those who may dare to differ from Mr. Holmes in his political views. We do not care ono rush either for Mr. Holmes’ insinuations or his Scotch thistle. The former are so coarse and unworthy of a public man that we can afford to pass them by with that contempt which they merit. As to tho latter, it hat requires a firm grasp, and no more will ho heard of it. Mr. Holmes has quoted a motto as applied to himself, a quotation whieh appears to have tickled his hearers mightily. In return, we will—for Mr. Holmes’ edification—also quote one as applied to the Globe. It is also in Latin, and is exceedingly significant in its meaning. It is Gave Canem, which we will take the liberty of freely translating thus—“ Beware of tho Globe ; it bites.”