THE PROBLEM OF YOUNG VAGRANTS
' [To the Editor of TOE SPECTATOR.]
Sin,—With reference to the paragraph by Janus about Gray House, gicester, in your issue of November 15th, please allow me to make a few remarks. In support of these I enclose the three reports published by the Council of Gray House, including the Council's Statement of Policy.
Gray House was an experiment to last three years and, as the Statement of Policy says, was definitely not for the " training " of young vagrants. The Statement of Policy was drawn up by Mr. Gray himself, and was adhered to most strictly while Mr. Gray was resident at Gray House, during his absence in England owing to ill-health, during his absence abroad, and after his death. The reports arc an honest account Of the experiment, • may be called its bench notes (they are summaries of the reports read to the monthly meetings of the Executive Committee) and disclose facts of a startling nature.
The Council of Gray House will meet on December 14th to decide what steps should be taken (1) to bring the facts discovered before the•general public ; (2) to press for legislation which, in the opinion of the Council, might 'do much to remove both old and young vagrants from the road.
Is it too much to ask that, until this meeting has been held and all the facts about Gray House made public, people who write " I know nothing of the facts " may refrain from saying " it has proved a dead failure ? "—Yours, &c., PERCY Honorary Secretary, Gray House ASsociation. 21 Northmoor Road, Orford.
[Janus writes : I am grateful for the reports which the honorary secretary of the Gray House Association haS been good enough to send. Let me quote from them two paragraphs : (1) " The object of the Association is to establiSh or re- ' establish the young men in normal occupations and surround- ings likely to lead to their becoming useful citizens."
(2) " It is hoped that Gray House has removed permanently from the Toad 21 boys out of the 220 boys admitted to the House."
In the light of these I cannot feel that my comment was Unreason:11)1c.]
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