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Poverty Bay Standard, Volume IX, Issue 929, 26 March 1881, Page 4

We see by our exchanges that a new “Society ’ journal has been promulgated, by means of a company in Wellington If it comes to anything, it is to be hoped, in the cause of all that is decent and proper, that its “ tone ” will be superior to the many so-called Society papers in this and other Colonies. Their “ merits,” however, are being recognised by degrees. A gentleman in Sydney has recently obtained a judgment for £lOOO damages against the proprietors of the Sydney Bulletin, and the Hon. John Dick is about commencing an action for £5OOO against the Sydney Evening News for lampooning him in pictorial caricature. Others, too, are threatened as the vicious habits of the time are becoming unbearable. But there are certain strata of “ Society,” who have themselves to blame in this connection. If they would neither buy nor read the vulgar trash that disgraces the periodic columns of these pet journals, the disease would soon die out for want of sustenance; but we fear that the secret love “ Society ” has for that which is naughty, if it be but nice, is of too ardent a nature not to rejoice in unctuous, nocturnal, repasts of that which it professes to discountenance in the broad glare of day. As some of the “richest” specimens of this society ribaldry we quote the following, which will give an idea of the extent to which this social evil has grown, They are from the column in the Auckland Free Lance, headed “ Society: otherwise Scandal Bag,” a most appropriate name : — Miss L. thinks of wearing spats next week. Her feet are quite large enough already. Handkerchiefs have had their day, Society will use their forefinger and thumb. In future, a la Maori will be the style. The Tam o’Shanter is the very ugliest thing t’ at ever covered hair-pins. From the way Mrs. P. N. wriggles down Queen-street, I should judge that certain domesticated acrobats were having a pic-nic in the vicinity of her shoulder-blades. I would recommend Society ladies to put the fleas to flight before starting on their travels to obtain notoriety in these columns. I hear that a belle de la pave intends paying off the debt on the Young Women’s Home Institution. A she contemporary says that “ The ladies of St. Paul’s are going about with ‘ Swallow tales.’ ” This is very obscene. The pompadour style is as popular as ever ; so is (sic) the world, the flesh, and the devil. When Society ladies wear their bodices unbuttoned, they will please walk up Short-land-street. Since Society columns were started in Auckland it is hard to distinguish the Society ladies from the demi-monde. Ladies of this class are very fascinating. Should one send you a card endorsed “At home on Sundays,” do not make the mistake of supposing you are going to a noonday prayer-meeting, for these ladies are High Church, and resent any misconception of this nature. A Queen-street shop-girl has pawned her last shift to buy a Tam o’Shanter bonnet. “ Weel done, cutty sark ’’—you’d like to be a swell. I have been shown a very pretty garter. It is a very neat thing, with an elaborate patent buckle , French, of course. If Society ladies see it, they are sure to go in for short dresses. The Editor concludes thus :— I have still a few pounds of caustic left to tone down rampant Lady ism and cure the social cancer, A very peculiar way of effecting such an object, it must be acknowledged.