Correspondence.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2591, 27 April 1877, Page 3

Correspondence.

Theso columns'are open to all correspondence of public interest, but we do not hokVouvsclves responsible for the opinions of writers. Co despondence must in all cases be authenticnted by the real name niid address of the writer—not necessarily for publication, but qs ft guarantee of good' faith.

[adtebtisemen r.l MBS McMANUS IN EEPLY TO ME WILKINSON. (To the Editor of the Evening Star.) Sib,—Will you allow me space in your columns to reply to Mr Wilkinson's gentlemanly sub-leader, the language of which would be more suitable to grace the columns of some low police court journal.than one read by a respectable community. I will not condescend to answer him in his own style, and, therefore, will merely reply to the decent parts, as I have only been in the habit df addressing well bred men, supposing they w"ere even enemies. He hinted I was proud of my writings; well, I must confess I never was so much so as since I have read his; the contrast is so great ttaiween the sentiments expressed in both, apt his coming from the editorial chair and from one of the lords of creation, makes it the more remarkably bad. When I first read that scientific men were trying to make out that there was , some relationship between the man and the monkey, I thought they were going mad, but really, when we consider the low, artful cunning, of some men, one is j tempted to exclaim that perhaps after all it is not so monstrous. I am straying from my point. . Mr Wilkinson says that j it is not the first time he spared the pub- j lie the infliction of my communications. He did once, and once only, but he does not say why. I mean now to inform his or your numerous readers. Before I came to the Thames I obtained a Government certificate ; yet when I applied for a situation I was told by a gentleman that he for.one did not think Catholics would avail themselves of the Act; so though, a few liberal men put me into a school, it was made very hot, so much so, that I was glad to resign, though not so quietly as some gentlemen hoped. I saw a paragraph in the Thames Advertiser which was a base calumny, concerning a letter of mine to the Board of Education, stating that the Board found fault with it. I raturally thought any respectable journal would gladly contradict a false statement, especially, when it injured a person in obtaining a living for a family. Mr Wilkinson was the person, unfortunately, to whom I gave the letter ; suffice it to say, it never appeared, and it was not until I went to the Board and showed the Advertiser that I knew how much I had been wronged. A member of the Board asked why I did not get it contradicted ? Mr Wilkinson would hot feel flattered if he heard what was said of him when I showed the notice to correspondents, instead of the letter. I will now tell him what perhaps he never heard before. The late Mr Beveridge, solicitor, also Mr Hesketh told, me this was libellous, as the gentlemen who were reported to have found fault never saw it all. I left it in the hands of a. solicitor who was quite satisfied to pay himself out of the case, but the late Superintendent requested me to allow the matter to drop. lam sure he was ashamed of the narrow-minded bigotry the evidence would disclose ; for those who tried to make ifc appear I could not write even a letter, found I could write enough to show them in their true colors. 3?rom the Board of Education I received a letter of sympathy—a month's extra pay, and a better situation. Mr Horton received a telegram from a member of the Board on this very subject. I will now draw the attention of your readers"to.the different style in which Mr Wilkinson can treat personal letters:— My letter attacked only those who did wrong, yet it could not be inflicted on the public, for fear those, worthies would obtain the censure of the just; but when the head of a large, respectable society and an unoffending well-meaning man is attacked it is thankfully received; no notice that it is too personal and undeserved appears in the proper place. Again, when a still stronger one is sent in reply, how does it fare ? It is sent forth to the world, and the farce is completed by giving a sound lecture, not to the writers, but to the person who merely pleaded the cause of a true and valued friend. I saw no sign of the correspondence closing until the bitter things were .said. Now, Mr Editor, don't you think that if Mr Wilkinson had the same sympathy for Messrs Mcllhone and Dillon that he displayed on a former occasion for Messrs^ Tyler and Comes a a deal of trouble might be saved, and he need not have made use of his leading article to place me in a false position before the public, and give people the chance of laughing since at his prevarication, stating he did not say-this, nor that, but somethink he never said. If I thought the local charities I mentioned would in any way wound his feelings, not coming through the ladies society, I would not hayenamed.it. As for transferring my writing to the Star, it was the first paper I ever sent a letter to; and my opinion of it is the;same as it always was, namely,.a fjßiir, honest journal, that upon all occasions both, sides of the story. The Star took the letter - the Advertiser refused, though it was not the Star published the libel. Hoping it will be a long time again before I will need to trouble yoi^ with such a correspondence, I am, respectfully yours, • H. McMantjs.