Chapter XXVIII
Reading edition
THE CHILD VAGRANT.
Passion for Roving Among Children—A Rover Reformed—Sent to the West, and Wanders over the Woods and Mountains—The Habits of Little Street-Vagrants—Unaccountable Preference for Particular Lodging-houses—Greatest Number in the Spring—Different Class of Boys in each House—Mystery of what Becomes of a Great Number of Them—Down-town Boys Sharper than the Up-town—Influence of Theatres upon them—The Salvation of New York its Climate—A Corrective—A License should be Required of each Street-trader—A License to be Accompanied by a School Certificate—Such a Law could be Executed—Success of similar Boston Laws—School-training Preventing Vagrancy and Pauperism—Truant-schools not Needed—Compulsory Education—Half-time Schools—Such a Law not Needed Formerly, Now Required Everywhere—Statistics of Illiteracy—The Ignorant Form the Dangerous Classes in this City—The Power of Prussia in the Compulsory Law—An Approach to in the Legislation in the Different States on Factory children……………………………………..pp. 339-352