A NEWSPAPER FOR ROUGHS.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3627, 26 February 1883, Page 4

A NEWSPAPER FOR ROUGHS.

Tho London roughs, haA-ing been provided ivith a religion to their taste, arc next, it seems, to bo supplied with a periodical literature. Some one has sent me a copy of the Rag or Weekly Scorcher, a publication written by roughs in their oavu language, for their own class. After a somewhat careful perusal, I am of opinion that the Rag has _ been _ most appropriately named. Nothing quite so ragged in mind and manners ever came under my notice before. The Rag is the very crossing-sweeper amongst newspapers. The satire ivhich is hinted at in its second title, the Weekly Scorcher, I was barely able to detect, but the class for Avhieh the paper is Avritten ivould not doubtless recognise it without difficulty, and find the intellectual stimulation in it ivhich "society " Londoners extract from the World or the Saturday Review. As a specimen, I give a paragraph, tho very first in the paper, and an " editorial " :— "While writing, a pal comes in and tells me that the city peelers are to be allowed to grow doormats. Oh lor, oh lor, lioav very flash the coppers Avill look. Everybody knows that the city coppers are the handsomest coppers in the world, and the mashcrcst of the mashers. Fancy Wiggy with a doormat, and Sergeant Grace ! " The "peeler" or "copper" is the rough's natural enemy, hence the pungency of the Rag on the subject of policemen's beard. Another functionary Avith Avhieh roughs and rowdies have perennial war is the " chuckcr-out." A few sentences from a descriptive article ou " chuckcrsout" ivill explain the title and afford an interesting study in dialectic English : — " Chuckers-out are of two blooming sorts generally, simple and compound. Tho simple chuckcr-out is sometimes a bit barmy in the crumpet, and is only kept for the sake of slioav, and to prevent the SAvect tarts behind the bar hollering out Avhen a shindy starts-. Such is the chucker-out you'll find in quiet sort of pubs Avhieh only toffs use—toft's that never have the ghost of the slosh or in -(hem. Of course it suits bung's game often to keep a tame kind of chucker-out, for lie dosen't ivant his customers chuckedout so long as they'll kee_> on swilling his blooming booze. Not likely. What do you take him for'r A blooming mug'r The compound chuckcr-out, as we term him, is quite another bloke. He's a gee-gee of another colour. Whoa, my rory pals, he's a hot'un, though some of you can do him a treat Avhen he gets a trifle cheeky. He's a Avarn'un is the compound ehuckorout. You generally find him at music halls, and about the bars of pubs which blokes use that ai-n't afraid of a couple of black peepers. Whoa, our rory pals, you've had many a blooming tussle Avith the compound chuckcr-out, and ivill, we guess, have many another turn-up Avith him before you cock your toes —Avon't you cullies 'i Of course you will. We like a good compound chuckcr-out that can give and take; and ivo like all our blooming rorty pals that can take as well as give a licking. What would life be if it Avasn't for a blooming good booze now and again, and a. blooming lively turn up with a chucker-out!" A charming-mannered people, these London savages ! Compared Avith them, the Maori is a gentleman, John Chinaman a paragon of refinement. After reading The Rag, one understands a, little better the peculiarities of the Salvation Army. The Army provides a rough religion for the roughs, and apparently they Avant religion in some form badly enough. Whether avc iv New Zealand Avant it in the same form is another question.— " Civis," in Otago Witness.