The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-12-08
Frederick Haskin's Iettarl
A School for Gypsies.

Warrington, D. c., Dee. t.
Washington has a gypsy sehee
with 81 young gypsies. all BUSH,
studying the mysteries of the frs
reader.
Whether the school will las
long enough for the children to finj
out what happens on the last page
OF the book depends on the uncer-
tain gypsy temperament. If the
call to wander comes tomorrow
! the teacher who has been deputed
by the public school system To
teach the gypsy school may find
herself suddenly without a single
pupil. Q
The young gyPsies of the class
have travelled through Russia, Bra
I'll, Panama Mexico, Italy and
other countries. They speak a
number of languages huently
Among themselves they break into
Spanish, French, gypsy dialect,
Russian and Italian.
Yet only two or three of these
young linguists and travellers have
ever before been inside a school
room. One. who had tried school
before in the course of his trav-
els, remarked to his present teach
er, Mrs. R. V. Wackern1an, You
are good teacher, and learn to
read. Other teachers no good"
Until Nov. s, which was the red
letter day when they started TO
school. none OF the children from
the six-year-olds to those of IS
years, could read or write his own
name.
They might have gone on lack
ing this accomplishment indefinite
ly, if the band had not stopped in
a city with the intention of staying
all wiRter-perhaps The police re-
ported that the children of a gypsy
band were hanging around the
streets at hours when ali civilized
youngsters are cooped up in school
rooms. The school authorities in
Vesugated and then began the pro-
cess of getting a troop of gypsy
children to. school,
There were SO many of the chill
dFeR, and SO fantastic was thsir
apparel, that a special class was
opened for them in one CO the pub
lie schools. They came, rather
eagerly. interested ia the promise
that they would learn to read. And
they have stuck. Reading partieu-
larry interests them. They labor
untiriHgly ever the stories of Tom
at the Seashore and Little Bo Peep.
In their month of schooling they
have read So pages of their reader
and what they learn they remem-
her.
The teachers only difficulty is
that they all coyet the privilege OF
being the one to read aloud.
Il read for you," offers one
biack-eyed boy.
NO me. l read him good" in
sists another, and occasionally one
scholar rises without |
invitation to read to the class.
Restless Pupils.
Fortunately, the teacher under
stands them. She realizes that they
are unaecustomed to sitting on
ong anywhere, and that the school
-oom routine must be hard for
hem. So the class gets along
peacefully.
This is an achievement consider
ng the explosive feelings of the
gypsy. One boy whe was ducked
by his neighbor in the drinking
came in from recess pro-
esting violently.
Put him in de basement, teach
r." he urged in English, after ex-
to the boy just what he
bought of him in a foreign Ian
;uage that visibly impressed the
ther boys who understood it
Mrs. Wackerman restored peace.
hough the two continued 20 glare
t each other for a while. Then,
they forgot all about it.
The appearance of the children
ttracts considerable attention.
frs. Waekerman says that the first
ay they started to school they