WHAT IS CRITICISM?

Manawatu Times, Volume II, Issue 89, 25 August 1877, Page 3

WHAT IS CRITICISM?

- The following although from the cplujnns,'of a paper which has now lost its identity " the South--1 crn Gross" are well worth, ,reprintI ing and are pertinent, to, any;. date or •place i— j "J-'i< 1 '. « ' 1 1 At intervals the' 1 question of "What is criticism?" forcibly pre-^ 'sen'ts'itse'lf^to 'the ffiiind,' especially 'if ' s^ch' a ! mind 'has* to depict its 'r'eneciaonß m tne columns' pf a; newspaper, "^e hear much and r frequently,r.o£ the/^ast '^vintages which fldwtrom, the '.M:ree untrammelled " criticismi of the, Press. !r ,At the tail v end of a public banquet , the the -toast qf " The Press " is given jwith ciomplfmenitary. phrase ] andr the customdry " honours { " 4 apdwebe|ieve at tßeimoment, when the.ruby liquid sparkles, those who cheer the toast feel 'collectively something 1 of the apparent Enthusiasm " that springs from the 'iihpression ' } that to the brotheirtiooJcL of 7/ hard workers— who. " eschew d^ights t and live , laborious days," and, nights tqo, till morning is far auvanced-r-they owe much of that freedom, and those* public and ' social' rights I 'which a free press has helped to gain 'and s 'labours to maintain 1 . " Many ''of x those' who thus m festive moments, acknowledge the public services^ of .newspapers,, and who concur m ,what may occasionally be strong opinions, and some-what keen censure regarding what*" is deemed public^ wrong or laxity of public men, adopt all this with delight 1; , but -jle,t? .their own ; -tender . cuticle be splotched with ttha pen's point, 1 and straightway all the general benefits bestowed by.the Press are fbrgotteny 1 and the' law courts are appealed to',to redress the ofte"n imaginary injury, 1 and provide ' a solatium for wounded feelings. Almost ievery journal <of any "note has been made the object, of jan action' 'where the parby Suing Kas had" m law little or no real grievance, but which action the journal Has been obliged to 'defend, although 'even, as m such cases' is most probable, no sensible , jury, woul,d give damages.' Tne newspaper is put tojall the. trouble and fixpenjpe; of defending;, an 'acjtion m which victory isMfrecjuetitty.. jd loss, for m many cases 'of ,this nature the pMtttiff'is'permittedto institute procfeetfings tfitho'tdhi'my' w^ly provide ing^for coats m the event of the 1 case proving to be 'a tru-ntpetf tip or frivolous tftfe. ' A'ctioite are' bonte ltimes raised against ' newspapefs less for the purpose <Si the merits being tested by "the Court and" jury sworn," than m order^o" obtain some; money, no < small 'part 1 of which goes to the" plaintiff's lawyer, while the news.paper has> sgm'gtimes submitted to be pilfered, 'because hoVever good the case, the would' not be able, to pay* 'costs jn the event of a for they defendant. What is '.wanted" under i English or colonial .law, 'is the same system which ob--1 tains in ' the iHnited- States. There, 'if' a raises an 'aofrion for damages for alleged libel agaiust a, .ijewsp&per,' he has to ' deposit two~ thousand dollars (£400,) or find un- , questionable^seeurity to that amount, out of whiqn, sKould Jhe f^il m establishing hip ease,, or if justification 1 is proved, ,the r cbsta of tbe,def eudcnt may be" defrayed. When >next the law of libel cb'm^s to be considered, some pf ovisibniof this nature should .be made law, and the 'Press saved from frivolous and irritating actions .which,, interfere more or' less with its usefulness.^ , ( ' '