Gipsy Life: Being an Account of Our Gipsies and Their Children, with Suggestions for Their Improvement

Having dedicated his work to Parliament, the author writes that the object of his book is "to touch the hearts of my countrymen on behalf of the poor Gipsy women and children and other roadside Arabs flitting about in our midst, in such a way as to command attention to these neglected, dark, marshy spots of human life, whose seedlings have been running wild among us during the last three centuries, spreading their poisonous influence abroad, not only detrimental to the growth of Christianity and the spread of civilization, but to the present and eternal welfare of the children; and, what I ask for is, that the hand of the Schoolmaster may be extended towards the children; and that the vans and other temporary and movable abodes in which they live may be brought under the eye and influence of the Sanitary Inspector." Need one say more? What follows is actually a rather comprehensive look at Gypsy history and culture through the eyes of a non-Gypsy. Smith's book includes many illustrations as well as contemporary articles on Gypsies published in newspapers and magazines. In the end, this book is an excellent example of some of the rhetoric used by social reformers to try to push Parliament to help 'improve' the lives of Gypsies.