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
To which I replied as under, in the _Daily News_ bearing date September
13th:—“In reply to Mr. Gorrie’s letter which appears in your issue of
this morning, I consider that it would be unwise and impracticable to
build separate schools for either the brick-yard, canal-boat, Gipsy, or
other children moving about the country, in tents, vans, &c., for their
use solely; especially would it be so in the case of Gipsy children and
roadside arabs. What I have been and am still aiming at is the education
of these children, not by isolating them from other
working-classes—colliers, potters, ironworkers, factory hands, tradesmen,
&c.—but by bringing them in daily contact with the children of these
parents, and also under some of the influences of our little missionary
civilisers who are brought up and receiving some of their education in
drawing-rooms, and whose parents cannot afford to send them to
boarding-schools, colleges, &c., and have to content themselves by having
their children educated at either the national, British, or Board
schools. I confess that it is not pleasant to hear that our children
have picked up vulgar words at school; and it requires patience, care,
and watchfulness on the part of parents to counteract some of the
downward tendencies resulting from an uneven mixing of children brought
up and educated under such influences. Better by far put up with these
little ills than others we know not of, the outcome of ignorance. On the
other hand, it is pleasing to note how glad the parents of Gipsy,
canal-boat, and brick-yard children are when their children pick up ‘fine
words’ and become more ‘gentlerified’ by mixing with children higher up
the social scale. Bad habits, words, and actions are generally picked up
between school times. It would be well for us to rub down class feeling
among children as much as possible as regards their education. The
children of brick-makers, canal-boatmen, and Gipsies are of us and with
us, and must be taken hold of, educated, and elevated in things
pertaining to their future welfare. The ‘turning up of the nose,’ by
those whose duty, education, and privilege should have taught them better
things, at these poor children has had more to do in bringing about their
pitiable and ignorant condition than can be imagined. The Canal Boats
Act, if wisely carried out, will before long bring about the education of
the canal-boat children; and in order to bring the Gipsy children, show
children, and other roadside arabs under the Education Acts, I am seeking
to have all movable habitations, _i.e._, tents, vans, shows, &c., in
which the families live who are earning a living by travelling from place
to place, registered and numbered, as in the case of canal-boats, and the
parents compelled ‘by hook or by crook’ to send their children to school
at the place wherever they may be temporarily located, be it national,
British, or Board school. The education of these children should be
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