Chapter 154: Chapter 154

VII The Gamin Should Have His Place in the Classifications of India The body of street arabs in Paris almost constitutes a caste. One might almost say: Not everyone who wishes to belong to it can do so. This word gamin was printed for the first time, and reached popular speech through the literary tongue, in 1834. It is in a little work entitled “Claude Gueux” that this word made its appearance. The horror was lively. The word passed into circulation. The elements which constitute t…