The Manawatu Standard (PUBLISHED DAILY.) The Oldest Daily Newspaper on the West Coast. TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 1885. DEALING WITH LARRIKINS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IX, Issue 94, 24 March 1885, Page 2

Manawatu Standard (PUBLISHED DAILY.) The Oldest Daily Newspaper on the West Coast. TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 1885. DEALING WITH LARRIKINS.

In many towns m Australia, nota-j bly Melbourne and Sydney, jth,e larri-' kin or "hoodlum nuisance is attain- : ing such magnitude as to oft'iide grave ( alarm. We therefore leaijii with gra-! tification that an effort is/i>eing made | m. the former city to achieve their re- j clamatibn which promises to be at-! tended with "siiccessfuT social results. ; We are told that a gentleman, by [ name JM'r^&RoKii', 1 hi& : established; classes m the city, itself, and, m thr.ep, WiM *$6£nl6us :: snburbff^Ff&rby, j South Melbourne, , . and Toorak, and . " each class meets once a week, when ; the members read, Tepite^smg, dcliv- j er, impromtu speeches, and are taught } swimming, shooting, 'arid atnletici<ex- j ercises. xtie expenses are met by weekly constitutions ot a penny each ■from t^e, members/ wlio are banded together to-, assist jeach other m .every way m 'iheir power." "Good and rhealthfnl recreation and instruction are tnus- provided for the unoccupied minds, and new "vents for their ideas ; and ambition. The classes) already : have., lsOQr lads between ten andfeigh- i teen years of age. Mr Groom, we are told, "tries to teach the boys jiow ' "to help ! themselves, ' and ' he mis a nT,ar,y.eHou ( s influence ovqr them." As j the Auckland Herald points out :— " It is this last-mentioned fact 1 which is the secret of the success. ' 'The lads are dealt with m a manly/ natural way; they are not patronised. ' They are allowed to improve or reform ; themselves,! the mover is not ostentatious, and as they recognise m him : a friend, they ar€f-glad"of his suggestions or guidance;. ' So their self-re— : liancennd^lfrreSpecfe ari? d^vrlllQpedi' and into wholesome. chsiimul&; •>' If it were ptberwise the experiment;would be 'a'fleatl faihire. Bnt it is just because the succurs depends so much or so entirely npoir ]»erson'.il inflneuce that, this sort of thing is not easily imitj*.(«cd.^( f/Mauy; ic pr j mac/ f eaders will have heard of the famous juv6ri ile reformatory at Mettrai— certainly

joutlis ;ppw : beiri^ ' repti^ed by tlie 3* l^ceeUfor Ola^aes*'' iriv Melb.ourne /had hot yet tak^n "to thieviu^ or be-, i^nd^p imitataibe^burglar otijpntQXr"'ter/Put were*onlv 4 bn the' rpa'a m tnat / direction. That institution was established by two gentlemen— the Vi--cqmte de v -CQurUil|,es, , whQ.^a\|e-^lw , a retirea Judge, who as generously bestowed his services for the management., T lJje had knowledge <of tiature'/ eiiManceof by hisj'ndicial hx-' perieuce ; he had brains*.-benevolence-"-and enthusiam. He was a philan-| thropist, and also a philosopher. Noi wonder he did at Mettrai what had never b,een accomplished by any in-| ; stitutis'n ot the kind since. Manyj have) been. founded on that model, and! $6mij) jjhave r 'borne good fruit, but no-' thiiig lifce the extralSrdjnary success, effected by M. de Metz^- 'r-he.combi-t j nation of these talentSy y !with;thc' en-! rthusiam that back*ed theui > dp.es'laot; abound m the world, and is, riot tolje; had for the buying; but spm,ptbii»g of I the kind is required to. produce any! real, good, great or smaU, m this line,! aM, evidently tb'e good work we now! •■. heajr of iu^ Melbourne lias the stamp' of tttje^fighit qualities m the mower/ ,