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Poverty Bay Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1263, 31 January 1883, Page 2

Journalism is a most delightful occupation if paste, and scissors alone are needed, but, some who pretend to be writers, do not care to take up the pen, and consequently they have to resort to their exchanges for their ideas. Our reason for commenting on this is that the literary genius attached to our contemporary in last night’s issue has been guilty of gross literary piracy. We were somewhat astonished at the more scholarly style than is usual, having been displayed in the “ Herald’s ” critique upon Mr Forbe’s opening lecture. “ The Inner Life of a War Correspondent,” and consequently read a portion of it. It so happened that we had in our pos-

session a copy of the “ Hawke’s Bay Herald ” of the 23rd instant, and in its columns had read the major portion, fully three quarters, of the notice which was inserted in last night’s “ Herald” as being original. To steal is bad, but to pilfer from a next door neighbor where there is every likelihood of detection, is not only bad but foolish. Had our contemporary selected a paper a couple of months old it is more than probable the theft would have passed undiscovered, but to boldly seize upon the “ Hawke’s Bay Herald,” almost damp from the press, and endeavor to palm off its titterings as original, is somewhat too much. Stealingtheproduction of a man’s brain is worse than stealing the contents of his pocket, and when a journalist becomes unable (if he ever was competent to do so) to write the sooner he takes to some other avocation the better.