. Australia's greatest need : with an introductory note by the Archbishop of Brisbane. o theconvict system as to that private policyby which families in the old country haveso freely rid themselves of their blacksheep by sending them, with or without anannual allowance, to one of the remittance men, as they are com-monly called, are a well-known feature inthe new countries, and they deserve ourpity. A man who cannot be kept straightat home, with all the forces of publicopinion behind him, is certain to go rapidlydown in his new surroundings, where thetemptations are fiercer, whe
. Australia's greatest need : with an introductory note by the Archbishop of Brisbane. o theconvict system as to that private policyby which families in the old country haveso freely rid themselves of their blacksheep by sending them, with or without anannual allowance, to one of the remittance men, as they are com-monly called, are a well-known feature inthe new countries, and they deserve ourpity. A man who cannot be kept straightat home, with all the forces of publicopinion behind him, is certain to go rapidlydown in his new surroundings, where thetemptations are fiercer, where the body ofpublic opinion is not so strong, and wherehe feels himself an outcast from his there is evidence of repentance, withsome strength of character to back it up,new surroundings may supply a stimulus,to a new life. But, when these are lack-ing, the worst is to be feared. So with the convict system. If carehad been taken to discriminate betweenthe prisoners, and to send out only thosewho were not hardened criminals but hadgiven proof of a desire to retrieve their. The coming of the People 57 reputation, a respectable community,under good influence, might have beenbuilt up, and Australia would have beensaved from the odium of its bad criminal element spoiled the plan ;for the majority of the convicts were notcriminals. Of the 775 who composed thefirst party, no less than 719 were convictedfor slight offences, which would be verylightly treated in modern days. Many ofthem were Scotch or Irish politicaloffenders, whose moral life was not inquestion. The remaining fifty-six were* the little leaven that leaveneth the wholelump . We have advanced two considerations :first, that a convict settlement was theonly possible alternative at that period forthe colonization of so distant a land asAustralia; and secondly, that the originalplan would have been satisfactory, if morecare had been taken in selecting theprisoners. Good plans are often spoiled by the
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