THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1880.

Thames Star, Volume XI, Issue 3730, 8 December 1880, Page 2

THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1880.

" Immodest words admit of no defence, For want of decency is want of sense."— , Eakd of Roscommon. I —Essays on Translated Verse,— Line 113. i There is one sad . feature, amongst | others, that is very glaring, in the conduct of young people of both sexes in the colonies. Judge Richmond some time ago reverted, while sitting in the | judicial chair at the Supreme Court, Auckland, to the numerous instances of larrikinism to be observed in all large j and small towns- in New Zealand. Speaking of these cases, he expressed j a sorrow that the manner of dealing with them was as yet an unsolved problem, and he further stated that the matter was one for philanthropists and statesmen to deal with. It was dangerous, he said, to commit them to gaol where they would come into contact with criminals of old standing, and with men who had descended to the lowest stage of degredation, and with whom intercourse was much to be deprecated, as tending to reduce the young and tractable offenders to their | own standard. It is well that people | should consider this matter, as it involves the safety and moralß of the j rising generation, and it is our duty to endeavor to train them in such .a manner as will cause them to eschew Vice and practice Virtue. The manner in which children are educated in New Zealand is such as to cause fears of the gravest nature to be apprehended for j the future of our young people. They are sent to public schools, where they receive all the teaching necessary to fit them to take their places in the woi'ld, and earn an existence, but the moral training they receive is very scant, and there is little doubt they are allowed to j have too much latitude. The morals of | young people are iri many cases entirely left for the teachers in our educational institutions, and parents do not exercise sufficiently their right in endeavoring to control the passions of their children. Larrikinism is every where patent, and we are sorry to say that the Thames is no j exception to the rule. No matter where j one walks in the evening he is sure to J find a number of intelligent youths | and young lads swearing, smoking, and using foul language. They do not heed either age or sex, and the disgust- j ing nature of their language is a subject of indignant comment among respectable people. Who amongst us would like our wives or sisters when returning home at dusk, to have their ears polluted with the vile epithets and filthy expressions of these children of vice,. who are a disgrace to our town? Every nook and corner is in the evening taken possession of by these larrikins, and in many instances, with shame be it spoken, they are accompanied by young girls, who not only

overhear their language, but often join in the disgusting conversation. Let the police take a stroll round in the evening in the neighbourhood of the Post Office or the Naval Hall on the beach, and they would see sights which should not be permitted in a respectable town. The schools have little restraint on children, and with the leniency of their relatives or guardians, the "fear of God and the stick" never enters their hearts, and instead of being innocent and moral, they are vicious in their pursuits, desires and amusements, and have become " like gods, knowing Good and Evil."