CRIMINALS AND INCAPABLES. 97 



age. We habitually speak of these classes as " the 

 poor," and the unfortunate use of this term as a 

 common description of totally distinct conditions has 

 led to most undesirable consequences. 



Our Unfortunate Use of the Word" Poor" 



With us everyone who has not sufficient means of 

 subsistence we term " poor," we assist them out of the 

 public purse, and we consider that in so doing we 

 obey Christian teaching. This theory and its prac- 

 tice are due to a slovenly habit of mind, and perhaps 

 also to an incomplete acquaintance with Scriptural 

 teaching. The " poor " of Bible language means ob- 

 viously the deserving and unfortunate, probably the 

 incapable, but certainly not the habitually idle and 

 vicious. We are not led simply to infer this, for there 

 are positive statements to this effect. St. Paul said : 

 " If any man will not work neither shall he eat," 1 and 

 again : " He that doth not provide for his own house 

 is worse than an infidel." 2 



The Unfortunate, the Aged> the Incapables, and the 

 Vicious, are treated alike. 



Our forefathers were more discriminating in this 

 respect than we are, and even in the reign of Henry 



1 2 Thessalonians iii. 10. 



2 ist Epistle to Timothy v. 8 



