Locusts

Feilding Star, Volume IX, Issue 94, 10 March 1888, Page 2

Locusts

This Colony seems to be a happy hunting ground for all sorts and conditions of men who are popularly supposed to live by their wits — at the expense of the industrial classes. We have the ordinary " black sheep" sent from Home beoause their parents or guardians can do nothing with them there, so sent them " over the line" to sink or swim as their luck may guide. But these unfortunates are not to be spoken of in the same breath with those other classes of locusts which are now spreading — like the plague of whioh they are a prototype — over the face ofthe land. We refer specially to the v spielers" who in a few months — we may say — have made their appearance in hundreds in every town of any importance in the Colony. They have no fixed place of of abode but migrate from racecourse, to racecourse where they thrive on the weakness of the self-opinionated young country settlers who are but ac children in the arms to the astute rooks who have made robbery and filunder the special studies of their ryes. The prof'f sm'otml book-maker is a far preferable kind of being. It

is possible fer him to have some sense ef honor or humanity, but the •' spieler is one lost to all moral and religious feeling, whose proper place is in a reformatory or prison. But even book-makers have increased far beyond the demand, because every '; " nipper" who thinks he has accomplished a knowledge of the multipli- \ cation after a few hours study, appears ; capable of " making up a book" and becoming a pastinaster in the art of robbing for a living. These "suckers" have done much to bring the " metal- j licians"— as they delight to be called — into disrepute with the supposed honester classes of society. To put it in another way the amateurs have . ruined the legitimate actors. Another lot of locusts consists of the patrons of I the so-called glove fights, which have, I we regret to say, become so popular lately all over the English speaking world. There is really no harm whatever in the noble art of self-defence — as such. It is when boxing is made " a draw" to extract money from the pockets of the unsophisticated or innocent youth, that it becomes an offence. Although the riff-raff and blackguardism which assemble on a racecourse may be objectionable, yet such assemblies are always greatly leavened by the large amount of really respectable folks, who attend for no other other reason than to witness the sport and have a pleasant holiday. As the latter are really the persons for whom it is intended to provide amusement, and are those who find most of the money for the prizes, Stewards of Jockey Clubs should make it their first consideration how to guard them against trouble and annoyance from the objectionable presence of the ravinous 4< locust."