The record-union., 1897-05-22
AUSTRALIAN "LARRIKlN.'
Most Contemplate and Brutal Of the
Worlds Outlaws.
His Country Brother, the "Sun'
dOwner''-The Curse OF the
Antipodes.

Every nation, every type OF clVliiza-
tion has had or continues to nave l1e
peculiar forms of ruffianiSm. Ihe ohi'eo
States is particularly rich IN us Nail-
cites of ruffians, and this IS OWING "
the cosmopolitan character OF our pup
ulation The Bowery tough, the bdli-
more plug, the San Francisco hoooluiii,
with the special varieties 10 pe louiiu
not only in our large cities, put III oul
mines and on our sparsely Selueu
mountains, are differentiated by en-
vironment, but they have, IN coiliiloh'
a defiance of law and a contempt lor
all the proprietieS that make Tor goou
citizenship.
The Whitechapel outcast, the IA
risian sneak, the Valparaiso cut-lnroat'
and the unmitigated beggar ana thleI
of Naples, with his prototypes III al
the Mediterranean towns. are fellows
whose existence is curse, ana whose
destruction. if they left no successors
would be a blessing TO humanity. but
low and degraded though these crea-
lures are, the meanest OF them Is
model of manliness and type of chiv-
alric nobility compared with the Aus
tralasian larrikin.
A gentleman in Melbourne, Australa,
gave me the etymo1ogy OF the Wofo
.larrikin," and as it seems a reasonable
origin | am willing to accept II: In the
early days when the gold fields OF the
colony of Victoria attracted TO MEL
bourne the worlds adVenturers, law
lessness was the rule and the authofl-
ties of the Capital City had their hahas
full keeping their own citizens as well
as their visitors in order. one nlghl
an Irish policeman arrested two drunk
en- law-breakers, but when, the next
morning. he came to give his evidence
before the magistrate, his anger against
the prisoners had softened into COM
passion.
Sure, yer honor" he said, the Dyes
wasn't so bad at all, at ALL
what did they do?" asked the mag
istrate.
''Nothin, sorr, except that lhey was
lust notwithstanding larklng-
We'll, I'll give them week as larfl-
kins." said the Judge; and with TINS
the distinctive name of the Worio 5
most contemplate outlaw and black
guard began.
Although formerly a part OF New
South Wales. the people or Nlctorld
pride themselves on the fact that their
territory was never penal colony, ana
that they should not have hereditary
tendency to vice New South wales
was a penal colony, and it is SAID that
some of the best citizens are descend
ants of the convicts. The records, lhae
might settle this, were, we thlnk, very
wisely destroyed, but it is claimed thal
while many rich and excellent people
are descendants of convict ancestors,
the larrikin is the direct and legitimate
product of this element.
But. no matter where the thing orig
mated. it has spread with alarming
yigor over all Australasia. 1t is most
in evidence in the cities, but this type
of ruffian flourishes from the hamlets
of the coral fishers in Torres STRAITS
and the Gulf of Carpentaria. to the
pastoral hills and beautiful valleys OF
Tasmania.
But the Eden of the larrikin is New
South Wales, and the queenly city OF
sydney is the place in which he most
abounds. and which he largely occupies
if he does not largely control. The ch-
mate of Australia-and the variation
is not so great as the area might i'm
ply-is particularly conducive to the de-
velopment of the ignorant, shiftless
homeless ruffian of the larrikin type
The beautiful parks, of which the Aus
tralian cities are so justly proud, are
robbed of their advantages to the
peaceful citizen by the fact that the
larrikin makes them his loafing place
by day and his camping place at night.
Food is cheap. and the opportunities for
purleining it unlimited, so that these
creatures manage to eat without labor
and to keep strong without toll.
At first the larrikin was regarded as
a pariah. but the universal suffrage and
the democratic spirit which is stronger
in these colonies than in the United
States, has made him a peer and a fac
tor to be reckoned with in all political
contests. If the larrikin ever felt
ashamed of the name, that time is in
the past. Now he is not only proud
of being a larrikin. but he announces
the fact to the world by wearing, when
ever he can get the means 10 justify
his taste a distinctive costume. and his
female counterpart, the larrikiness, dis
tinguishes herself in the same way,
though her dress is not so pronounced.
Those who have seen CheValier in his
coster costume can form a good idea
of the dress of the Sydney larrikin. \
tunic covered with buttons, a collarless
shirt with a gaudy handkerchief. a soft
gray hat and tight -hipped, bell bot
toned trousers make up the distinctive
uniform of the larrikin. His female
companion, whom he calls ma donah,
probably from the Italian madonna, =
dresses, save as to the head. which is
usually bare. in loud prints and with
q barbaric fondness for glaring reds