Ragged Schools

Now, Ragged Schools have been set up by kind and Christian people for the purpose of doing good to these unhappy children. They are brought to these schools, and there, their torn, dirty clothes are taken off. After being washed and made clean, they are given other clothes to wear during the day. However, at night, they are forced to put their dirty clothes back on because their parents are so wicked that if they went home in good clothes, their parents would take them and sell them, spending the money on something to drink. Then, the children would be sent out again in miserable and filthy rags, or nearly without clothes at all. So, the kind people at the schools take care of the clean clothing for them at night. The children stay at school all day, where food is provided for them. Sometimes they have one thing, sometimes another. On the day I visited Dr. Guthrie’s school, they were each given a basin of nice hot soup and a good-sized piece of bread. What a treat for these poor, neglected, hungry children!

1. Set up

• Установить (to install or arrange)

• Организовать (to organize or plan)

• Подставить (to frame someone)

2. Torn

• Порванный (ripped or damaged)

• Разорванный (physically torn apart or emotionally conflicted)

3. Wicked

• Злой (evil or morally wrong)

• Крутой (slang for “cool” or “awesome”)

4. Miserable

• Несчастный (unhappy, suffering)

• Жалкий (pathetic or poor in quality)

5. Filthy

• Грязный (physically dirty)

• Непристойный (offensive, obscene)

6. Neglected

• Заброшенный (abandoned, uncared for)

• Пренебрегаемый (ignored or disregarded)

“persuade”

• убеждать (to convince or talk someone into something).

• Уговорить (to coax or convince)

• Склонить (to influence or sway someone towards a decision)