New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-04-27
NOTES FROM LONDON.
SOCIETY JOURNALIsM-MR. GEORGES EAIl
THE THEATRES

TIE REGUL AR tDktt-loNi'i+,'
Lord Coeridge has delivered a lecture on the Sub
,ect of society journalism. which, od'F Cno"EN'
society journals do not like Mr.. Ldlnuhu la''''
who had TO stand mp in court and listen 10 It, p'o
oblr ill., II least Of all: and the concluding paI'
ling sentence on him Of fouT months nnpHSoh
,,u+ no might fairly describe rs more personal
tbor ANYTHING he ever said in his paper. On the
merits Of the case. which thus reaches ITS climax
known ms the Lonsdale libel casc-I have sald my
say already. and will add but a word. The hbei
pointed 10 ord Lonslale as having eoped with
lady whose name need not be mentioned. lie mad
not eoped and there no excuse Tor saying ne
bad Mr. Yates's excuse, or what be urged as 'uch.
was this: that the paragraph had been sent MN NV
n lady moving in the same circles as Lord LonsoaI
that he inserted it on the faith of her good far %
and knowledge; that he had no idea II referred 20
Lord Lousdale. and that when he found 1t dld ana
was not true. he did his best 10 rcctlfy the error
and apologize to Lord and Lady Lonsdale.
All these excuses are swept away by Lord 'oie-
ridges merciess criticism. He and his colleague
thought il made the case not better. but worse.
that Mr.. Yates should have published such para
graph without even taking the trouble 20 find out
at whom the libel It embodied was aimed. l'
open sort of lions mouth into which alI Tie
personal gossip of what is pleased 70 call itself 500
Getty is 10 be shot anonymously at the rate OF two
EUlutdS a lHI'Nldlil1f NuN " N'''>N '-'
INQUIRE into the truth of what is published-onc
cannot suppose system more certain to lead as II
has led in this case, to the publication of cruel
SANDER and stories tending to the discomfort ana
uuhappness of those who are the subjects Oh
them So SAYS Lord ColeTdge and most people /
apprehend agree with him in the substance OF what
he saws Mr.. Yates " shot his bolt nj a venture an
the casual passeT-by-sOme one he had never Seeh
whom he did not know, whom he had never heard
{ l1T,. inn vrf.aIfr
iury" This is difficult to answer, and MIR Yates Is
in the position of having to answer the master OF
many egions-egions of turkeys and wardens and
other such uncomfortable folk.
Sympathy with Mr., Yates there is | will add, ana
We are all of us sorrv he should have TO go-If in
deed he has TO gO-tO prison. But even III these
painful circumstances one has to repeat that bis
conduct in giving up to the compliments the name
of his correspondent was pretty sterIly commented
at the time by most journalists not OF the baSeT
sort 1t was dead against the etiquette of the pro-
fessiOn and II cannot be defended on any ground
Aud so far as this particular libel is concerned Mr.
Yates himself admits that he has real defence 20
offer.
Lord Coleridge however went beyond the rec
ord and far beyond the four corners Of any docu-
ment that was before him, to pronounce condemna-
ton the whole system of society journalism. Oh
this point also h has great body Of public OPINION
with nm. BOWsr1ul as Tue eOClctJ JouILdA -
strong as its position Is aud close though its con-
nection be with society itself in the persons OF sun
dry celebrities there is none the less widespread
dislike Of its methods. Yet many people think
Lord Coeridges protest little untmcly and lit
tie unfortunate in its manner. suppose Il must be
admitted that the language is not in close accord
with judicial traditions. Lord ColeTidges business
was to pass sentence on Mr.. Edmund Yates. lie
himself observed that the occasion was not one for
delivering discourse the liberty of the press,
and his next sentence was this: "No one who
breathes English air or has ever had his heart
touched and his Judgment movedby the AIeopagiti-
ca of Milton will doubt that the free press Of this
country has been. on the whole, an uuspeakable
blessing or will desire to narrow IN any degree lts
far and lawful scope or impede its lawful exercise
But"-and then comes the sermon on that partlcL-
lar form Of freedom of the press which runs Into
license He dnds it difficult TO believe that any /
BODY can take pleasure IN feeding on such food as
society journalism supplies. that any educated
gentleman can feel anything but humiliation ahH
contempt in having to supply such food. Our pr
vate lives pried into. orr movements watched, oar
dress recorded our company catalogued, our mos,
private relations dragged into the light 0i day
such Is the Lord chief Justice account OF the luuc-
tIons performed by society journalism, ana there is
ONLY too much truth in It, society, winch vince
weekly uuder the lash Mr.. Yates laws over lt~
shoulders does certainly enjoy seeing one OF IT,
members hit back in ms Turn II Is thought thar
the story of ms intended marriage 10 Miss Mary
Anderson has given point to Lord Co!erldge's "plu-
ion and edge TO his words. That they have added
one whit to the severity of the sentence he pro-
nounced nobody will believe.
There is reason to hope that We have heard the
last Of Nr Henry George in England. farewell
dinner has been given him at the Criterion Tavern,
and he has madea farewell speech. The dinner was
attended by no person whose name Is OF significance
enough to be mentioned IN the papers, unless that
of the chairman be an exception. Ihe chairman
was the Rev. stewart Headlam a clergyman OF the
Church Of England cUrate to the Rev. Malcolm
MacColl and on other subjects than that OF land
naturalization social reform not much less sane
than his fellow creatures. Mr. Headlam is, hear,
one of the few converts Mr.. William Morris mas
made to his new gospel, and Mr.. Morris, a. we
know is IN favor of Matchmaking not land only,
Ut property general; property IN general, ID ms
case not meaning his own particular property Nj.
Henry George on this, as on other OCCASIONS, had
something to say about his own country, and as on
other occasions something TO its detriment. he
could boldly state that from the Atlantic 70 the Pa
clfc and from the Lakes TO tho Gulf of Mexlco-a
phrase which think have heard beiore-there
was not a village nor hamlet which did not con-
tam somebody trnae or femalef who imbued
with a strong and determined belief Ill the doctrine
Of land naturalization. How Mr George knew. or
could know this surprising fact, he did not state;
boldly omitted 10 state in fact.
II perhaps interesting to know something of MI
Henry Georges impressions Of England. He seems
10 have gone about searching for the most useless
things in the country, and he Las found two 70
which he is ready To award the highest prize. One
Is the gates on the Duke Of Bedfords property. Mir
George of course, Is prepared 10 abolish gates
everywhere and fences as well The gates IN ques-
ton. however are those which at times are swung
across certain in the neighbOrhood OF Euston