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Nelson Evening Mail, Issue 25, 29 January 1870, Page 3

Jouenalism. — What next ? A professorship of journalism has been instituted by the trustees of Washington College, ■ U.S., of which General Lee, the distinguished confederate commander, is the president. The New York World warmly approves of the step, and observes: — " The influence of the newspaper writers of this country is clearly greater than that of any other class of men in it. ' The only safeguard against the abuse of this vast responsibility is in the character of the men who wield it. Aud that character must be formed by education. To say that a herd of clever youngsters can be turned loose into newspaper offices and trusted to write happy-go-lucky articles ' upon the momentous themes which there engage their pens, is to say that it is of no consequence whether the destinies of the country, which they help so much to shape, are shaped weli or ill. They must be trained to a notion of the dignity and responsibility of their work, if they are to do that work as it ought to be done." It is becoming absolutely farcical, says the Wellington Post, to watch the progress of the native insurrection. Every week or two we are informed that a fresh , spurt has been put on; that " Government is taking vigorous measures for putting down the rebellion," some combination has been effected, which is to destroy Te Kooti root and branch in a few days, the arrangements made being so perfect that they cannot fail, and yet days aud weeks " glide into months, and Kooti is just as far from being captured or killed as ever. We find him now, with unblushing effrontery proposing to a white Hauhau what he considers terms of peace. He is tired of fighting, and viisb.es to cease slaying; he , wants to let bye-gones be bye-gones; he •wishes much to see Mr. M'Lean, &c. Now, is it not a bitter reproach to us, not only that a man of our race should be found so mean, so cowardly, so lost to every sense of honor, as to truckle to the outlawed cannibal whose hands are stained with the blood of the unfortunate Poverty Bay settlers, but that Kooti should think there was a chance of his obtaining terms on submission? He judges by the weakness hitherto displayed in our dealings with his countrymen; he has seen his own -adherents who fell into our hands let off with, merely nominal punishments; he sees some murderers pardoned, and petted, aad ethers allowed to walk about with impunity ; and he thinks that even he can be forgiven. It is not too much to say that there is not another country in the world where a man in Kooti's position would have thought of

anything but of either eluding pursuit, or fighting, like a hunted animal at bay, to the last. When you see a man with a great deal of religion displayed in his shop window, you may depend upon it he keeps a very small stock of it -within. Drink nothing without seeiug it ; sign nothing without reading it, and make sure that it means no more thau it says. "When a new opinion or doctrine comes before you, do not bite till you know whether it is bread or a stone ; and do not be sure that the gingerbread is good because of the gilt of it.