The Rev. John L. Gardiner, vicar of Sevenoaks, wrote me in 1880 stating the guardians in his place were thinking of moving the authorities to take some steps for ameliorating their condition. In 1880 I received the following letter from a right worthy, good, and true working man living in Derby:
“Dear Sir,—
“I doubt not but that you will feel surprised at receiving a letter from me, an entire stranger to you; but I feel certain that the subject which I wish to bring before you will be a sufficient apology for my intrusion on your valuable time. I have very recently seen in the public journals allusions to another appeal from you on behalf of our poor gipsy and van children, whom you are striving to reclaim from a life of utter ignorance, and I wish you a hearty Godspeed in your noble endeavours. I doubt not, if it could be ascertained, there are thousands of these poor children in our land of boasted Christianity growing up in ignorance and crime, and enduring the greatest amount of misery that we could imagine. I have no doubt but that a large percentage of our worst criminals emanate from this class of poor children. When I think of these poor outcasts, and think that they are my brothers and sisters, made by the same Divine hand and bearing His own image, and for whom Christ died that they should be raised up to Him, I feel my heart burn within me, and I often pray to God that He would raise up some one able to plead their cause.”
Early in 1880 a lady at Sherborne, Dorset, wrote me as follows:
“I have always taken a deep interest in them. I have again and again wished that I could help to make them more intelligent and useful, for they are not a stupid race. About two months since a poor young woman of this class called at my house with a beautiful infant almost naked. I relieved her, and inquired the whereabouts of their encampments, which was about one and a half miles distant from my home. I went over to see them, and I assure you my heart yearned to do something to help to sweeten the atmosphere of their moral life. There were youths and maidens, children, old women and old men; but alas! I was powerless to do anything for them.”
A clergyman of high standing, near Salisbury, wrote me in 1880 to say that a committee of the Salisbury Diocesan Synod had commissioned him to collect information bearing on the neglected condition of the population accustomed for the greater part of the year to live in caravans and attend fairs in the diocese. “I could,” continued the worthy clergyman, “bring before you many proofs of the wretchedly ignorant and degraded condition of the class I am speaking of, which have come under my own personal notice; but I know I am writing to one better informed on the subject than any one.” Later on the Canon wrote me stating that the clerk of the market in Salisbury had told him that the stray population imported into the town as traders, showmen, &c., for an autumn fair amounted to about five hundred, and the fair was by no means a large one.
Last year a clergyman at Tavistock wrote me as follows:
“Dear Sir,—
“Your letter in yesterday’s Western Morning News respecting the education of the canal boat children reminds me of the question of the education of gipsy children, in which subject I believe you take a very active interest. I occasionally visit the gipsy tents and vans when they come into this neighbourhood, and find that a great many of these people admit that they cannot read, and others say they can read a little; but I fear that the great majority of the gipsy population are quite unable to read, and have very hazy ideas on the great principles of religion.
“It seems quite a reproach to the English nation to allow these wandering people to continue in its midst without some efforts towards Christianizing them. Although the subject is no doubt a difficult one, it would not seem impracticable to get these gipsy children to attend school at certain centres for portions of the year. I don’t know what has been done in the matter, but I wish you every success in your efforts for attaining this object, as well as for obtaining the efficient carrying out of the Canal Boats Act.”
In 1881 a leading and active county magistrate of Danbury, Essex, wrote me as follows:
“Dear Sir,—
“I observe that you say in your recent letter to the Secretary of the Lord’s Day Observance Society, that the ‘extension of the principle of the Canal Boats Act to all gipsy tents, vans, and other movable or temporary dwellings, should be brought about by all means.’ I should he extremely pleased to aid in this work, for we reside near Danbury Common, where all the worst features of the vagrant life may be certainly seen. Numbers of little ones are daily passing before us untaught, and suffering in health through exposure to cold and wet, versed in arts of deception and quite inaccessible to influence. During the severe weather lately we had several ruffianly fellows on the common who defied interference with the most lawless proceedings. They went about in gangs breaking up gates and fences, and committing thefts and depredations all around the common. Any ordinary police force is quite inadequate to check or control them when a few reckless men chance to come together. They carried away and broke up two pates from a farm of mine on the other side of the common, and several occupiers on that side suffered severely from their violence. But all this is really of little importance compared with the question of the children’s condition of ignorance and general ill-being. I am sure that those who dwelt under tents must have perished or laid the foundation of fatal disease during the late severe weather. It is clearly against public policy that parents should be allowed thus to trifle with the health of their children; and of course the same objection applies to their want of education. There are gradations of well (or ill) being among these poor wandering folks, as you no doubt are well aware. Some are in comfortable vans, and earn an honest livelihood by some handicraft—tinkering, basket-making; but those who possess scarcely anything but the tent that covers them are in a miserable plight in deep snow or in wet weather, and young children are placed in peril. I will not weary you by enlarging on this topic, which must, moreover, be sadly familiar to you. I desired to assure you, as I now do, that I will do anything in my power to extend the legislation which you have already had the happiness of effecting to those poor outcasts who may doubtless through England be reckoned by thousands.”
Early in the present year a Scotch Presbyterian clergyman at Aberfeldy wrote me to say that he had been deeply impressed for some time by the necessity there was for the State to take in hand the gipsy and similar travellers, and had last year got the Presbyterians of Breadalbane to petition Parliament to take some action in the way of improving the condition of the gipsies.