t or nine years since he publicly baptised two Gipsy children.
Another tells us that some time since he baptised many Gipsy children, as
if baptism was the only thing required of the poor children for the
duties and responsibilities of life and a future state. Better a
thousand times have told us how many poor roadside arabs and Gipsy
children they have taken by the hand to educate and train them, so as to
be able to earn an honest livelihood, instead of 'cadging' from door to
door, and telling all sorts of silly stories and lies. How many poor
children's lives have been sacrificed at the hands of cruelty,
starvation, and neglect, and buried under a clod without the shedding of
a tear, it is fearful to contemplate. The idlers, loafers, rodneys,
mongrels, gorgios, and Gipsies are increasing, and will increase, in our
midst, unless we put our hand upon the system, from the simple fact that
by packing up with wife and children and 'taking to the road,' he thus
escapes taxes, rent, and the School-board officer. This they see, and a
'few kind words' and 'gentle touches' will never cause them to see it in
any other light. The sooner we get the ideal, fanciful, and romantic
side of a vagrant's and vagabond's life removed from our vision, and see
things as they really are, the better it will be for us. For the life of
me I cannot see anything romantic in dirt, squalor, ignorance, and
misery. Ministers and missionaries have completely failed in the work,
for the simple reason that they have never begun it in earnest;
consequently, the schoolmaster and School-board officer must begin to do
their part in reclaiming these wandering tribes, and this can only be
done in the manner stated by me in my previous letter."

In the _Leicester Free Press_ the following appeared on August
16th:--"Mr. George Smith, of Coalville, is earning the title of the
Children's Friend. His 'Cry of the Brick-yard Children' rang through
England, and issued in measures being adopted for their protection. His
description of the canal-boat children has also resulted in legislation
for their relief. Now I see Mr. Smith has put in a good word for Gipsy
children. It will surprise a good many who seldom see or hear of these
Gipsies, except perhaps at the races, to find how numerous they are even
in this county. I do not think the number is at all exaggerated. A few
days ago while driving down a rural lane in the country I 'interviewed'
one of these ch