A REPLY.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 168, 27 April 1871, Page 6

A REPLY.

(To the Editor )

Sib, — I have read the letter in your issue of last week, signed "Truth," and take the liberty of making a few remarks thereon ; not because the circulation of such falsehood can have any effect as regards the person aspersed by " Truth," but because the writer has assumed the initiative of personal invective, and on that account I feel myself justified in asking you to give the same publicity to what I know and am convinced is the truth. " Truth " said, an old writer says some men tell lies on principle. Having carefully perused " Truth's " letter, I am led to the conclusion that some modern writers — not men alone, but women, also do a good deal towards telling lies; aye, even trespass over the frontiers of calumny and falsehood. " Truth " does not afford the outside public the slightest clue whereby to judge whether the correspondent of the " Bruce Herald " has, in vulgar phraseology, told lies, but seeks an outlet for his or her superfluous bile by casting -reflections upon him as an individual, ' and not upon the subject matter which has roused the dormant antipathies of " Truth." Did there exist any gi*ound for "Truth" showing where exaggeration had been used, it may reasonably be supposed that "Truth" would only have been too glad to have shown it. No, sir, but every word in that letter is foreign to the truth, and when it is better known from whence it originated, this can. he easily understood. The Tuapeka. Times was a fortnight behind hand ; the telegrams, to a limited number, was circulated long ere " Truth's " erudite effusion was made effective by printer's ink— that so-and-so would get a waking up ; then, Sir, in pity for that general humanity, which we all share, I would, under other circumstances, have bsen silent ; but an attempt of th^'s nature affords me no scope, because I know, and the public of Svitzers know, that in the whole of what the correspondent of the " Bruce Herald " has stated respecting the Bench are facts, incontrovertible facts. " Truth " endeavours to give peculiar emphasis to his other ideas by employing a language foreign to the couutry. No doubt " Truth " will lap his or herself, and say this sounds well — it will puzzle them. Well, Sir, speaking carelessly of Latin as an ancient, and French as a modern tongue, I maintain that for all the general advantages that characterise a language, let us have the English used, whether to coifvey an insult or an houour, because in its own internal character it has an advantage in our esteem such as no language, not even the lingua Franco ever did, or in the nature of things ever can possefes. So far up country, we are apt to consider every language but our own a dead language — the language of flowers not excepted. Speaking of the language of flowers, we have a neat little work, the production of a local literary lioness, where the author has expressed, in a comprehensive way, the relation which this superb language bears to man and his interests. Now, if we could suppose for a moment that the author of the Language of Flowers had

left the floi'a] department, and taken a stand at Billingsgate, and had scribbled off such a spiteful statement as that contained in " Truth v. Fiction," I "would be very apt to think that she had become a convert to Parson Bragg. Alas, if such is the case, tell it not at the Nokomai, let it not be known at Hobart Town. A fault is not necessarily a real one, because it happens to be denounced by our local Jeffreys ; nor, if it were so, ought we to lay any stress upon it so long as it is demonstrible that this same critic has overlooked the counterbalancing truths. Candour is a very costly virtue, it costs us a most distressing effort of mind to confess anything, however true, against ourselves, or against those akin to us. Conscience-killing has been practised here'for a long time by a certain class, and many of them think that there is but one form of self-denial, and that is in the "No " form. Conscience killing is a slow torturing process, and the successful muffling of the protesting voice of one's better nature is at the expence of days and nights of misery. Let " Truth " think of this, and repent for the scurrilous abuse poured out on the correspondent of the " Bruce Herald," and for no other offence but

that of exposing the many gross injustices which we are all conversant with. Now, Sir, in justice to those whose motto is " Fair Play," as well as the correspondent in question, I hope you will publish this letter ; and should any person feel aggrieved, and require the name of the writer, you have my permission to furnish them with it, meantime, permit me to remain yours, &c, ' Righteousness. Winding Creek, April 21.