■xnmMMmM 



184 



(^l)c jTanijcr's iHontl)li) bisiton 



kept ii|i a conliniial abseiiCf, fVoin liie close of 

 ilie war of llie icvolmloii, we have gieiit reason 

 10 rei;iet. He was a kcIiooI-IcIIdw and towns- 

 man of the late Loainmi Baldwin, sunior, the 

 |iiojeetor and en^'ineer of tliat (irsl ijieat under- 

 taking of the kind in this country, tiie Michllescx 

 Canal, whieli unites the wulersof tlio Merrinjack, 

 the Concord and Charles rivers in the Boston 

 harhor, a |jrojt;ct then of •rreater ningnitude in 

 (iroporlion to means, than would he a railroad at 

 this lime, all the distance from the Atlantic to 

 the Mississippi. Mad the Count stood in any 

 friendly relation to this country and its institu- 

 tions, he might have been of immense benefit to 

 the great objects of melioration and itnprove- 

 ment, returning here among us, which have long 

 lingered. He was evidently a tnun before his 

 time, ere he left this country. An aged citizen of 

 this town some twenty years ago, showed us a 

 volume u|>on the higher niathemalics which 

 Benjamin Thompson used while here as a teach- 

 er: its blank pages and margins were filled with 

 calculations in algebraic and other figures in his 

 hand-writing. Few, very few, are the personal 

 memorials which he has here left: the matlie- 

 niuticul book is not now in possession of the (ler- 

 son who then held it. 



We found in the library of Congress at Wash- 

 ington, what we had in vain inquired for at the 

 book-stores in Boston, the first volume of "Es- 

 says, Political, Economical and Philospphicaj, by 

 Benjamin Count Rumford, Knight of tlie orders 

 of the White Eagle and St. Stanislaus; Cham- 

 berlain, Privy Coimsellor of State, and Lieuten- 

 ant-General in the Service of His Most Serene 

 Highness the Klector Palatine, Keigning Duke 

 of Bavaria ; Colonel of his Regiment of Artil- 

 lery, and ComiTiander in Chief of the General 

 Sliifi' of his Army; Fv R. S. Acad. Jl. Hiber. 

 Berol. Elec. Boicte, Palat. et. Amer. Soc." Hav- 

 ing passed three editions in London, this work 

 bears the impririt of '■ Mimiiiug anil lAirinir, Bos- 

 ton, March 179ti." 



We were exceedingly interested in the perusal 

 of that part of Count Romford's Essays opening 

 Willi llie Prevalence ol Mendicity in }3avaria,and 

 the Measures tor its suppression, which origina- 

 ted and were carried out through his persever- 

 ance and exertions. The whole of this first es- 

 say would he too long to be exiractetl for a num- 

 ber of the Visitor. VVe will however copy from 

 the volume siicli proniiin-nt portions of it as can- 

 not fail to be interesting to the people of this 

 country at this time. These volumes merit a 

 republication by some of our hook-sbllers : lar 

 more interesting and ten ihonsand times better in 

 a practical apiiliiiation would Iliey he to the A- 

 rnerican reader, ijian most of the ephemeral 

 works of limey or fiction which find so ready a 

 sale through the country. "Should auld ac- 

 ijuaintance he forgot-'" And are we not really 

 in danger, with the use of llie musical composi- 

 tions whose merits have long outlived their au- 

 thors ; are wi- not in danger of passing Ibe works 

 of Milton and Shakespeare, AdiJisiMi, and Gold- 

 eiinilb, into l<)rgetliilness in the swarming of pre- 

 sent jiroduetions which can hardly live to Iw; re- 

 perused ? 



F.X-JT. ICTS KRO.II ItU.'.IfunD's F.SSAV*. 



Prevalence of Mendu:il;i in Bavaria. 



".^nioiig tliii various inr.-iMiies that occnrre'd 

 to me by which tlu; military eslablisliment of the 

 country might be mndo subservient lo the |Md)lii^ 

 good in lime of pe:ic<', luint- ;i|)pcared lo ln^ of 

 ^o iiiiicb iiiiporlanre as iliat of employing the 

 army ii> cl-jaring the conulry of lie-^gais, thieves 

 and other v.igalioml.- ; and in waldiing over the 

 I'libliir tranipiility. 



" But in oriler to c-lear the country of beggars, 

 (the number of whom in Bavaria had become 

 ipiite intolerable) il was nei'essary to adopt gen- 

 eial anil dficacions measures for maimaining and 

 supporting the poor, l-nws were not wauling to 

 oblige eaeli comtnunily in the conulry lo provide 

 for its own )ioor; lint tlieso laws had been so 

 long neglected, anil beggary had become so gen- 

 eral, llial exiraordinaiy inca-'iires, and the most 

 indefaiiualili' r.\erlioiis, weri! necessary lo put a 

 slop lo this evil. Tin; immher of ilineranl beg- 

 gars, of both sexes, and all ages, as well foreign- 

 ers as natives, who slrolled iiliiiiit the country In 

 all directions, begging contributions from the in- 

 ilustriotis inhabitaiil(<, stealing and robbing, and 



leading a life erf indolence, and the most shame- 

 less debauchery, was quite incredible; and so 

 numerous were the swarms of beggars in all the 

 great towns, and particularly the capital, wo great 

 their impudence,and so persevering their impor- 

 tunity, that it was almost impossible lo cross the 

 streets without being attacked, tmd iibsolniely 

 forced to satisfy their clamorous demands. And 

 these beggars were in general by no means such 

 as ii-om age or bodily infirmities were unable by 

 their labor to earn their livelihood ; but they were 

 lor the most pari, stout, strong, healthy, sturdy 

 beggars, who, lost to every sense of shame, had 

 embraced llie profession from choice, not neces- 

 sity ; and who, not unfrequently, adding inso- 

 lence and threat to their importunity, extorted 

 ihat from fear, which they could not procure by 

 their arts of dissimulation. 



" These beggars not only infested all the sircels, 

 public walks, and public places, but ihey even 

 made a practice of going into private houses, 

 where they never failed lo steal whatever fell in 

 their way, if they found the doors open and no- 

 body at home; and the churches were so full of 

 them, that it was quite a nuisance, and a public 

 scandal during the perlbrmnnce of divine ser- 

 vice. People at their devotions were continually 

 interrupteil by them, and were frequently obliged 

 to satisfy their demands, in order to finish their 

 prayers in peace tind quiet. 



'• In short, these detestable vermin swarmed 

 every where, and not only their impudence and 

 clamorous importunity were without any bounds, 

 hilt they had recourse lo the most diabolical arts, 

 and most horrid crimes, in the prosecution of 

 their infamous trade. Young children were 

 stolen from their parents by ihesiS wretches, :inil 

 their eyes put out, or their tender limbs broken 

 and distoried, in order, by exposing them thus 

 maimed, to excite the pity and commiseraiion of 

 the public ; and every species of artifice were 

 made use of lo jigitate the sensibility, and to 

 extort the contributions of the humane and char- 

 itable. 



"Some of these iiionsters were so void of all 

 feeling as to expose even their own children, 

 naUerl, and almost starved, in the streets, in order, 

 that, by their cries and unaffected expressions of 

 distress, they might move those who passed by 

 to pity and relieve them ; and in order to make 

 lliein act their part more naturally, they were 

 nnmercifiilly beaten when they came home, by 

 their inhuman parents, if they did not bring vviih 

 them a certain sum, which they were ordered lo 

 collect. 



" Bill the evils arising tVimi the prevalence of 

 mendiciiy did not stop hei'e. The public, woi ir 

 oiii and vanquished by the numbers and perse- 

 verance in imporliiniiy of the beggars; and fre- 

 qnently disa|qiointed in their hopes of being re- 

 lieved fiom their depredations, liy the fiiiliire of 

 the numberless schemes that were foriiieil and 

 set on loot li)r that purpose, began at last to con- 

 sider the case as quite desperate ; and to submit 

 patienlly lo an evil for which they saw lio rem- 

 eily. The conseqiiencesi of this submission may 

 easily be conceived; the beggars, encouraged by 

 their success, were attached slill tiune stiongly 

 lo iheir iiif-iiiioiis iirolession ; and oilier.-, allured 

 by thi'ir indolent lives, encouraged by their stic- 

 cisslid frauds, and embnldened by their impnnity. 

 joined ihi'iii. The habit of snbiiiissioii on the 

 part of the public, gave them a sort of right to 

 IMiifiie their depredations; — Iheir growing niim- 

 lieis, and llii.'ir success gave a kind of eclat lo 

 ilieir profession; and tin; habit of hi'ggiiig he- 

 riiitie so geiii'riil, thai it ceased to liv eiiii>iilereil 

 as inliimoiis; and, was, by degrees, in a manner 

 interwoven with the iiiiernal regulations of soci- 

 ety. Herdsmen and shepherds, who .-illended 

 their flocks by the road-side, were known to de- 

 rive considerable ailvanlage from ihe conlribii- 

 lions which their situation enabled them to levy 

 from passengers; and I have been assured that 

 the wages they received lioni iheir (Miiployers 

 were often regul.iled a<'conliiigly. Tl.i: children 

 in every country village, and llioso even ol" Ihe 

 best farmers, made a constant praclice of beg- 

 ging fi'om all strangers who passed ; ••ml one 

 hardly ever met a person on fool upon ihe road, 

 particularly a woman, who did not hold out her 

 h.'ind and ask liir charily. 



"What has been said will, 1 fancy, be ihonglit 

 quite sullicient to show the necessity of apply- 

 ing H remedy to the evils described ; and of iii- 



Iroductng order and a spirit of industry among 

 the lower classes of the people. 1 shall there- 

 fore inoceed without any iiirlher preface, lo give 

 an account of the measures which were adopted 

 and irarried into execution for that purpose." 



Preparations made for pulling an end to Mendiciiy 

 in Bavaria 



"As considerable sums were necessary lor 

 the support of such of the poor as, fiom iige or 

 olher bodily infirinilies, were unable by iheir 

 iniliislry, to provide for their own subsislence; 

 and as there were no public liinds any way ade- 

 quate to such an expense, which could l;e applied 

 to this use, the success of the measure depended 

 entirely upon the volunlary subscriptions of the 

 inhabitants ; and in order to induce these lo sub- 

 scribe lilierally, il was necessary to secure their 

 approbation of the plan, and iheir confidence in 

 those who were chosen ni carry it into execiiiion. 

 And as the niimhers of beggars were so great in 

 Munich, and their imporlunily so very Ironble- 

 some, there could haie. been no doubt but any 

 sensible plan for remedying this evil would have 

 been gladly received by the public ; but they had 

 been so often disappoinled by Iriiilless allempts 

 from time to lime made fur that pin pose, that ihey 

 began lo consider the enlerp'ise quite impossible, 

 and to consider every proposal tor providing for 

 the poor and prevenling nicndicily as a mere job. 



"Aware of this 1 took my measures accor- 

 dingly. To convince the public that the scheme 

 was feasible, 1 delerinineil first by a great exer- 

 tion, to carry it into compleie cxecniion, and then 

 to ask them to support it. And to secure iheir 

 confidence in those em|jloYed in the management 

 of it, persons of the highest rank and most res- 

 pectable character were chosen to snperihteiid 

 and direct the atiiiirs of the institution ; and every 

 measure was taken thai could lie devised lo pre- 

 vent abuses, 



" In order 10 fix the confidence of the pnlilic 

 upon Ihe most (inn and immovealde basis, ..nd 

 to engage their good will and chei.'rfnl assistance 

 in support of tbe measures adoplej, the citi/ens 

 were invited to lake an active and honorable part 

 in the exicntion of the plan, and in the direction 

 of its most interesting details. 



"Before I proceed to give a more particular 

 account of the funds ol this insliuition, and of 

 the appliciilion ol' them, it will be necessary to 

 mention the pnparations ivhicb were made for 

 furnishing employment to the poor, and the 

 means which were used for reclaiming them 

 from their vicious liabil,-^ and rendering theui in- 

 diisli ions and useful snhjects. .\iiil thiswas cer- 

 tainly the most diliicnli, as well as the most i-uvi- 

 ous and inlere.-ting pail of the uiiilertaking. To 

 trn^t raw inati rials in the hands of coinmoii beg- 

 gars, cerlainly ri'i|niied great c.'iiilioii and luan- 

 agemeiit; — but to produic so total and radical a 

 change in the morals, manner.", and cnstoiiis of 

 this dehauclieil and abanduned race, as wan 

 necessary lo render ihi-ni oidd'y nnil nseliil 

 members of suciely, will natuially be consiikred 

 as an arduous, if not impossible, enterprize. In 

 llii.-i I siiccecdrd ; — lor the prool' of this (In i, I 

 appeal to the llouilshing stale of the difli rent 

 nauuiliiclories in which these poor people are 

 now enipIo\ cd, — lo I hen' orderly and pcariliil 

 deiiieaiior — m iheir duel (illness— lo their ioilos- 

 try. — to their ilesire la excel which maiiilisls 

 itself ainoiig them u|)oii all occasions, — and lo 

 the very air of iheir ceuiuenauccs. Strangers, 

 who go lo see this iiistiiMruin, (.iiid there are very 

 few who pass Ihrongh .Mniiidi, \^ ho do not take 

 that trouble) cannot siilllcienlly express their sur- 

 prise at the air of happiness and conielilment 

 which riigns lluoughont every p,'ul of this cx- 

 stensive estahlishmeni, and can Ih-irdly be per- 

 snailcil, that among those ihey see so chei rl'ully 

 engaged in llial inliMi;sliiig scene of indnsiry, by 

 far ihe greater part were, live years ago, the most 

 miserable and most worthless beings, — common 

 beg^'ars in the street. 



" Bv far the greater number of the poor peo- 

 ple lo he t.iken can; ol were not only common 

 beggars, but had been bred up from their very 

 inliuicy lo that prolr>sion ; and were so allached 

 to their indoleni and dissnliile way of living, a- 

 lo preltr il to all other situations. They were 

 not only imacqiiainlcd wilh all kinds ol' work, 

 hut had the most iiisuliirable aversion to honest 

 labor; and had so long been familiarized wilh 



