Gipsy Life: Being an account of our Gipsies and their children, with suggestions for their improvementSmith, George
History
Gipsy Life: Being an account of our Gipsies and their children, with suggestions for their improvement
Smith, George
Romanies -- Great Britain
repeated efforts put forth by a number of Christian gentlemen, and the
interest caused by the publication of Grellmann’s book, the work of
reforming the Gipsies by purely religious and philanthropic action began
to lag behind; the result was, as in the case of persecution, no good was
observable, and the Gipsies were allowed to go again on their way to
destruction. The next step was one in the right direction, viz., that of
trying to improve the Gipsies by the means of the schoolmaster; although
humble and feeble in its plan of operation, yet if we look to the agency
put forth and its results, the Sunday-school teacher must have felt
encouraged in his work as he plodded on Sunday after Sunday.
It may be said of Thomas Howard as it was said of the poor widow of old,
he “hath done more than them all.” The following account of this
cheerful, encouraging, and interesting gathering is taken from Hoyland,
in which he says:—“The first account he received of any of them was from
Thomas Howard, proprietor of a glass and china shop, No. 50, Fetter Lane,
Fleet Street. This person, who preached among the Calvinists, said that
in the winter of 1811 he had assisted in the establishment of a
Sunday-school in Windwill Street, Acre Lane, near Clapham. It was under
the patronage of a single gentlewoman, of the name of Wilkinson, and
principally intended for the neglected and forlorn children of
brick-makers and the most abject poor.” At the present day Gipsies
generally locate in the neighbourhood of brick-yards and low, swampy
marshes, or by the side of rivers or canals. It was begun on a small
scale, but increased till the number of scholars amounted to forty.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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