THE EVENING MAIL, FRIDAY, JANUARY 26, 1877.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 238, 26 January 1877, Page 2

THE EVENING MAIL,

FRIDAY, JANUARY 26, 1877.

"•WoHftuwtthinifs, ftmtn drop of ink fivllinir npon » UMnirht muy prtiUuuo thivt which- makes* thousunua think."

Pl2tIiAP& one of the most difficult matters with which future legislators will have to deal i» to pot the curb upon the fastincreasing and obnoxious element known

aslamkinism. Disguise the fact as we xcitpf, it cannot be denied that the nui-

aance is on the increase, for so wide-

■proud has it become, and si> thoroughly ho» it permeated every town in the Colon JV that it is impossible to take up a paper, no matter how obscure the place feoro whence it issues, without seeing evidence of its existence. As time rolls on it has increased in intensity, until, tike the enow-boll, the farther it is rolled the greater becomes its butts, anil it has now reached such huge proportions as to cinaa Mrious alarm to those who have thoughtfully considered the svtbjuct. In the Police Court oI the metropolis a few week 1 * ago a fair-hatred, mild-faced youth of fourteen watt charged by the Inspector of Police as Being the ringleader of some four or Eve hundred roughs who had perpetrated a dastardly assault upon the police at one o'clock in the morning. The accused had possession of a bag of ff<uir, and hia amusement was to cast it in the faces and ever the uniforms of the police, white witb disgusting language he incited tlv crowd to follow his example- Here we luwe an instance of tittle better than a

so ted away by want of proper care fml restriction as to take his ptacs in the foremost ranks of criminality. We ask who is accountable for such a state of when a child scarcely in lib teens •tanda forth pre-eminent amongst his feltowe ill his defiance of the law and his disregard of alt decency or dscorum f tut the parent, who from the moment he was able to toddle, allowed feint, late and early, to go whither he mllad ; and now, almost before youth is

ytigched, he i» aping the man, and already indeetrnated into the mysteries of smofc- |[ fay, drinking, and cursing. A few years

since the question of the treatment of the

atvil occupied the serious attention of the Victorian legislature, and in the course of the discussion feeling ran rather high, not * few of the members being strong l« advocates for the use of the lash as a re--10 preaaive agent. In New South Wales also f tf the ume subject is agitating the public m and public men are vainly endeavoring to- find out a panacea for the growj isg nuisance. The Press is continually , inveighing against those pests of society, ®sni Sir WttiMM MAJtsrase, one of the Judges of the Supreme Coort of New * South Wales, had recently occasion in a charge ts> & jury to> animadvert in strong

tecum upon the pernicious an*s idle habits

which prevailed amongst the youas? men —of tfrat Colony, whose existences seemed

to It divided between drinking, idling, gaming. To provide a cure, it is first KhMcessary that a cause ah<?ttM be discovered lor the existing state of affairs, and then JMek to remove it. That cause may be fcttribatad to tw» sources—the total abmkwi of all restriction or check by the « |ettnt», asd the large sttms which boys ■... 0t to earn the moment they *ek their own living. Time bage

amounts —often equal to that given to the head of a family in England—begets a spirit of independenca, most laudable if care had been taken that it ran into the right groove. But such, unfortunately, in many instances, is not the case. They are totally irresponsible to their parents, and after a little time, if the slightest restraint or curb is put tipon their actions, they Sing aside the parental aut.'.o. ity, and go out into the world on " their own hook." It is dangerous for young people to have such large means at their command, without the least training of character to prepare them for such a trust. The above are two of the causes; now, with regard to the cure, we will give an extract from the Lading Sydney morning journal, which, in discussing the question with a view to its remedy, makes the following very pertinent remarks :—" Could not gymnasiums and various kinds of polytechnic institutions be opened in all our cities and towns, under suitable direction I The young men of Australia arc passionately fotid of athletic sports, and there is no reason why these sports should be associated with drinking and gambling. Tlte bfSt occupation of leisure time for the young is sJt-entture, so as to prepare for the serious business of life- Schools of Arts, mechanics* institutes, and night schools deserve liberal encouragement as instruments for the; accomplishment of this purpose, but they will not meet the case of those- who have no desire to attend. The young will be amused, and it is the duty of all social reformers to render popular amusements as healthy and free from danger as possible." The question of providing healthful recreation and enjoyment is of far more importance than most people are apt to imagine. Youth requires a certain amount of relaxation and amusement, and if those healthful exercises and jadieiotts amusements be not provided for the rising generation, the danger is that they will seek others to their own detriment, and become a nuisance to themselves and a pest to societv.