RELIEF OF THE POOR. 325 



act together : but their doing so is not made a sine qua non 

 to the success of an application, Protestants being per- 

 mitted to apply without the concurrence of Roman Catho- 

 lics, and Roman Catholics without the concurrence of Pro- 

 testants. Many persons might have anticipated a com- 

 plete failure, on the ground that few or none would be 

 found ready to come forward with voluntary supplies. 

 The reverse, however, has been the result of the experi- 

 ment : and the history of that system of education fur- 

 nishes, in almost every particular, an argument a fortiori 

 for the success of the system which we propose, for aiding 

 the people to support their own poor ; for example : 



1 . As the offer of assistance from a public fund has called 

 forward applications more than sufficient to absorb the 

 whole of the Parliamentary grant* for the education 

 of the poor, much more is the offer of such assistance 

 in relieving and supporting the destitute likely to ex- 

 cite a desire in the people to avail themselves of the 

 offer, and to bring forward applications for a much 

 larger amount ; for, however much the people may 

 be interested in the education of their children, they 

 are unquestionably much more so in the relief of 

 the poor. While comparatively little was expended 

 by them for education till they were encouraged by 

 the offer of public assistance, it is computed that the 

 small farmers and cottiers of Ireland cannot distribute 

 much less than from a million to a million and a half 

 sterling annually in food to beggars. 



2. As persons have been found in the most destitute 

 parts of the country to superintend the building of 



* The Parliament had granted 40,000. 



