New-York tribune., 1900-12-09
"HOOLIGANISM" in LONDON
BANDS OF YOUNG ROWDIEs WHO TER
RORIZE THE ENGLISH METROPO-
LIS SUGGESTED REMEDY


than in any other metropolis an element COM
posed of lads and young men. The offspring Of
| unskiIIed workmen, of the permanently unenn-
| ployed or of no known origin, who have evaded
the obligatory schooling provided for by Law.
and who, with no educational or conventional
| restraint TO check their disposition to horseplav
| their tendency to mischief and their exuberance
| of youth give unbridled rein to their savage in
stincts- For they are young savages in this
| sense that they are not bound by any Of the
moral trammels of civilization. and that their
notion Of fun is permeated with a strong eIe-
ment of ferOcity.
i Until few months ago the "hooEgans" enter
| tanned a certain fear of the police. 1t was the
wholesome terror inspired by the latter which
| if it did not exercise any complete control over
| them, at any rate served in measure to con-
| fine their sphere of operations to the poorest
quarters of the metropolis. But what is now
known in England as "mafeNing'' has had the
effect of spreading "hOolganism" over the en-
| tire city, since it destroyed the prestige Of the
/ police in the eyes of the mob
| The "mafeking'' was the extraordinary orgy
to which London abandoned itself when, after
many reverses in South Africa. the relief Of Ma
| feking at length became known. THE London
Spectator at the time said the leaders Of these
excesses in the British metropolis We're educated
people in more or less we'll to do circumstances,
such as brokers. city clerks, medical and legal
students. ETC.. who. infamed by mingled patriot
ism and liquor. cas-. aside all restraint and in
dulged in what Americans call painting the
| town red" Through some mistaken notion
the part of the local authorities in London, the
police received instructions on that occasion TO
close their eyes to everything short of actual
crime. Consequently they stood idly by without
| making any attempt to keep the mob within
bounds. These "mafeking'' scenes were repeated
on the capture of Pretoria, and again on the
occasion of the return of the London Volunteers
from South Africa.
POLICE TO CARRY FIREARMS.
/ Unfortunately the passive attitude Of the
/ police in this connection construed by the
| ''hOOligans'' not indulgence, but as an
| evidence of weakness. They came TO the con-
clusion that il the well to do were allowed to
enjoy such unbriGled license without any inter-
| ference on the part of the authorities there was
/ no reason why they should not be accorded the
/ same privilege. SO 'mafeking' has been de-
veloped by "hOOIigans" into a permanent form
of lawlessness. extending all over the metrOpO-
| lis. and has reached such proportions that for
| the first time since the great Fenian scare fol-
lowing the attempt to blow up the metropolitan
prison of ClerkenweII. where the Irish prisoners
were confined. the London police about to
be armed with revolvers. The dominant motive
of the ''hoOIgans" is mischief and since "mafek-
ing came into existence bold defiance Of the
police and war to the death against the lat
ter have been added thereto.
1 The origin of the word 'hOOlgan." which has
now become as familiar to the Londoner as the
word 'hOodlum'' is to the people of San Fran
i cisco and "larrikin'' 10 the inhabitants IF the
/ great cities of Australia is curious. Some time
| ago the Magistrate of the Westminster Police
/ Court, while examining some young prisoners
before him. was told by all Irish policeman that
the prisoners were AL Hooleys gang"
4 " 'HOOligans'r' exclaimed the Magistrate, who
had misunderstood the policeman What are
1 they?'
| Bands OF young bIackguards, who are a ter
rOr to all decent people" replied the policeman
4 The Magistrate asked more questions. but
sentenced the prisoners TO six months az hard
labor. The reporters present fell into the same
error the judge. and "hoolgan' instead Of
'HOOley's gang appeared in The newspapers
and ever since these bands Of young rufianS
have beer known by the name Of "hooIisans."
/ THE LOWEST ORDER OF SOCIETY.
| The ''hOOIigan' differs from the American
hOOdlum in that he is without vestse Of edu-
catiOr. and is stranger 10 every civilizins in
fuence. He is permanently unemployed and de-
| pendent for his living petty pilfering. People
| in this country can form with difi,1lty an idea
of his condition of barbarism. For il is rare
II V.N