1 823.] Dr. Friedlander*s Sketch of the Poor, S(c. in Germany. 2 1 5 



Berlin. The establishment of pawn- 

 brokers was founded in that city by 

 a family of French refugees in 1692. 



While passing in review the various 

 philanthropic establishments, we en- 

 counter the Foundling Hospitals, those 

 of Orphans, and those of Industry. 

 We find in the same collection of M. 

 Francois de Neufchateau, a transla- 

 tion of the article Foundlings, taken 

 from the German Encyclopaedia of M. 

 Krunitz: this article contains some 

 very interesting details. The Society 

 of Industry at Hamburgh had pro- 

 posed this <|uestiou — " Whether the 

 education of children in the Orphan 

 Asylum was preferable to their being 

 placed out in schools ?" The prize 

 was adjudged to the one who decided 

 in favour of the latter. Several cities 

 in Germany, however, have Foundling 

 Hospitals ; such as Cassel, Nurem- 

 berg, Hamburgh, and Vienna. In 

 this last establishment they have begun 

 to follow the example of Paris, and 

 some diminution of mortality has been 

 derived from it. In Prussia they are 

 by no means favourable to these insti- 

 tutions : the laws of that country 

 require that a mother should nurse her 

 own child; and, if there is an absolute 

 impossibility in doing so, and that the 

 mother is incapable of paying the 

 monthly nurse, a guardian is given to 

 the child, and the poor's fund is 

 applied to for its maintenance. The 

 laws are besides very severe against 

 the reputed father of the child, and 

 condemn him to furnish an alimentary 

 pension. 



As to the Orphan Asylums, destined 

 for children a little more advanced in 

 age, there have existed some at Augs- 

 burgh from the sixteenth century. 

 M. Jean Falk, at Weinmr, a man 

 remarkable for his beneficence, who 

 had lost his four children in conse- 

 quence of the last wars, devoted 

 himself, since tlie year 1813, to the 

 laudable object of searching for the 

 children of soldiers who had fallen in 

 defence of their country, and sent 

 them to learn various trades. His 

 eflbrts were attended with extraordi- 

 nary success. More than 500 have 

 already issued from these scliools ; and 

 he proposes to employ them in the 

 erection of a small ciiapcl, for which 

 Ii(^ now receives voluntary contribu- 

 tions. Tiie collection of M. Francjois 

 (!e Nenfchatean contains a notice on 

 the Oriihan Asjlum founded by 

 I'^nnck, and on the iiie of its founder. 



'i'Lis 



at Hamburgh; Count Rumford, in 

 Eavaria ; and many others, have treat- 

 ed the various questions of which these 

 subjects are composed; and the la- 

 bours of the two last are not unknown 

 in tliis country.* 



The means of preventing poverty 

 have naturally been the first object 

 of research. Since the mathematical 

 labours of Euler, Widows Funds 

 and Insurance Companies have prodi- 

 giously multiplied in the north of 

 Germany. The works of Kriitter and 

 Teteus appear to have greatly contri- 

 buted to their propagation ; at a later 

 period, these institutions have been 

 often attacked and defended. Their 

 solidity depends not only on an exact 

 knowledge of the laws of mortality in 

 genejal, but also on tliat law of mor- 

 tality peculiar to each of the classes, 

 and to each of the various states 

 which take the most part in it. These 

 funds, which have suffered much in 

 the late wars, where nothing was re- 

 spected, appear to be restored to 

 favour ; the pastors of Berlin had 

 already a Widows Fund, so far back 

 as the year 1635. The revenues of the 

 lattery of that city belong to the Sol- 

 diers' Widows Fund. The professors 

 of Gottingen established a Widows 

 Fund for their wives, in the year 1743; 

 other institutions have been founded 

 for the relief of the laborious class, by 

 loans of money without interest, in 

 periods of distress. In all the towns 

 of any note in Germany, there are 

 Saving Banks for domestics and work- 

 men. At Vienna prizes for virtuous 

 conduct are distributed to the former, 

 when they have distinguished them- 

 selves for their fidelity and long 

 services. These funds for the relief 

 of the poor are generally administered 

 by the most respectable magistrates ; 

 and tlie manner in which the property 

 of minors is regulated merits to be 

 offered as an example. We find, in 

 the collection already cited of M. 

 Fran^jois de Neufchateau, the descrip- 

 tion of a similar fund established at 



* See the works of Count Riiiuford, and 

 the Collccrlion of Memoirs published iiiuler 

 the ministry of I\I. I'laurois de Neufcha- 

 teau. The mode of ciillecling alms pre- 

 valent at • Miniich is worlliy of being 

 recorded: there pass daily in the streets 

 several carts, for the pnrpose of receiving 

 from the houses the remains of bread, 

 meat, an<l bones,— to hi' distributed among 

 poor families. 



