1823.] Dr. Friedlander* s Sketch of the Poor, Sfc. in Germany. 213 



tiiljuied to these ameliorations. It is 

 from Switzerland that the first impulse 

 given to Germany appears to have been 

 derived. The Economical Society of 

 JJerne published, in its Memoirs of 

 1762, an account of the means adopted 

 at Yverdun, to put a stop to mendicity 

 in the city and bailiwicks. The pastor 

 Resewitz, who was then at Copen- 

 hagen, drew attention to this subject 

 by the publication of a little work, 

 which appeared in 1769. He had 

 been struck with the manner in which 

 the French refugees administered as- 

 sistance to the poor, and prevented 

 mendicity. These refugees, who 

 brought the arts and industry along 

 with them, knew also very well the 

 mode of guaranteeing themselves from 

 misery. A similar fate early awakened 

 in them a spirit of association, and tliis 

 spirit naturally led to reciprocal aids 

 and more general principles of admi- 

 nistration. Al. Resewitz from that 

 time felt that the free and anseaiic 

 towns, whose magistrates, chosen 

 among the citizens, brought in the 

 exercise of their power more public 

 spirit and sentiments of a more jjater- 

 nal kind, migiit also, better than any 

 others, imitate similar institutions. 

 Their contiiuial intercourse with Hol- 

 land and England put it in their 

 pow er to be the first to follow the de- 

 velojiment of those countries, and it 

 was oltcn the city of Hamburgh which 

 gave, in modern times, lessons to the 

 greatest states, as had already been 

 done by the free city of Angsburgh, so 

 flourishing in the time of Charles Y, 

 by the trade which it carried on with 

 the municipal cities of Upper Italy. 



Since the middle of the last century, 

 all classes of the inhabitants, enjoying 

 a careful education, have more or less 

 contributed to propagate principles of 

 administration for the poor. Ecclesi- 

 astics, jurisconsults, physicians, men 

 even whose profession did not call 

 upon them to occupy themselves about 

 this important matter, but who were 

 actuated by a feeling of philanthropy, 

 have laboured at it in ditl'erent direc- 

 tions. 



The questions on the state of the 

 l)0()r are, for the rest, become more 

 complicated, in proportion as we ad- 

 vanct: in their examination, and there 

 is little of human knowledge; which 

 can contribute to solve them. We 

 .shall now see what each of the best- 

 inlormed classes of soci<;ty has been 

 able to perform for the relief of huma- 



nity. The principal question, no 

 doubt, was to find out the causes of 

 poverty. 



Irreligion, or the absence of all reli- 

 gious dogmas, in the lower classes, 

 must naturally be regarded as the first 

 cause of that dissolution of manners 

 wliicli engenders poverty. Respectable 

 ecclesiastics have at all times devoted 

 themselves to the propagation of reli- 

 gious instruction, and the church 

 accompanied it with abundant alms. 

 But these alms only tended to aug- 

 ment the number of beggars; and 

 religion, which reeals men to the con- 

 templation of the Supreme Reing, and 

 which gives him courage and hope in 

 periods of misfortune, cannot procure 

 him that intelligence and address ne- 

 cessary to furnish him with the means 

 of existeiu'c. The principles of the 

 purest morality, which more particu- 

 larly fixes the relationship of man with 

 his fellow -creatures, in like manner 

 ofl'er only powerless resources, unless 

 we learn to perform a woik useful to 

 ourselves and to society. Civil edu- 

 cation, united to a moral and religious 

 one, ought, consequently, to be consi- 

 dered as the first means for remedying 

 poverty. 



Soon after the suppression of tlio 

 Jesuits' schools, the people of Bohe- 

 mia felt the necessity of establishing 

 primary schools in the small towns 

 for the education of the lower classes, 

 and of rendering them more jaoper 

 for the education of individuals des- 

 tined to industrious professions than 

 the schools already existing. I know 

 not to what epoch we are to ascribe 

 the commencement of Sunday schools. 

 If I mistake not, it was the Abbe 

 Eelligcr who was the first, under Jo- 

 seph II., to establish the Norniand 

 schools of this kind. A respectable 

 ecclesiastic, named Kindermaun, form- 

 ed some in his village in the year 

 1773; he conceived the idea of intro- 

 ducing into these schools (probably 

 from the knowledge which he had of 

 the wants and wishes of his country,) 

 a more regular exercise of church- 

 music, and a more careful practice of 

 calography. In this manner he drew 

 the attention of the jx-asants, and, by 

 degrees, created schools, whieji were 

 called Schools of Industry, for those 

 persons who devoted themselves to a 

 trade. Count Bouquoi favoured these 

 institutions on his estates ; his exam- 

 ple was followed by many others, and 

 Maria Teresa rewarded Kindermaun 



