The Westerly echo, & Pawcatuck advertiser. [volume] (Westerly, R.I.) 1854-1858, 1855-11-15
ROwdy1sm.

That this is pro-emiDcntly an aye o
rowdyism, must be the conviction :
every thinking mind. Every person
who has reached the age Of mid-life
must realize that there is a vast differ
ence between the conduct of the youth
OF our country at the pr, sent day, and
those Of a score Of years age. In tie
larger cities probably this difference is
not SO marked but in the youth Of our
villages and country towns, we never
heard such profaneuess, We never saw
such utter contempt Of super;ors, such
total disregard of all wholesome author.
ity, such precocious rnf6anism, such
lavlessness and rowdyism, as may be
met with at this day, in almost any sec.
ton and it is with much sorrow that
We are compelled to admit that our own
beloved village is not exempt from the
plague. Our papers daily record 10
stances of personal violence and brutal
outrage, showing that such deeds are Of
common occurrence throughout the
country; and even our eyes and ears
are constant y saluted with deeds of
blaekguardism, in omuch that public
opinion ceases to be shocked at them,
but, from their very frequency, it has
come to look upon them as almost a
matter Of course.
These youth, which arc allosrn!., !saus
to have their own way, arrive at ff5s g.
tate of manhood without the fear of God
or the regard of man, and are conse.
quently ripe for any crime. 1t is true
they may have before them the fear Of
the law But this being their only re.
straint, every opportunity is sought for
evadng it; and uckless is that commu-
nifty whose only safeguard is in the re-
styainiug force Of the laws. For though
fear may be, and doubtless is, very
wholesome ingredient in sustaining a
government, yet when that is the sole
restraint of rufhanism, then indeed Is
the bond Of union weakened and those
who wish to do so will find way of set
ting at defiance laws which are irksome
to them. The wicked " strike hands VI
and become terror to those who would
resort to the laws to procure redress for
a wrong received. The consequence is,
that those who have received injury
will often endure almost any amount OF
petty annoyance, rather than resort to
the GLORIOUS uncertainty" of the law,
or risk the events of a defeat. How
often is it the case, that if man com.
plain Of having his orchard robbed, doe.
he rise the next morning to 6ud hi.
trees girdled' If he question the pro-
priety OF his melon patch being laid un-
der contribution to supply these narau'
ders with dainties, it is ten chances t
one if be is not taught the policy Of 81
lence and submission by finding biz
horse sheared, his out-houses razed, ol
some other equally shameless act Of vii
liany pcrpetrated on him by these inde.
pendent citizens of " free country"
Now, We can scarcely conceive of .
worse state of society than that in which
the vicious and the criminal have no re.
spect for the common decencies Of soci
ETY., aud where they can with impuuity
set the law at defiance, and snap theil
fingers in the faces of its appointed ex-
ecutors. And yet, who can not plain, !,
dcscern a tendency in that direction
strongly manifested by our young men
and those who are approaching to that
estate 7 1t is true, that as yet this spir-
it Of rowdyism does not exceed certain
limit 1t is said Of Napoleon, that at
an evening party, a gentleman COM
the soldiers who had refused to
obey an order to FIRE upon mob /; when
ho future Emperor replied in terms Of