Te Aroha AND Ohinemuri News. SATURDAY, APRIL, 24, 1909

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 4402, 24 April 1909, Page 2

Te Aroha AND Ohinemuri News.

SATURDAY, APRIL, 24, 1909

This above all —to thine oton self be true, 4nd %t must follow as the night the day Thou canst not then be false to any man Shakespeare.

t ie Rev. gentlemen intended, when 1 paying us what he considered a de-1 served tribute. In speaking or writing of the News it is presumed that Mr Duke had in mind its value in creating healthy thoughts in the minds of the young, and eradicat ing doubtful ones from the minds of the old. On questions of this nature we are always pleased to have the opinion of a clergyman, whatever his denomination may be. He has usually high ideals, and every wellmeaning newspaper should identify itself with his lofty purpose apd aspirations. His mission is to uplift the mind, to free it from doubtful dogmas, to exorcise such corrupt conception of life as may have been set up by unhealthy environment and to generally take a hand in moulding and perfecting the race. This is the aim of the church, whatever its denomination, and though creeds may differ on questions of theology they are all equally earnest in devising means for the betterment of humanity. This should be the purpose of a newspaper too, so that prat t'callv press and pulpit are working towards the same end. We have high aims and lofty aspirations for Te Aroha, and we are opposed to the introduction of any custom through which evil influences may arise, on the same ratio that we are eager to expel any existing evils inimical to human interests and welfare. Haviog been a constant reader of the News for a considerable period, the Rev Mr Dukes wished to bear testimony to the soundness of our intentions, and the excellence of their results, and this is a class of praise that affords us the keenest pleasure, . emanating as it dees from a clean and pure source as we have said. We set the highest store on the opinion of any Clergyman as we know their purpose is good, even though their methods of attaining the same re-, suits may differ. In filching, or attempting to filch from us, such credit as Mr Dukes wished to besfow, our contemporary has succeeded in earning for itself the contempt which is the usual reward of cunning and duplicity and deception. Here i 3 the “ explanation ” with which the public is favoured by the “ Mail. ” “ When it was reported to us that the Rev. John Dukes had arranged to keep himself posted in the affairs of Te Aroha by subscribing for the “ Capital ” local paper. ” Whitmore natural than that we should think he was referring to the “ Mail. ’’ Mark the first line where it was reported to us, if this were to read when it was reported by us ” the public would have the truth, as the “ Mail ”diad its usual “reporter” present, on whom the onus of deception must lie. If to falsify the remarks of the Rev. Mr Dukes is 1 “ humor ” that our contemporary is veiy welcome to the smile which broadens its phlegmatic countenance and in which the Rev. Mr Dukes and “one who was there” (transparent individual !) refuse to participate. They fail to appreciate this fals<taffian humour and have the commiseration of the humorous editor of the “ Mail ” in consequence. If the terms “ capi'al local paper ” were allowed to stand without any explanatory addenda we should have let the matter pass. We feel sure that if Mr Dukes were to apply the word “ capital ” to our contemporary he wodld not neglect to see that it was prefixed by the word “ brewers,” , for it is well-known that the reverend gentleman is the possessor of a mind of the keenest discernment, and the term is important. We have conserved the interests of the Thames Valley for the past quarter of a century and the extensive circulation with which we are rewarded is the most potent evidence of our popularity and general worth. Nor can we see that having the proprietary centialised in one individual is any cause for public complaint. When we are compelled to pass the hat round for sustenance, after- the manner'of our contemporary the public will have reason to be dissatisfied ; they will then realise that our attitude towards brewers snd publicans who helped the “ collection " must necessarily be one of servility and humility. Another claim set forth on behalf of the “ print run by Mr Boynton, of Auckland,” is that good taste is a characteristic of its writiugs, while the absense of itj seems to have become one of the features of our contemporary. The criticism of the dieting of Hfr Dukes’ letter is of the worst taste an 4 unfair at that. If the Rev. Mr Dukes refrained from placing the proprietary of the “ Mail ” in the same gender as the its-plf, vtpy neuter, he may have erred, but at least it must be i admitted that he shewed better taste than his critics. Mr Dukes is a ' gentleman with a mind-too big for; shallow quibbling. If we wished to quibble the orthography of our contemporary affords abundant opportunity. Take the concluding lines of the footnote—" We owe “ allegance ” pnly to the public and the public “ has ” mnltitqdiqijs interests," So far as the claims ! of our contemporary are concerned in publishing more news than ourselves this is an error also invit’jjig little comment. The public will have d; scei ned long ere this that freed from redundancy theifour or five columns of news claimed by our contemporary would collapse into one. And this brings us to the leader, which contains genuine humor, infinitely more so than the footnote which was meant “ to set the table in a roar ” The leader is a magnificent specimen ' of redundancy which might profit ably be embodied in an English course as a sample of what to avoid, :

meiely claims that the “ * Mail ’ is! not a licensed victuallers journal vowed or unavowed ” and goes on to prove its partisanship, and further “ that, tie interests of this great dis-, trict have been so “ unrepresented ?” or so badly represented, or .so misrepresented in the past th 't the need, for the Mail has arisen. This is a sample of unconscious humour with a vengeance. Why the “ Mail ” has been about two years and a half in existence ambit has now “ arisen.’ ’ It has “ arisen ” now because the interests of the district have been so “ unrepresented in the past. How flattering to the past Editor ! How he must blush, if he be capableof blushing of his two and a-half vears of failure, which perhaps after all is the truest admission in the leader. We have said that this leader contains much humour and now that we have given it publicity the public will perhaps read it, for the attributes for which we give it praise. We ask ourselves again, however, would the late editor have punned the concluding line of this leader: “ For the reßt we shall be found ” “ to be more often on the side ” “ of the angels than those who” “ make loud professions of ” “righteousness and wear the ” “ broadest phylacteries in the ” *• most conspicuous places.” No opportunity is lost in sneering at the Church or any of its treasured customs. This in itself will appear a circumstance fraught with suspicion to the thinking portion of the community. In conclusion we may say that we are tied to no individual and no party and are therefore in the happy condition of being thoroughly independent. We have never attacked any particular hotel nor have we at any time dealt with individual hotels at all. We work on broader lines claiming that the abolition of the ' liquor traffic would be in the best interests of humanity. Wo fight over a large area, and never have made individual attacks. Our v iews are expressed truly, they have the advantage of being , learned by experience and their purpose is the advancement of the : district, and its people both young and old. That is the secret of our success, the public know that our opinions cannot be purchased, and they also know—bnt no matter, we have always refrained from casting aspersions hitherto and shall i not 'depart from our custom even (now.

The eulogisti creference made to this paper by the Rev. Mr Dukes before leaving Te Aroha. has, assuredly, provoked more correspondence than