SOCIETY JOURNALS.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2456, 1 February 1881, Page 4

SOCIETY JOURNALS.

The New Zealand correspondent o£ the “S. A, Register, in one of his letters, says : —" An evil has sprung into existence in more than one town in New Zealand, which is painfully associated with legitimate journalism, I refer to the starting of what is known as “ Society papers.” These are weekly publications in which the sayings and doings in private life are brought to light of day—scandals, in fact, and not a few of them infamously scurrilous. Hints are thrown out as to Mrs H frequenting balls and parties during the absence of her husband, but she is always seen attended by aMr ;or we find that Miss B, wlio was affianced to Mr Y , has refused to ratify her engagement in consequence of a laison he had contracted with some woman who has long been tabooed from association with virtuous women. Some employer indicated clearly enough by his initials or by the nature of his calling, is cautioned to look to his cashbook, as it cannot be understood how young S —— manages to live up to five times his salary, and keep a horse and handsome young housekeeper, if he runs on the square. These and other offensive personalities, written in fearful bad taste and with an envenomed pen, form the staple of our society publications. It is quite probable that some few of these attacks contain a grain or two of truth to a whole bushel of lies, but they wound, and scarify, and lacerate, and cause exquisitive pain; and the fellows who pen such articles are simply scoundrels men without character, without responsibility, without an} r worthy surroundings, but who are, some of them, as clever as they are unscrupulous and callous of feeling. Two or three of these men have been thrashed or have had their coats torn from their backs; but this is what they ask for. It makes their papers sell. An action for libel has no terrors for the scamps have nothing to lose. And people of a better class do buy these prints and read them. It affords that kind of unwholesome excitement which people feel when they stop in the street to witness a dog-light or a pugilistic encounter. Of course such publications can only bo ephemeral, but they cause much mental agony and many bitter heart burnings in households and families. In San Francisco and parts of the American States the revolver or the bowie knife disposes of such writers as I refer to. Here they feel they are safe. It may not be always so. For myself Ido not say 1 would not lend my handkerchief to assist one of these rascally libellers — these destroyers of home happiness and woman’s fair fame—at the first convenient lamp-post.”