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There was great emphasis on dress and 'respectability' (a term first used in 1785). The Magdalen Charity, which helped rescue penitent prostitutes, gave each woman a bed and a uniform. The Marine Society, founded by Jonas Hanway, took destitute boys off the streets, cleaned them up, gave them an outfit and turned them into sailors.
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These children did better than those vagrants who were press-ganged into the navy. Hanway was adamant that his charges had to come to his society voluntarily and with the permission of their parents. They were nevertheless en route to a very dangerous and harsh life at sea as they marched through London on their way to Portsmouth, their uniforms advertising their patrons' good works.
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Some 1,700 charity schools were set up in England in the 18th century. Many gave the children a distinctive uniform and taught them a narrow, religious curriculum, making them chant rhymes such as 'It is a sin/To steal a pin.'
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