Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1894-07-29
LIKE OUR KELLYI7ES.
They Are Called Landowners" In Australia,
Bu. They Are Tramps and Nothing More
A Rival Exists In the Cities Who May Be
Liksasi To the Typical American Tough.

M,lb,wne Correspondence. N,v Yors 7rro.
While the towns, and particularly
those Of Victoria, are full OF Idle men,
the country roads swarm with variety
OF tramps known as the "sundovner. !"
1t seems to be an uuwritten law OF the
country that any man travelling on foot
who reaches sheep station or a farm
house before shutdown in the afternoon
is entitled to be cared for Till the tol-
lowing morning. And so IL has come
about that single men ont or work, ana
even married men whose presence can
bring help TO their families, have be-
come professional sundowners, who
sooner or later must degenerate Into
loafers or something worse.
The climate is conducive TO sundovn-
ing, II there is such word, for frost
and snow, excepting In the unsettled
highlands, are things unseen, and so
the tramp can sleep outdoors without
running the risk of rheumatism. ] have
seen many OF these men, and sturdy,
picturesque looking fellows they are rs
class. They carry a blanket, soldier
fashion, over the shoulder, and | never
met one who did not have q billy"
and the material for "damper" and
smoke. The billy Is a black Tin pot
used for making tea, tea being as es-
sential to these gentry as coffee was TO
our soldiers in the cival war. The dam
per is a cake made from flour and water
and cooked on the Goals, and q dirtier
"a 1
would be difficult to imagine, yet these
fellows are pictures OF health and must
have the digestion OF ostriches They
are experts at sharing rabbits, one OF
the country's curses, and so, as long as
they keep away from the cities they
need not go hungry. Some day the
sundowner, who Is an everincreasiDg
quantity, may make himself felt in u
more disagreeable way than imposing
his company on station-keepers and
farmers.
While the sundowner Is becoming the
curse OF the rural districts, the larrikin,
or Australian tough, has already made
himself tho curse OF the cities. lie Is
seen ia his greatest power and highest
state Of development Ia Sydney, but
down herein Melbourne he fourishes
In the most offensive luxuriance.
The toughs OF New York, the hood
lums of San Francisco. the desperadoes
OF our Western mining towns aud the
loudmouthed "pistol toters" OF the
Southern States are splendid examples
OF debasement, but In intelligence
and readiness to help the helpless,
particularly Of the other sex, they are
Admirable Crichtons and models OF
chlvalry compared with the Australian
larrikin.
The traveller who Ireaches this land
by way OF Hawaii, Samoa, Eli aud New
leland looks back upon the naked
South Sea Islander as q natural born
gentleman when contrasted With the
Australian larrikin.
would be an insult TO the degraded,
grub-eating black fellow for the Amer
lean 10 Imagine that the larrikln Is 40
aborigine; no, he Is the lineal descend
ant OF the convict settlers, which, for
nearly quarters OF . century,
England dumped into this favored land,
has been REINFORCED by the lawless.
until to-day he has grown 10 be power
that jails can not weaken nor police In
timidatg.
The origin OF the word larrikin is
said TO be as follows: An Irish police
man in the early days OF Sydney. or IL
may have been Melbourne. was forced
TO arrest a young man who had started
In TO run the city. The next morning
the policeman, having 10 the meantime
been 'seen" by the mans friends,
was anxious that he should go free, 30,
In response 10 the question OF the
police magistrate as TO what the priso-
ner had been doing, he said: well. i
thought be was sarchln' for trouble.
yer honor out now I'm sure he was only
a-larrikin"-a-l arsiDg.
But no matter about the etymelogy OF
of the name, IL has come TO be descrip-
tive, and the social rebels 10 whom 10
applies have come TO regard the appel
lation as one of honor. They have
eyen gone so far. wherever they can
afford IL. as to adopt distinguishing
costume. which consists OF loud shirt,
a soft felt hat set rakishlv on the
head and belI-bottomed trousers; but
men so arrayed are the swell OF the
order, who depend Tor their uniforms
on fhe larrikiness, for the women OF
this class are quite as numerous and
quite rs degraded a. the men.
All the Australian cities are famed
for their beautiful parks. but At night;
and frequently during the day, these