LARRIKINISM: HOW IT IS ENCOURAGED.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 253, 16 October 1876, Page 2

LARRIKINISM : HOW IT IS ENCOURAGED.

To the Editor ok the ♦ Evening Mail.' Sm— Larrikinisrn, which, I take it, means blackguardism in the the superlative degree, appears to hare struck its roots deep in the congenial soil of Nelson, and to flourish to a remarkable extent. Property is not safe, and if our wives and daughters should walk through the streets after dark they consider themselves fortunate if they return home without having been, if not insulted, at least shocked by the filthy and blasphemous language that rolls in torrents from the mouths of youths varying in age from Bto 16. It is not pleasant to have to publish our disgrace iv this way, but the fact is that the evil has reached such a point that we can no longer afford to be mealy mouthed in speaking of it. Hitherto we have been too much disposed to ignore its existence, and when the knowledge of it has forced itself upon us through the reports of the Police Court at which some offence of a graver nature than usual has been tried we hold up our hands in astonishqient and exclaim, Can such things be? Then we immediately commence to talk in an excited matter about the severe punishment that ought to be inflicted with a view to repressing the evil, utterly aud wilfully forgetful of the fact that we have been carefully nurturing the tree which has borne the fruit that is so repugnant to the palate and so hideous to look upon; that we have been digging about its roots; assiduously watering it, and in. fact fostering its growth by every means in our power. For some reason or another parental authority is not excercised here to the same extent that it is in the home country, and boys and girls have such liberty accorded to them as English parents of respectability would never dream of allowiug and one of the consequences is that long after they should be in bed children of both sexes are to be seen, or rather heard, at street corners, and in other favorite places of resort —among which the Botanical Ke?erve stands conspicuously forth— cursing, swearing, and making use with an easy familiarity that is shocking to the ears of any modest female, of language of the lowest and lewdest description. And then we wonder if it is occasionally shown that we are -training up a class of criminals. I feel that to parents I cannot too solemnly address a word of warning on this subject. They may be ignorant of the delinquencies of their children, but they should not be so, for they ought to keep them more under their eye. I have reason to believe that there is one fruitful, if unsuspected, source of larrikinism iv our midst that ought to be removed without delay. It is possible that I shall raise a storm of indignation by thus characterising it, but 1 shall not for that reason neglect what I regard as a duty. I allude to the practice of calling out the Cadet Corps at night. The cadet system I thoroughly approve of, for any means by which a sense of discipline, however slight,- can be instilled into the minds of the youths of the place is, I think, desirable, but to call out fifty or sixty boys after dark, drill them for an hour or two, and then leave them to their own devices does appear to me to be a very efficacious and speedy way of converting decent youths into low ruffians. Led on by the love of mischief, which is innate in the breast of every boy, they soon, left unwatched and untended as they are, go from bad to worse and develop into blackguards, if indeed they escape becoming criminals. Let anyone after a night drill wait about the streets after the volunteers are dismissed, the band has ceased to play, aud the people whom it attracted have dispersed, let him watch and follow some of the little knots of boys that branch off in various directions, and listen to their talk, and then let him honestly say what he thinks of the practice of turniug a few scores of them adrift in the street on a dark night Having now pointed out what I conceive* to be a very grave evil I shall leave my words to do their work. I am, &c, Ax Observant Citizex Nelson, October 16.