Essays; Political, Economical, and Philosophical Part 7

[13]

Above 18,000 pounds sterling.

[14]

The committee, at the head of the establishment, has been enabled to make this purchase, by legacies made to the inst.i.tution.

These legacies have been numerous, and are increasing every day; which clearly shows, that the measures adopted with regard to the Poor have met with the approbation of the public.

[15]

I found upon examining the famous kitchen of the great hospital at Florence, that the waste of fuel there is still greater.

CONTENTS of ESSAY II.

of the FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES on which GENERAL ESTABLISHMENTS for the RELIEF of the POOR may be formed in all Countries.

CHAPTER. I.

General View of the Subject.

Deplorable State of those who are reduced to Poverty.

No Body of Laws can be so framed as to provide effectually for their Wants.

Only adequate Relief that can be afforded them must be derived from the voluntary a.s.sistance of the Humane and Benevolent, How that a.s.sistance is to be secured.

Objections to the Expense of taking care of the Poor answered.

Of the Means of introducing a Scheme for the Relief of the Poor.

CHAPTER. II.

Of the Extent of an Establishment for the Poor.

Of the Division of a Town or City into Districts.

Of the Manner of carrying on the Business of a public Establishment for the Poor.

Of the Necessity of numbering all the Houses in a Town where an Establishment for the Poor is formed.

CHAPTER. III.

General Direction of the Affairs of an Inst.i.tution for the Poor attended with no great Trouble.

Of the best Method of carrying on the current Business, and of the great Use of printed Forms, or Blanks.

Of the necessary Qualifications of those who are placed at the Head of an Establishment for the Relief of the Poor.

Great Importance of this Subject.

Cruelty and Impolicy of putting the Poor into the Hands of Persons they cannot respect and love.

The Persons pointed out who are more immediately called upon to come forward with Schemes for the Relief of the Poor, and to give their active a.s.sistance in carrying them into Effect.

CHAPTER. IV.

Of the Necessity of effectual Measures for introducing a Spirit of Industry among the Poor in forming an Establishment for their Relief and Support.

Of the Means which may be used for that Purpose; and for setting on foot a Scheme for forming an Establishment for feeding the Poor.

CHAPTER. V.

Of the Means which may be used by Individuals in affluent Circ.u.mstances for the Relief of the Poor in their Neighbourhood.

ESSAY II.

CHAPTER. I.

General View of the Subject.

Deplorable State of those who are reduced to Poverty.

No Body of Laws can be so framed as to provide efficaciously for their Wants.

Only adequate Relief that can be afforded them must be derived from the voluntary a.s.sistance of the Humane and Benevolent.

How that a.s.sistance is to be secured.

Objections to the Expence of taking care of the Poor answered Of the Means of introducing a Scheme for the Relief of the Poor.

Though the fundamental principles upon which the Establishment for the Poor at Munich is founded, are such as I can venture to recommend; and notwithstanding the fullest information relative to every part of that Establishment may, I believe, be collected from the account of it which is given in the foregoing Essay; yet, as this information is so dispersed in different parts of the work, and so blended with a variety of other particulars, that the reader would find some difficulty in bringing the whole into one view, and arranging it systematically in a complete whole; I shall endeavour briefly to resume the subject, and give the result of all my enquiries relative to it, in a more concise, methodical, and useful form: and as from the experience, I have had in providing for the wants of the Poor, and reclaiming the indolent and vicious to habits of useful industry, I may venture to consider myself authorised to speak with some degree of confidence upon the subject; instead of merely recapitulating what has been said of the Establishment for the Poor at Munich, (which would be at best but a tiresome repet.i.tion,) I shall now allow myself a greater range in these investigations, and shall give my opinions without restraint which may come under consideration. And though the system I shall propose, is founded upon the successful experiments made at Munich, as may be seen by comparing it with the details of that Establishment; yet, as a difference in the local circ.u.mstances under which an operation is performed, must necessarily require certain modifications of the plan, I shall endeavour to take due notice of every modification which may appear to me to be necessary[1].

Before I enter upon those details, it may be proper to take a more extensive survey of the subject, and investigate the general and fundamental Principles on which an Establishment for the Relief of the Poor, in every country, ought to be founded.

At the same time I shall consider the difficulties which are generally understood to be inseparable from such an undertaking, and endeavour to show that they are by no means insurmountable.

That degree of poverty which involves in it the inability to procure the necessaries of life without the charitable a.s.sistance of the Public, is, doubtless, the heaviest of all misfortunes; as it not only brings along with it the greatest physical evils, pain,--and disease, but is attended by the most mortifying humiliation, and hopeless despondency. It is, moreover, an incurable evil; and is rather irritated than alleviated by the remedies commonly applied to remove it. The only alleviation, of which it is capable, must be derived from the kind and soothing attentions of the truly benevolent. This is the only balm which can sooth the anguish of a wounded heart, or allay the agitations of a mind irritated by disappointment, and rendered ferocious by despair.

And hence it evidently appears that no body of laws, however wisely framed, can, in any country, effectually provide for the relief of the Poor, without the voluntary a.s.sistance of individuals; for though taxes may be levied by authority of the laws for the support of the Poor, yet, those kind attentions which are so necessary in the management of the Poor, as well to reclaim the vicious, as to comfort and encourage the despondent--those demonstrations of concern which are always so great a consolation to persons in distress--cannot be COMMANDED BY FORCE. On the contrary, every attempt to use FORCE in such cases, seldom fails to produce consequences directly contrary to those intended[2].

But if the only effectual relief for the distress of the Poor, and the sovereign remedy for the numerous evils to society which arise from the prevalence of mendicity, indolence, poverty, and misery, among the lower cla.s.ses of society, must be derived from the charitable and voluntary exertions of individuals;-- as the a.s.sistance of the Public cannot be expected, unless the most unlimited confidence can be placed, not only in the wisdom of the measures proposed, but also, and MORE ESPECIALLY, in the UPRIGHTNESS, ZEAL, and PERFECT DISINTERESTEDNESS of the persons appointed to carry them into execution; it is evident that the first object to be attended to, in forming a plan of providing for the Poor, is to make such arrangements as will COMMAND THE CONFIDENCE OF THE PUBLIC, and fix it upon the most solid and durable foundation.

This can most certainly, and most effectually be done; first by engaging persons of high rank and the most respectable character to place themselves at the head of the Establishment: secondly, by joining, in the general administration of the affairs of the Establishment, a certain number of persons chosen from the middling cla.s.s of society; reputable tradesmen, in easy circ.u.mstances;--heads of families;--and others of known integrity and of humane dispositions[3]: thirdly, by engaging all those who are employed in the administration of the affairs of the Poor, to serve without fee or reward: fourthly, by publis.h.i.+ng, at stated periods, such particular and authentic accounts of all receipts and expenditures, that no doubt can possibly be entertained by the Public respecting the proper application of the monies destined for the relief of the Poor: fifthly, by publis.h.i.+ng an alphabetical list of all who receive alms; in which list should be inserted, not only the name of the person, his age; condition; and place of abode; but also the amount of the weekly a.s.sistance granted to him; in order that those who entertain any doubts respecting the manner in which the Poor are provided for, may have the opportunity of visiting them at their habitations, and making enquiry into their real situations: and lastly, the confidence of the Public, and the continuance of their support, will most effectually be secured by a prompt and successful execution of the plan adopted.

There is scarcely a greater plague that can infest society, than swarms of beggars; and the inconveniencies to individuals arising from them are so generally, and so severely felt, that relief from so great an evil cannot fail to produce a powerful and lasting effect upon the minds of the Public, and to engage all ranks to unite in the support of measures as conducive to the comfort of individuals, as they are essential to the national honor and reputation. And even in countries where the Poor do not make a practice of begging, the knowledge of their sufferings must be painful to every benevolent mind; and there is no person, I would hope, so callous to the feelings of humanity, as not to rejoice most sincerely when effectual relief is afforded.

The greatest difficulty attending the introduction of any measure founded upon the voluntary support of the Public, for maintaining the Poor, and putting an end to mendicity, is an opinion generally entertained, that a very heavy expence would be indispensably necessary to carry into execution such an undertaking. But this difficulty may be speedily removed by showing, (which may easily be done,) that the execution of a well-arranged plan for providing for the Poor, and giving useful employment to the idle and indolent, so far from being expensive, must, in the end, be attended with a very considerable saving, not only to the Public collectively, but also to individuals.

Those who now extort their subsistence by begging and stealing, are, in fact, already maintained by the Public. But this is not all; they are maintained in a manner the most expensive and troublesome, to themselves and the Public, that can be conceived; and this may be said of all the Poor in general.

A poor person, who lives in poverty and misery, and merely from hand to mouth, has not the power of availing himself of any of those economical arrangements, in procuring the necessaries of life, which other, in more affluent circ.u.mstances, may employ; and which may be employed with peculiar advantage in a public Establishment.--Added to this, the greater part of the Poor, as well those who make a profession of begging, as other who do not, might be usefully employed in various kinds of labour; and supposing them, one with another, to be capable of earning ONLY HALF as much as is necessary to their subsistence, this would reduce the present expence to the Public for their maintenance at least one half; and this half might be reduced still much lower, by a proper attention to order and economy in providing for their subsistence.

Were the inhabitants of a large town where mendicity is prevalent, to subscribe only half the sums annually, which are extorted from them by beggars, I am confident it would be quite sufficient, with a proper arrangement, for the comfortable support of the Poor of all denominations.

Not only those who were formerly common street-beggars, but all others, without exception, who receive alms, in the city of Munich and its suburbs, amounting at this time to more than 1800 persons, are supported almost entirely by voluntary subscriptions from the inhabitants; and I have been a.s.sured by numbers of the most opulent and respectable citizens, that the sums annually extorted from them formerly by beggars alone, exclusive of private charities, amounted to more than three times the sums now given by them to the support of the new inst.i.tution. I insist the more upon this point, as I know that the great expence which has been supposed to be indispensably necessary to carry into execution any scheme for effectually providing for the Poor, and putting an end to mendicity, has deterred many well-disposed persons from engaging in so useful an enterprise. I have only to add my most earnest wishes, that what I have said and done, may remove every doubt, and re-animate the zeal of the Public, in a cause in which the dearest interests of humanity are so nearly concerned.

In almost every public undertaking, which is to be carried into effect by the united voluntary exertions of individuals, without the interference of government, there is a degree of awkwardness in bringing forward the business, which it is difficult to avoid, and which is frequently not a little embarra.s.sing. This will doubtless be felt by those who engage in forming and executing schemes for providing for the Poor by private subscription; they should not, however, suffer themselves to be discouraged by a difficulty which may so easily be surmounted.

In the introduction of every scheme for forming an Establishment for the Poor, whether it be proposed to defray the expense by voluntary subscriptions, or by a tax levied for the purpose, it will be proper for the authors or promoters of the measure to address the Public upon the subject; to inform them of the nature of the measures proposed;-- of their tendency to promote the public welfare, and to point out the various ways in which individuals may give their a.s.sistance to render the scheme successful.

There are few cities in Europe, I believe, in which the state of the Poor would justify such an address as that which was published at Munich upon taking up the beggars in that town; but something of the kind; with such alterations as local circ.u.mstances may require, I am persuaded, would in most cases produce good effects. With regard to the a.s.sistance that might be be given by individuals to carry into effect a scheme for providing for the Poor, though measures for that purpose may, and ought to be so taken, that the Public would have little or no trouble in their execution, yet there are many things which individuals must be instructed cautiously to avoid; otherwise the enterprise will be extremely difficult, it not impracticable; and, above all things, they must be warned against giving alms to beggars.

Though nothing would be more unjust and tyrannical, than to prevent the generous and humane from contributing to the relief of the Poor and necessitous, yet, as giving alms to beggars tends so directly and so powerfully to encourage idleness and immorality, to discourage the industrious Poor, and perpetuate mendicity, with all its attendant evils, too much pains cannot be taken to guard the Public against a practice so fatal in its consequences to society.

All who are desirous of contributing to the relief of the Poor, should be invited to send their charitable donations to be distributed by those who, being at the head of a public Inst.i.tution established for taking care of the Poor, must be supposed best acquainted with their wants. Or, if individuals should prefer distributing their own charities, they ought at least to take the trouble to enquire after fit objects; and to apply their donations in such a manner as not to counteract the measures of a public and useful Establishment.

But, before I enter farther into these details, it will be necessary to determine the proper extent and limits of an Establishment for the Poor; and show how a town or city ought to be divided in districts, in order to facilitate the purposes of such an inst.i.tution.

CHAPTER. II.

Of the Extent of an Establishment for the Poor.

Of the Division of a Town or City into Districts.

Of the Manner of carrying on the Business of a public Establishment for the Poor.

Of the Necessity of numbering all the Houses in a Town where an Establishment for the Poor is formed.