Crime -- England -- London; London (England) -- Social conditions; Poor -- England -- London
Here they should live and work, practically earning their food and
clothing; their lives should be made clean and decent, and certainly
economical. For these colonies there must be of course State aid.
The children must be adopted by the board of guardians or education
authorities and trained in small homes outside the workhouse gates this
should be compulsory.
These two plans would certainly clear away the worst and most hopeless
tribes of nomads, and though for a short time they would impose
considerable pecuniary obligations upon us, yet we should profit even
financially in the near future, and, best of all, should prevent a
second generation arising to fill the place of those detained.
The same methods should be adopted with the wretched mass of humanity
that crowds nightly on the Thames Embankment. Philanthropy is worse than
useless with the great majority of these people. Hot soup in the small
hours of a cold morning is doubtless comforting to them, and if the
night is wet, foggy, etc., a cover for a few hours is doubtless a
luxury. They drink the soup, they take advantage of the cover, and go
away, to return at night for more soup and still another cover. Oh, the
folly of it all!
We must have shelters for them, but the County Council must provide
them. Large, clean and healthy places into which, night by night, the
human derelicts from the streets should be taken by special police.
But there should be no release with the morning light, but detention
while full inquiries are made regarding them. Friends would doubtless
come forward to help many, but the remainder should be classified
according to age and physical and mental condition, and released only
when some satisfactory place or occupation is forthcoming for them.
The nightly condition of the Embankment is not only disgraceful, but it
is dangerous to the health and wellbeing of the community.
It is almost inconceivable that we should allow those parts of London
which are specially adapted for the convenience of the public to be
monopolised by a mass of diseased and unclean humanity. If we would
but act sensibly with these classes, I am sure we could then deal in an
effectual manner with that portion of the nomads for whom there is hope.
If the vast amount of money that is poured out in the vain effort to
help those whom it is impossible to help was devoted to those that are
helpable, the difficulty would be solved.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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