PRIVATE RELIEF OF THE POOR. 307 



The above facts and conclusions are from personal observa- 

 tions begun by me in the summer of 1891, and continued in the 

 summer of 1892 in connection with Prof. James Mercur, of the 

 United States Military Academy. Not until we had embodied 

 our conclusions in an official report to the War Department did 

 I become aware that anything had been published in relation to 

 these forests. I then learned that Mr. W. H. Holmes, formerly of 

 the Hayden Survey, had made reference to them in his report on 

 The Geology of the Yellowstone Park; also that Mr. W. H. 

 Weed, of the present Geological Survey, had contributed an arti- 

 cle upon the subject to the School of Mines Quarterly for April, 

 1892. It is believed that nothing else of an explanatory or de- 

 scriptive nature has been published in regard to these interesting 

 objects. 



PRIVATE BELIEF OF THE POOR.* 



BY HERBERT SPENCER. 



T" ESS objectionable than administration of poor relief by a law- 

 -L^ established and coercive organization, is its administration by 

 privately established and voluntary organizations benevolent 

 societies, mendicity societies, etc. " Less objectionable " I say, but 

 still, objectionable : in some ways even more objectionable. For 

 though the vitiating influences of coercion are now avoided the 

 vitiating influences of proxy-distribution remain. If we have not 

 a machinery so rigid as that set up by the Poor Law, yet we have 

 a machinery. The beneficiary is not brought in direct relation 

 with the benefactor, but in relation with an agent appointed by a 

 number of benefactors. The transaction, instead of being one 

 which advantageously cultivates the moral nature on both sides, 

 excludes culture of the moral nature as much as is practicable, 

 and introduces a number of bad motives. Note the ill workings 

 of the system. 



As with the Poor Law (especially the old Poor Law), those 

 who were distressed but thrifty and well conducted got no help, 

 while help came to the improvident and ill-conducted ; so with 

 philanthropic societies in general. The worthy suffer rather than 

 ask assistance ; while the worthless press for assistance and get it. 

 The Mansion House Fund of 1885-'S6, for instance, was proved to 

 have gone largely for the support of " idlers, spendthrifts, and 

 drunkards." " They did not see why they should not have some 

 of the money going as well as their neighbors." In some cases 

 applicants " demanded their share." Where, as in another case, 



* From the author's Principles of Ethics, vol. ii, just published by D. Appleton & Co. 



