美国国家公共电台 NPR A 'Ragged School' Gives U.K. Children A Taste Of Dickensian Destitution

A 'Ragged¹ School' Gives U.K. Children A Taste Of Dickensian Destitution²

SARAH MCCAMMON, HOST:

Charles Dickens made the East End of London infamous³. In his time, it was rife⁴ with poverty and crime. Today, row houses in the gentrified area cost more than a million dollars. But tucked away in a side street, a slice of the old London survives. A tiny museum is showing British schoolchildren what life was like in the bad old days. The BBC's Sam Alwyine-Mosely sent us this report.

SAM ALWYINE-MOSELY: Ms. Perkins stands on creaking floorboards, banging her cane⁵ on a wooden desk as she peers over her wire-rimmed glasses, beckoning⁶ a group of British schoolchildren into her classroom.

SALLY ARMSTRONG: (As Ms. Perkins) You, boy. You, boy. Come around the front. You don't decide where to sit. I decide where you sit.

ALWYINE-MOSELY: The pupils are neatly⁷ dressed in matching green sweatshirts and dark pants. They're fifth graders from a nearby school.

ARMSTRONG: (As Ms. Perkins) Let us say our alphabet altogether. A-B-C-D...

UNIDENTIFIED STUDENTS: E-F-G-H-I-J...

ALWYINE-MOSELY: But today, they've stepped into the past. This is the Ragged School Museum. Ms. Perkins, the stern Victorian schoolteacher leading the class, is an actress. And she's taking the children through an authentic⁸ 19th-century lesson. They write on slate⁹ boards and learn about the old British currency - pound shillings and pence. Sally Armstrong, who's been playing Ms. Perkins for 11 years, likes to bring out old photographs for the children.

ARMSTRONG: One of my favorite things was, was life really black and white back then? 'Cause it's a black and white photo, you know.

ALWYINE-MOSELY: What do you think the children take away from the lesson?

ARMSTRONG: They haven't got a clue about not having any food in the house. Or they haven't got a clue about there being no welfare state or the fact that they would be expected to go out to work as well as come to school.

UNIDENTIFIED STUDENTS: Yellow. Green. Blue.

ALWYINE-MOSELY: The museum is in the same building that once housed a free school for some of the poorest children in Victorian England. Back in the 1800s, this part of London was destitute¹⁰. The origins of the name Ragged School isn't clear. Philanthropists set them up as an early experiment in providing free public education for street children in rags. Erica Davies, the museum's director, reads from a list that gives the family backgrounds of children who attended a Victorian school.

ERICA DAVIES: Fatherless fatherless, laborer¹¹, father in consumption, out of work, out of work, out of work. And that would really mean destitution at that time 'cause a woman could not make a decent living.

ALWYINE-MOSELY: Now, about 16,000 children a year take part in the Ragged School classes.

ARMSTRONG: (As Ms. Perkins) Please repeat after me - four farthings equals one penny.

ARMSTRONG: Four farthings equals one penny.

ALWYINE-MOSELY: After class, the fifth graders reflect on their experience. Ten-year-old Victoria Tolaje and 9-year-old Ella Love tell me what they've learned.

VICTORIA TOLAJE: You can't do stuff that you do now or you'll get shouted at.

ELLA LOVE: Normally now, you could ask the person that's sitting next to you if they know the answer. But if you're in the Victorian times, you probably got caned¹² or something.

ALWYINE-MOSELY: What do you think of the teacher?

VICTORIA: I wouldn't really like her as my teacher today because she's very strict and shouts.

ALWYINE-MOSELY: The Ragged School Museum may show these kids just how good they have it, but the organization itself is struggling. Erica Davies, the museum's director, says funding's been cut and she's had to lay off staff. She shows me a hole in the museum's roof.

DAVIES: If you look up there, you can see the hole.

ALWYINE-MOSELY: Does it leak when it rains?

DAVIES: It leaks when it rains, yeah.

ALWYINE-MOSELY: And each year, it gets harder to find the near $30,000 needed to keep the museum open. For NPR News, I'm Sam Alwyine-Mosely in London.

(SOUNDBITE OF EMANCIPATOR'S "TIME FOR SPACE")

1 ragged   

adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的

参考例句：

• A ragged shout went up from the small crowd.这一小群人发出了刺耳的喊叫。
• Ragged clothing infers poverty.破衣烂衫意味着贫穷。

2 destitution   

n.穷困，缺乏，贫穷

参考例句：

• The people lived in destitution. 民生凋敝。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• His drinking led him to a life of destitution. 酗酒导致他生活贫穷。 来自辞典例句

3 infamous   

adj.声名狼藉的，臭名昭著的，邪恶的

参考例句：

• He was infamous for his anti-feminist attitudes.他因反对女性主义而声名狼藉。
• I was shocked by her infamous behaviour.她的无耻行径令我震惊。

4 rife   

adj.(指坏事情)充斥的，流行的，普遍的

参考例句：

• Disease is rife in the area.疾病在这一区很流行。
• Corruption was rife before the election.选举之前腐败盛行。

5 cane   

n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的

参考例句：

• This sugar cane is quite a sweet and juicy.这甘蔗既甜又多汁。
• English schoolmasters used to cane the boys as a punishment.英国小学老师过去常用教鞭打男学生作为惩罚。

6 beckoning   

adj.引诱人的，令人心动的v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• An even more beautiful future is beckoning us on. 一个更加美好的未来在召唤我们继续前进。 来自辞典例句
• He saw a youth of great radiance beckoning to him. 他看见一个丰神飘逸的少年向他招手。 来自辞典例句

7 neatly   

adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地

参考例句：

• Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手们知道怎样把一条大绳利落地缠好。
• The child's dress is neatly gathered at the neck.那孩子的衣服在领口处打着整齐的皱褶。

8 authentic   

a.真的，真正的；可靠的，可信的，有根据的

参考例句：

• This is an authentic news report. We can depend on it. 这是篇可靠的新闻报道, 我们相信它。
• Autumn is also the authentic season of renewal. 秋天才是真正的除旧布新的季节。

9 slate   

n.板岩，石板，石片，石板色，候选人名单；adj.暗蓝灰色的，含板岩的；vt.用石板覆盖，痛打，提名，预订

参考例句：

• The nominating committee laid its slate before the board.提名委员会把候选人名单提交全体委员会讨论。
• What kind of job uses stained wood and slate? 什么工作会接触木头污浊和石板呢？

10 destitute   

adj.缺乏的；穷困的

参考例句：

• They were destitute of necessaries of life.他们缺少生活必需品。
• They are destitute of common sense.他们缺乏常识。

11 laborer   

n.劳动者，劳工

参考例句：

• Her husband had been a farm laborer.她丈夫以前是个农场雇工。
• He worked as a casual laborer and did not earn much.他当临时工，没有赚多少钱。

12 caned   

vt.用苔杖打（cane的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The gaoler caned the man. 狱卒用藤条鞭打这个人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I have caned my son when necessary. 必要时，我就用藤条打儿子一顿。 来自辞典例句