PRISCILLA BRIGHT McLAREN.
[To TER EDITOR OF TER "SPECTATOR:1
SIR,—As a son of the late Mrs. McLaren and a nephew of John Bright, I feel obliged to write to you in reference to the publication twice over of the offensive anecdote about Mr. Bright and women's suffrage. I totally disbelieve its accuracy, as the expression "5111y girls" is not one he would be at all likely to have used in reference to sisters of whom he was justly proud ; and, as the story refers to about twenty-five years ago, Mr. Tallack's memory may have deceived him. But this is a secondary matter at present. It is obvious that you published and repeated the story far more for the sake of a hit at women's suffrage than for the sake of telling something about Mr. Bright; for as illustrating his opinions it is worthless. It is your own position, however, and not Mr. Bright's sup- posed words, that is in question, and I personally thank Mrs. Fawcett for her vigorous protest, and am glad that you published it, as also the letter from a "Niece of John Bright." Yet in face of these, and in spite of your apology and un- reserved expression of regret that the letter should have appeared, you deliberately publish it a second time!! You admit that Mrs. Fawcett had provocation; you "yield all honour to John Bright's sisters "; you would "never speak dishonouringly of them or allow others to do so" in your columns ; you express regret for the appearance of the letter— and then you publish it a second time "lest some of our readers should have forgotten" it. I think the records of respectable journalism will show no case similar to this. That the publication of the letter has given pain is true, but not because any member of Mr. Bright's family believes in its accuracy. The pain is that you should have been willing to publish it, and that through you other people may be led to believe it to the dishonour of Mr. Bright.—I am, Sir, &c., WALTER S. B. McLanear. 56 Ashley Gardens, S. W.
[We published the letter a second time because it was neces- sary to show our readers how entirely unjustifiable were the tone and language employed by Mrs. Fawcett. We are surprised that Mr. Walter McLaren has no condemnation for Mrs. Fawcett's letter.—En. Spectator.]
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