SOCIETY JOURNALS.

Inangahua Times, Volume II, Issue II, 4 February 1881, Page 2

SOCIETY JOURNALS.

' » The New Zealand correspondent of the S.A, Register, in one of his letters, says r — " An evil has sprang into existence in more than one town in New Zealand, which is painfully associated with legiti* mate journalism. I refer to the starting of what is known as ' Society papers/ These are weekly publications in which the siyings and doings in private life are brought to the 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 I daring the absence of her husband, but she is always seen attended by a Mr—— ; or we find that Miss B— — , who was affianced to Mr T— — , has refused to ratify her engagement in consequence of a liaison he bad contracted with .some ■ woman who has long been tabooed from ' association with virtuous women. Some ; employer, indcated clearly enough by his initials or by the nature of his call* \ ing, is cautioned to look to his cash»boj> j as it cennot be understood bow young i 8— —manages to live up to fire times his salary, and keep a horse and hsndsome young housekeeper, iF~lie iuns~ on," thY square. These and other offensive per* sonalities, written in fearful bad taste and with an envenomed pen, form the staple, o our society publications. It is quite probable that xome few of these attacks contain a grain or two of troth to a whole bushel of lies, bat they wound, and scarify, and lacerate, and cause ex« quisite pain ; and the fellows who pen such articles are simply scoundrels — men without character, witboat reiponsi" bility, without any worthy surroundings, but who are, some of them, as clever aa they are unscrupulous and callous of feeling. Two or three of these men bate been thrathed 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 wit* reis a dog- fight or a pusilistio encounter* Of course »ucb publications can only be ephemeral, but they cause touch mental agony and many bitter heart burnings in households and families. In San Fran* cisco and parts of the American State* the revolver or the bowie knife disposesof such writers a I refer to. Here they feel they are safe. It may not always be so. For myself Ido not say I 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.'