George Moth stood sniffling in the dock at the city hall’s police court after being hauled before a magistrate to explain his habitual school absence. The 10-year-old broke down in tears instead. The display of emotion didn’t sway the court, and George’s father, George Sr., was found in violation of the Truancy Act and spent a week in jail.
Newspapers from the era reported many stories similar to this 1904 incident. Locking up a parent was one method employed to combat truancy, and it wasn’t even the most severe.
