New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-01-06
NOTES FROM LONDON.
.,r,y JUDICIAL vIEW-MR BESANT AND
THE PUBLlSHERS-MR. HEINEMANN-
MIR. WATSON'S BOOK.


If, Justice Wright is credited with a novel
,..,,n. In trying O criminal case last week, he
"....sed the opinion that if man were called
Ar rsr he would be justified in retaliating with
sight blow" This" added the learned
..,,. may be new law, but think it is COM
.r ..nse." 1t is, at any rate, judicial recog-
',.,or of tho existence Of such thing as human
'.,ar.: an imperfect knowledge of which is some
'.~.. shown on the Bench. On the other hand,
Nav /. an assault coupled with battery, and an
AMI is an illegal act, or may be, and we thus
60. the spectacle Of Judge on the Bench sane
lining ard even recommending an Illegal act
y. Irstice Wright IL not one from whom this
.ouM have been expected.
T,ue he is one Of the youngest Of Her Males
~, Judces but he is also one of the most learned
"a most sedate. If Parliament were sitting,
..r. member Of the Peace Society who Is also q
~.mhsr of tho House of Commons might be ex-
...,.d 10 ask q question on this subject. Mr..
r,.uer. for example, the hero Of the steam-dril
s.ya.pt ct the celebrated Chamber of Commerce
aM,r in New-York, is devotee Of Peace, to
ham such q declaration must be distressing II
,0u have never heard of the steam-drill in con-
..,,on with Mr.. Cremer, NJ. P ask Mr.. Chaunccy
nmw. He wiz tell you. Strictly speaking, it
c,.mer who wss-well, something else, and proba-
Nc 10 this day does not understand the allusion
To return to Mr.. Justice Wrishts obiter dctum
Ineht point out that there is still in this country
,ublic opinion which justiies resentment for an
insult. A recent incident in New-York, and the
ASCENSION which followed it, seemed to indicate
that in New-York, o blow Is hardly thought a
semly form Of expressing indignation in any
circumstances II may well have been, how
ever that the circumstances. and not the blow,
thought down the condemnation of the press and
q, society on this particular offender. 1 presume
Mr. Justice Wright himself would limit the APP
pllca,ion Of his physical force maxim to cases
where no ladies were present Society--by which
I mean society in general and not merely the
ecteres a Mayfair and Belgravia-would Ger
,sinly 90 limit 1t for him. No provocation would be
thought to excuse blow in a mixed company. No
more would it in club: where also the company,
IL not the sexes is sometimes mixed club is
sanctuary, and that august body known as
club committee is the arbiter of al disputes, and
the guardian Of the honor of club members. Many
other qualifications upon Mr.. Justice Wright's
new law might be pointed out. II would not be
held to apply in a church, nor when the insultcr
is professional pugilist; in which latter case,
than 1t Is in France, where a slap in the face Is
fighting matter but blow with the fist is re-
earded as the act of ruflian whom nobody need
.hsllenge.
A story which bears on this point will be found
in tho letter Sir Walter Scott wrote Croker in
answer to an application for help toward Cookers
edition Of Boswell's johnson. A meeting had
taken place at Glasgow between Johnson and
Adam Smith. The Same evening the latter joined
a party Of friends and this is SCOTS account Of
what passed.
Adam Smith, whose temper seemed much ruff
fed answered only at first, lie 1, brute! he
is brutel' Upon closer examination, 1t appeared
that DR.. Johnson no sooner saw Smith than he
brought forward a charge against him for some
thing In mis- famous letter on the death Of Hume
Smith said he had vindicated the truth of the
statement. And what did the Doctor say p was
,he universal query. why, he said, he said
sid Smith. with the deepest impression Of re-
sentiment, he said, You lie!"' And what did
you reply% I said, you are a son Of a ---!'
On such terms did these two great moralists meet
and part, and such was the classic dialogue
betwixt them.
There were blows, not even the slight one
which, according to Mr.. Justice Wright. Adam
Smith might have delivered justifaby Bot was
the,retort more dignifed than blow?
The Society of Authors has had a field day in
the shape Of general meeting under the new
craftsmanship Of Sir Frederick Pollock, and an
address By Mr. Besant. 1t has had what Is
more, report column long in Tho Times, y
and some editorial notice in other journals. In
the editorial notices, the commercial and not the
literary spirit Is most marked. The rights Of
publishers are dearer TO the editorial mind than
the rights Of authors: or sometimes are; for
reasons before explained. In vain does Sir Fred
srick Pollock point ont that the Society is not
the enemy Of publishers at large The publishers
seem resolved it shall lie their enemy. we arc
the enemy" says Sir Frederick, of nothing bnt
unbusinass-like habits. slovenly dealing, and
fraudulent practices Surely the publishers 90
rot wish 10 identify themselves with such deal
ings and practices?
MI. Besant said no would like to inquire into
the motives of tic opposition the society had
encountered from certain authors and certain
journalists Their motives, / apprehcnd, are
MIXED, and no great stress need be laid on their
alleged belief that the dignity Of authorship Is
lasened il the author take precautions against
being robbed Mr. Besant's answer is very
English ono "Sir Walter Scott did not despise
the income which he made by his books nor
did Byron; nor in fact any single man or woman
n the history Of letters who had succeeded
What he said OH another point needed still more
10 DO said
"One constantly reads here and there OF the
generosity OF a publisher. Let the authors
henceforth resolve that they do not want that
generosity but only just, fair, and honorable terms
Let them remember that the so-caled generosity
must be either a dolc-an alms-over and above
their just claim, in which case it degraded the
suthor to take it and robbed the publisher who
gave IL; or it was a payment under the just
value, when it degraded the publisher who gave
X while il robbed the author who took it,"
There is no lack either of dignity or Of good
sense in that view
As matter of convenience. and also OF ex-
ample for America, quote Mr. BeSnt's summary