The New York herald., 1879-10-21
LONDON LIBELS.

THE RECORDER OF LONDON EXPRESSES HIS
OPINION OF PERSONAL JoURNAL1sM-LoRD
LoNDEsBoRoUGH TAXES UP THE CuDGELs
FOR MRS. LANGTRY.
[By cable to the Evening Telegram of yes
terday.]
LONDON, Oct 20, 1879.
In tho Central Criminal Court to-day the
Recorder, in charging the Grand Jury, referred
to the prevalent town talk on the subject of
libel. In alludng to the charge of that charac-
ter preferred against Adolph Rosenburg, editor
and publisher of Iopn Talk, for references
made to Mrs. Langtry and Mrs. Cornwalis West,
the Recorder said, in emphatic tones:-"T need
say nothing on the subject, for there is not the
slightest doubt that the prisoner is responsible.
There is, therefore, no alternative but for you,
gentlemen of the jury, to find true bill
against him. These libels arc of very mis-
chievous nature. Libeling is. am sorry to
say, "a very common offence Of late. 1t
requires to be represscd. This offence is as
bad as an attack on the person. Very often, as
cialy when published for profit" Lord Londes
borough has brought charge Of libel against
T0,cas Talk for the announcement made by that
paper that he, with Lord Lonsdale and the
Prince of Wales, were correspondents in the
alleged divorce case of Mrs. Langtry.
LoNDoN's NEW SOCIAL CRITIcs--ARTs OF THE
LITERARY BAGMAN-soME VIEWS HELD BY
OLIVER YoRKE, GENTLEMAN.
Sir Thomas Chambers. Recorder of London. is .
member Of Parliament and Queens Counsel. and
his opinions have weight. On the subject Of libel.
however, which he declares to be now common in
London. his opinions do but follow certain strong
utterances which recently made by Fraser's
Magazine. The organ of Oliver Yorke. gentleman. of
Thomas Carlyle and the late Father Prout has been
fitting against the society journals. These WRITER'S
it says do attempt. like the Spectator of old. to
show ourselves in any humorous mirror Of
reflection, where everything should be true
and nothing actual; nor do they invent now
neighbors for US who shall play their pranks very
much as tho real ones do without being the real
even deceving us with that prosaic splen-
dor of imitation which the vulgar to be the
most wonderful effort OF art They do not take tho
trouble of imitation They produce any man. or for
that matter. any woman. whom they may choose to
select. clumsily and confusedly. IN popria persona,
upon the stage. If our new social critics can find
anything to say about Mrs. Robinson they
say it frankly, writing her in full
and giving you her number in the
square, There wants no domino, no little bit
of mask with its scrap Of lace, to pretence
at disguise. Masks have gone out Of fashion. along
with old fashioned notions about individual privacy
on which at one time much stress was laid Now
adays there is false shame about the matter; we
follow the bill stickers from house to house. Here
it is cheat, there it is 'prohigate' sometimes it
is only the fact of misfortune which is atichs in
letters yard long. And it is not necessary to
be remarkable. or to possess any special claim to
distinction. in order to mark for those
ing bellers. One of their chief fascinations is no
doubt, that never know whose private affairs
We may find under discussion in the current num-
bcr What the purchaser hopes for is to his
ncghbor pillored. Trials for libel naturally follow
in the wake of these social vivacties, but must
add that the plaintiffs in such seldom per-
who secure the sympathy of the public; the
families of quiet people who find themselves sud-
denly picked out and held up to the gazo
of the world by or forgotten foolish act.
liciously turned into sembance of scandal,
do not bring actions against their assailants. But
what can be thought of the consumers to whom all
this garbage is supplied their favorite food The
writer's but few individuals after ALL probably
not much superior to their occupations. But the
readers What ptiful spectacle is the public that
awaits with mpatience and pores over. and delights
in all these impertinent pctinesses. all these inso
lent suggestions the village tattc. the talk
Faugh What the world says. The world
Never was alehouse parlor, a drcssmaker's work.
room. more small. more spitcful. moro ignobie."