A VOICE FROM A DURHAM COAL MINE. 
675 
away from the world.’"’ Great complaints were at once made 
as to the nature of the publications, and the quality of the 
matter contained therein. I confess I have felt startled in 
many instances at tlie miserable pleas and deplorable igno¬ 
rance displayed by some of my brothers upon this point; 
and having recently endeavoured to obtain a victory over a 
tough gentleman of this kind, whilst revolving in my mind 
the urgent necessity for a second attack with greater rein¬ 
forcements, I also concluded to write you a fulminatory 
letter against two classes of our brothers, and defend you, in 
your ardent desire to afford the profession all the information 
possible, from the maledictions of those either mcajoahle or who 
2 uitli propriety should not form an opinion about the matter. 
Many of these dissatisfied gentlemen I can assert with 
truth are men of good practical abilities; some are eloquent 
in conversation, others are not; some are critics (I might 
have said all) and are able to write articles for the local 
Qmvsjmped^ about ^GVn alarming accident,” runaway 
horse,"” vicious animal at large,” and a score of other 
paragraphs, when a never-failing announcement terminates 
and garnishes the whole, and informs the attentive and cour¬ 
teous reader” that “ the animal, which was frightfully injured, 
immediately received the attentions of Mr. So-and-so, vete¬ 
rinary surgeon, of well-known celebrity,” or ^Gvas led to that 
gentleman’s infirmary in such a street, where at the present 
time [the paper a weekly, and published three or four days 
after the accident] the animal is progressing very favorably.” 
At another time he presumes to address the unsympathising 
and senseless public upon some uninteresting subject about 
Miasma,” and the treatment of such diseases as are not 
understood. In all these cases, where members will urge 
upon the public an account of their doings and luck, it 
would be well to warn them to desist; and if there are peculiar 
features which mark the case and render it wmrthy of publica¬ 
tion, b}^ all means let us, the nglitful owners” have the 
whole of the matter simply and truthfully compiled in the 
columns of our recognised journals. We are the judges, 
the public is not, and the ^Hocal newspaper” an ^^unprofes¬ 
sional medium” It savours of hlotvhig ond s own trumpetf 
or throwing a sprat to catch a herring” 
To those gentlemen who never read or write for the 
Veterinarian^ I would say, Bo loth” It is your fault—par¬ 
tially with the newspaper liner—if the columns of our journals 
are as you describe. Much valuable information is lost by 
your diffidence; you are able, only you know it not, to give 
US many practical hints, which, if not clothed in such a style 
